“I
have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature. My attachments
are always excessively strong.”
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—
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Jane
Austen, Northanger Abbey
Every era
likes to marginalize certain forms of art. In Austen's day, it was the novel
(and not just the Gothic ones). Today, it might be graphic novels or romance
or so-called "women's fiction" or "chick lit" or science
fiction or horror. Take your pick. Despite the snobbery, Jane Austin and her
whole family were, in her own words, "great Novel-readers, & not
ashamed of being so." Nevertheless, Northanger
Abbey is a hilarious send-up of just the kind of horror-and-romance-fest
that Catherine Morland—and Jane Austen—liked to read. The difference
between the heroine and her creator is that Catherine Morland kept expecting
real life to play out like one of her favorite novels, while Jane Austenthought
real life had its own set of fascinating stories to tell.
Classiclit.com
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There’s more to Northanger Abbey
then just a glimpsed into the Regency period.
Catherine Morland (Felicity Jones, Meadowlands) has an ordinary
life and a feverish imagination. When she gets invited to Bath, Catherine is
immersed in a world of elaborate balls and handsome men. When one suitor takes
her to his family estate, Northanger Abbey, Catherine becomes mired in a world
of fact and fantasy. Is there a dark mystery behind the locked doors of
Northanger Abbey? Why has her budding romance suddenly been cut short?
Northanger
Abbey was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be
completed for publication, though she had previously made a start on Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. According to Cassandra Austen's Memorandum, Susan
(as it was first called) was written approximately during 1798–99. It was
revised by Austen for the press in 1803, and sold in the same year for £10 to a
London bookseller, Crosby & Co., who decided against publishing. In 1817,
the bookseller was content to sell it back to the novelist's brother, Henry
Austen, for the exact sum — £10 — that he had paid for it at the beginning, not
knowing that the writer was by then the author of four popular novels. The
novel was further revised before being brought out posthumously in late
December 1817 (1818 given on the title-page), as the first two volumes of a
four-volume set with Persuasion.
A passage from the novel
appears as the preface of Ian McEwen's Atonement,
thus likening the naive mistakes of Austen's Catherine Morland to those of his
own character Briony Tallis, who is in a similar position: both characters have
very over-active imaginations, which lead to misconceptions that cause distress
in the lives of people around them. Both treat their own lives like those of
heroines in fantastical works of fiction, with Miss Morland likening herself to
a character in a Gothic novel and young Briony Tallis writing her own
melodramatic stories and plays with central characters such as
"spontaneous Arabella" based on herself.
Richard Adams quotes a portion of the novel's last sentence for the epigraph to Chapter 50 in
his Watership Down; the reference to the General is felicitous, as the villain
in Watership Down is also a General.
And here’s a little taste for you:
Darkness impenetrable and
immovable filled the room. A violent gust of wind, rising with sudden fury,
added fresh horror to the moment. Catherine trembled from head to foot. In the
pause which succeeded, a sound like receding footsteps and the closing of a
distant door struck on her affrighted ear. Human nature could support no more.
A cold sweat stood on her forehead, the manuscript fell from her hand, and
groping her way to the bed, she jumped hastily in, and sought some suspension
of agony by creeping far underneath the clothes. To close her eyes in sleep
that night, she felt must be entirely out of the question. With a curiosity so
justly awakened, and feelings in every way so agitated, repose must be
absolutely impossible. The storm too abroad so dreadful! She had not been used
to feel alarm from wind, but now every blast seemed fraught with awful
intelligence. The manuscript so wonderfully found, so wonderfully accomplishing
the morning’s prediction, how was it to be accounted for? What could it contain?
To whom could it relate? By what means could it have been so long concealed?
And how singularly strange that it should fall to her lot to discover it! Till
she had made herself mistress of its contents, however, she could have neither
repose nor comfort; and with the sun’s first rays she was determined to peruse
it. But many were the tedious hours which must yet intervene. She shuddered,
tossed about in her bed, and envied every quiet sleeper. The storm still raged, and various
were the noises, more terrific even than the wind, which struck at intervals on
her startled ear. The very curtains of her bed seemed at one moment in motion,
and at another the lock of her door was agitated, as if by the attempt of
somebody to enter. Hollow murmurs seemed to creep along the gallery, and more
than once her blood was chilled by the sound of distant moans. She began to
wish for Henry Tilney to find his way secretly to her room to help allay her
nervousness.
When the door to her
room opened slowly she searched frantically for something with which to defend
herself, not knowing if it was ghost of human who trespassed. When she saw
Henry slip into the room, fingers to his lips, she poofed out a sigh of relief.
Had just thinking of him conjured him up?
“What are you doing here?”
she whispered as softly as she could, noticing that he had divested himself of
all his clothes save a thin pair of breeches and a loose shirt.
“I feared the storm
would disturb you and wanted to ease you through it.”
“But—But—But what if
someone sees you walking around like that?” Her fingers gripped the bedclothes.
“General Tilney and my
mother are long fast asleep,” he whispered back, “and I hope the same for my
sister. However, since she sleeps two doors down we must be careful not to do
anything to call her attention.”
“And what would we be
doing?” she asked.
With a smile Henry
approached the bed and eased himself down on top of the covers next to her. “I
hope many things,” he told her. “I have felt this strong attraction between us
from the first moment of our meeting and I have seen in your eyes a like
feeling. If I am mistaken please advise me of it and I will leave a once.”
Even as the blood
stirred within her and her pulse rate accelerated, she felt compelled to offer
at least a token protest. “I assure you that I am still an innocent, an
unsullied and respectable female.”
His hand cupped her
cheek, turning her face to his. “My dear sweet Catherine, I am fully aware of
that. I would take no advantage of that if you bid me leave. And if you bid me
so I will be gone and this will be as if it never happened. But understand that
you have my full respect as well as a number of other emotions that far surpass
it. From our first meeting I have dreamed of being the one man to show you the
pleasures of the body. I care for you so much. Please do not turn me away.”
She could have demurred
further but she was so eager for his touch that it seemed to her a waste of
time so she simply smiled and placed her hand over his. “And I have dreamed of
the same things.”
Henry leaned his head
closer to her face and placed his lips on hers. They were firm and moist and
the touch was utterly pleasant. He brushed his mouth lightly over hers in a
back ad forth motion, teasing her, until his tongue peeped out to trace he seam
of her lips.
“Open your mouth for
me, sweet Catherine,” he urged. “Let me in.”
She did so and when his
tongue swept inside it filled her with a sensation of pleasure that danced
through her body. Her nipples tingled and at once the sensitive muscles in her
cunt trembled. She felt the liquid of her arousal soaking the crotch of her
nighttime bloomers and had to press her thighs together. All this from a kiss!
Imagine! But it was far beyond any kiss she’d ever imagined. Henry’s tongue
touched the inside of her mouth everywhere, sliding over her own tongue in a
movement that coaxed her to let hers dance with him. He thrust it in and out,
mimicking the act of sex she and Virginia had read about and arousing her even
more.
Pulling the gown up far enough, he proceeded to pull one nipple
into his mouth. Catherine’s breath caught at her throat as he sucked deeply on
it then gently scraped it with his teeth. He cradled her breast in his warm
palm kneading it gently as he continued to suck and nip at the stiff peak. Her
blood heated and the fire roared straight to her cunt to meet the insistent
throbbing in her already wet tissues. He gave equal attention to her other
breast until she was arching up to him in delight.
When Henry lifted his
head she cried out. “Oh, continue, please, I pray you. I cannot bear it if you
stop.”
His smile was
mesmerizing. “If I am to continue we must move all this fabric out of the way.”
He plucked at her gown, rucked up around her neck, and ran a finger around the
waist of her drawers. “I wish to see your body in its entirety that I may
worship every inch of it.”
No one had seen
Catherine naked since she was a child with the exception of her partner in
crime, Virginia. But she trembled in anticipation of Henry’s gaze taking in
every inch of her and hoped she would not be found wanting. Mutely she nodded
and allowed him to assist her with the removal of her nightwear, shivering
slightly as the cool night air wafted over her.
Henry placed a kiss
between her breasts. “I am not shy of my own abilities to warm you up but I
think a fire would help us along.”
Catherine lay nude with
her arms crossed over her breasts, her eyes glued to Henry as he built up the
fire until it leapt into a nice flame. But the fire was not the only ting that
heated her as Mr. Tilney began to slowly remove his own clothing, draping it
over the arm of a boudoir chair. She was stunned at the sight of his
magnificent body, gleaming in te firelight, the curled hair on his chest
slightly darker than that on his head and darker still as it clustered around
his cock which stood straight out in all its glory. Her fingers itched to touch
it, to test its feel, to rub herself against it. To see if it would fit within
her as the book had described.
Henry Tilney smiled at
her as he stood beside the bed, what she could only describe as hunger flaring
in his eyes.
“Go ahead,” he urged.
“Touch it. I can see that you want to.”
She reached out her
hand and closed her fingers around silky skin over a hard as steel core. “Oh!
It feels hot!” Experimentally she slid her fingers up and down, from tip to
root and back again. It flexed beneath her touch, a most pleasant feeling so
she did it again and yet again. The soft wiry curls surrounding it brushed
sensually against the edge of her hand and by the third slide a small drop of
fluid eased from the tiny slit in the head. Catherine stared in wonder and
before she could help herself touched the tip of one finger to it. Bringing her
finger to her mouth she licked slowly, enjoying the slightly salty taste of it.
Tilney’s expression
heated as he watched her. Do you fancy the taste, then?”
Catherine nodded
mutely.
“Soon I might ask you
to take me in my mouth,” he told her, “but right now I would like to savour
your taste, also. Will you allow me?”
