Tuning into a new year with Northanger Abbey

 

The start of this new year has been surprising to say the least. Fortunately, I have a good literary companion for this blend of chaos and clarity in Northanger Abbey.

Yes, I am still rereading Jane Austen's Classic Six and this next to last of her completed works offers a lot of refreshing moments with young Catherine Morland whose first visit to Bath showcases her unique brand of wide eyed innocence with unintentional insights into social norms.

At this point in my reading, Catherine is preparing to stay at the title residence with her new friends,the Tilneys and eager to see how spooky this remote country estate is. Being a fan of Gothic novels, Cathy has quite the expectations of a sinister looking castle with hidden rooms and secrets to be uncovered.

Thinking on a modern day version of this story(Val McDermid has written a good one,btw), I do think that Cathy would be a huge mystery reader as well as into paranormal romance books. After all, she does become rather interested in how the former Mrs. Tilney passed away, even getting her new friend and daughter of the household Eleanor to engage in a bit of sleuthing there:

While that mystery comes to it's own conclusion, you would have to consider what pop culture influences a present day Cathy Morland has and it wouldn't just books. What shows would she be watching on either regular TV or streaming?

Granted, most of the shows Cathy would like probably would be book based and an obvious choice is the current CW rendition of Nancy Drew. This series has it's lead girl detective in her post-high school years, with a "Drew Crew" that includes ex-boyfriend Nick, former high school rival George and new to small town life Bess.

Much like Riverdale, the show has a much darker take on it's iconic young adult sleuth with family secrets revealed, class struggles on display and a touch of the supernatural. No doubt that the Catherine of our times would relish this show and devour it(along with tie-in titles) gleefully:

Speaking of Riverdale and the supernatural, I'm pretty sure that Cathy would have some streaming access back home and checking out The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix.

Unlike the sitcom cute 90's show, this Sabrina Spellman takes on the forces of darkness directly, such as her obnoxious principal Hawthorne,  possessed teacher Mary Wardell who intends to groom her for evil and various witchcraft inclined peers clamoring for power positions with Lucifer himself.

Of course, Sabrina has the support of her aunts Hilda and Zelda, not to mention a certain feline guide to the spirit realm. High school and horror with a dash of morbid humor certainly would be catnip for our Ms. Morland indeed:

Yet, the question remains; what series of books and shows would Kathy's other new friend Isabella Thorpe introduce to her? I suspect that A Discovery of Witches, which is available on cable and streaming, might be their version of The Mysteries of Udolpho.

This series, based on the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, has historian and reluctant witch Diana Bishop finding herself caught up in a quest for a long lost magical manuscript.

With the aid of Matthew Clairmont, a vampire seeking the knowledge from the book to protect all nonhuman beings from destruction, Diana taps further into her suppressed abilities and learns more about her own powers, not to mention those who fear her awakened potential.

I can easily picture Cathy and Isabella watching this show together on their IPhones, reading the books just far enough to not get spoiled for future plot points. With season two involving time travel to the Elizabethan era, these girls would be in Hot Topic heaven:

The moral of sorts that many people take from Northanger Abbey is to not get too carried away with your reading material when it comes to real life, yet I really don't think it's about anti-genre reading. Instead, I believe it's about being a more thoughtful person and learning to read people as well as any book.

Still, it would be fun to have a Cathy Morland, Girl Detective series either in print or online. A less intense take on Veronica Mars, if you will(I do like that show, which was canceled way too soon). Hopefully, if that ever comes to pass, this Modern Ms. Morland should be a more savvy investigator than her Austen inspired incarnation turns out to be: