tailieunhanh - Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen (16 tháng 12 năm 1775 – 18 tháng 7 năm 1817) là một nữ văn sĩ người Anh, tác giả của những tác phẩm nổi tiếng như Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, và Persuasion. Những bình phẩm về các vấn đề xã hội cùng văn phong tuyệt kỹ trong nghệ thuật dẫn chuyện và xây dựng những tình huống oái ăm đã đem tên tuổi của Austen vào trong số những nhà văn có nhiều ảnh hưởng nhất và được trọng vọng nhất trên văn đàn nước Anh. Những tác phẩm của. | NORTHANGER ABBEY by Jane Austen 1803 Prepared and published by Ebd CHAPTER 1 No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life the character of her father and mother her own person and disposition were all equally against her. Her father was a clergyman without being neglected or poor and a very respectable man though his name was Richard and he had never been handsome. He had a considerable independence besides two good livings and he was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters. Her mother was a woman of useful plain sense with a good temper and what is more remarkable with a good constitution. She had three sons before Catherine was born and instead of dying in bringing the latter into the world as anybody might expect she still lived on lived to have six children more to see them growing up around her and to enjoy excellent health herself. A family of ten children will be always called a fine family where there are heads and arms and legs enough for the number but the Morlands had little other right to the word for they were in general very plain and Catherine for many years of her life as plain as any. She had a thin awkward figure a sallow skin without colour dark lank hair and strong features so much for her person and not less unpropitious for heroism seemed her mind. She was fond of all boy s plays and greatly preferred cricket not merely to dolls but to the more heroic enjoyments of infancy nursing a dormouse feeding a canary-bird or watering a rose-bush. Indeed she had no taste for a garden and if she gathered flowers at all it was chiefly for the pleasure of mischief at least so it was conjectured from her always preferring those which she was forbidden to take. Such were her propensities her abilities were quite as extraordinary. She never could learn or understand anything before she was taught and sometimes not even then for she was often .