She nodded, lying still
as he separated her legs and knelt between them. The moment his fingers touched
the lips of her cunt every nerve in her body leapt to attention. She wanted to
squeeze her thighs together against the pulse pounding inside but Henry kept her
legs separated with his wide shoulders. He opened her lips and stared intently
at her—what had Isabella called it?—her pussy, the intensity of his gaze
heating her even more.
“Your cunt is so
beautiful,” he breathed “Just as I imagine—all pink and pretty and so, so wet.”
He ran one finger the
length of her slit and brought it to his mouth to taste as she had done with
his liquid. He closed his eyes, obviously savouring the taste, then
leaned down and ran his tongue where his finger had touched. Catherine was sure
her body was on fire now, every fibre of her demanding more. She wanted him to
do all the things she and Virginia had experimented with, and more. To touch
every part of her body inside and out. When he sipped one finger inside her
slick sheath she could not help but gasp at the intensity of the sensation.
“Hush.” He smiled up
at her. “We must be perfectly quiet or I will have to stop.”
No! No, no, no!
She clapped one hand
over her mouth and pressed her lips hard together, but oh! It was so hard to
keep still as his fingers thrust in and out of her in a rhythm that made her
entire body throb.
“I am going to touch
your clit, my sweetness,” he whispered. “Pray do not cry out.”
But even her good
intentions could not completely stifle the little whimpers as he inched and
rubbed that furled knot of flesh while his fingers continue to plunder her. Oh,
dear lord, this was so much more than she expected. Every nerve in her body
seemed to centred in that one spot. She pushed herself against his touch, swallowing
a scream of delight when his tongue replaced his hand on her clit while he
continued to work her quivering cunt. The surge of need rising within her was
far more than she’d experienced in the little games she and Virginia had
played. She was losing control of herself as unbelievable feelings swept
through her.
Tilney lifted his
head. I am going to give you an orgasm, my sweet.” His voice was gruff with
restrained passion. “Since this is your first time it will relax your inner
muscles and make the way easier for my cock. Yes, I feel it coming on now. Oh,
how tightly your cunt closes around my fingers. How sweet your little clit
tastes to my tongue. Pray prepare yourself, Catherine, for it is almost upon
you.”
Yes! She could feel
a force gathering within her. She closed her eyes and threw her head back,
biting down on the edge of her hand as violent spasms swept through her shaking
her entire body. She pushed hard against Henry’s fingers and in fact wound her
legs around his neck to pull him in tighter and bucked up against him. The room
fell away and she conscious of nothing but the shudders wracking her, tossing
her into a void where the only thing that mattered was this powerful force that
gripped her body.
She was barely aware
of the tremors subsiding, of Tilney slowing the pace of his fingers, of his
tongue lapping easily every inch of her quivering cunt until the last of the
spasms had subsided.
Henry moved up to
kiss her licking her lips before sliding his tongue into her mouth. She could
taste herself on him, a not unpleasant taste and actually sucked his tongue.
“Sweet Catherine.”
He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. “I am so honoured to be your very
first lover. You held nothing back ad that orgasm will prepare you to accept
the length of my cock. Do not move.”
He rose from the bed
and fished something from a pocket of his trousers. When he returned against to
kneel between her thighs and she saw he held a strange item in his hand.
“This is a condom,”
he explained. “A safe, because that’s exactly what it will make you. We do not
want to get you with child and I want to be most careful with you.”
She had read about
such devices in the book and watched
in fascination as he rolled it onto his swollen cock. When he was finished he
loomed over her, balancing himself on his hands.
“You know this will
hurt a little, right? But I will be as gentle as possible with you.” He slid
his fingers inside her again, smiling in satisfaction at what he felt. “So wet.
And relaxed. This will be fine.”
He brought the head
of his cock to her opening and prodded gently. She flinched at first, not sure
she could take something that size inside her but Tilney soothed her with
whispered words. He brought her knees up and pressed them back, opening her
more and easing his passage into her body. Inch by inch he slid into her,
filling her until she was sure she could not take another inch of him. And yet
she wanted more. Her body was again in a state of high excitement, her breath
coming in short pants, her heart racing.
Tilney’s eyes
glittered as he stared into hers. “Now, Catherine. A little inch and no more.”
He moved one hand to her clit, rubbing it over and over, bringing her to
a higher level of need. At the point where she was actually ready to beg he
thrust his hips forward in a hard movement. So aroused was she that she barely
notice the brief stab of pain. And then he was seated inside her completely,
every fibre of her body on fire for him. His pace as he moved in and out of her
was slow at first, his eyes watching her for signs of discomfort. But when he
saw only pleasure he increased his pace until he was hammering into her with
force, his breath raspy in the ar. The moment the walls of her cunt began to
spasm anew he let himself go. Catherine could feel his cock pulsing inside the
condom, vibrating against her inner muscles which clamped down on him like a
vice. Catherine felt tossed into space, a void of pleasure filled with rockets
and firecrackers that stabbed through her with the most delightful pain of
arousal.
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