This story had the title "Elinor and Marianne" to begin with, and that's quite appropriate, but the latter title is even more so. Here we have two heroines, the Dashwood sisters: Marianne, who is 17 years old, and Elinor, who is 19. Right from the start, the girls go from great wealth to having very little, because they have a rat — with a capital R— for a half-brother. Despite explicit instructions from his father on his deathbed, the man refuses to help in even the smallestway when he dies and, as so many rules of inheritance back then play out, everything goes to the Rat.
The RAT brother
Happily, a relative of their mother saves them from poverty and offers a small cottage for the bereaved family to live in. Ere long, Marianne has Colonel Brandon showing a clear interest in her. However, she is uninterested because he is twenty years older! — which is actually refreshing, considering in those days old guys are always marrying teenagers and no one seems to bat an eyelash! Anyway, Marianne is filled with vitality both physically and emotionally and she figures an older man just won't do ... enter Willoughby, a dashing
young man who is handsome, loves the same poetry as Marianne, and (to top it off) will inherit plenty from his aunt. Just as things seem to be turning up roses for Marianne, Willoughby abruptly leaves, with no hope of returning. This turns Marianne into one of the most lovelorn figures in Austen’s world.
Then there is Elinor, who is prudent and rational — and it is a good thing, too! Her situation becomes complicated: she develops feelings for one Edward Ferrars, only to learn from Lucy Steele that he is secretly engaged to ... Lucy Steele! I know this makes Edward sound like a scoundrel, but he really isn’t, and Elinor knows that. Now, with Marianne torn up over Willoughby, and a mother that acts more like a younger sister than a mother, Elinor must bear her emotional turmoil with patience and a deep regard for doing what is right. With Marianne’s emotional openness playing off Elinor’s silent endurance, what is created is a gripping emotional drama that makes you yearn for something good to happen to the Dashwood girls. Once again, Jane Austen has created an intriguing story with strong female main characters.
Heroines, beginning with Northanger Abbey Jane Austen has the touch of a master in creating a main character and then putting her in a perfect situation, one that brings out the characteristics which define the heroine. With that, the main ingredients are set by which the tension of the story builds. For instance, today let’s briefly consider her book Northanger Abbey.
The heroine of this story is Catherine Morland, a naive country girl who is taken out into society for the first time by her family's childless neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Allen. In Bath — which is actually a place in England, despite how it might sound — she meets Henry Tilney. This fine, witty young man comes from a wealthy family, and he is immediately captivated by Miss Morland's innocence and simple country manners. Henry’s father, who is more interested in money and position, is informed by someone that Catherine is to inherit a great fortunefrom Mr. Allen, but this is simply false.
As a true genius, Austen has made young Catherine an avid reader of Gothic stories, and this admits a closer look at her inexperience and simple-mindedness, not to mention creates a fertile ground for her wild imagination. When she is taken to the Tilney's home, Northanger
Abbey, which is an old monastery being done over in as modern a fashion as that time period would permit, the outward appearance and interior design is enough for Catherine to be carried away under the influence of her Gothic stories! What will Miss Austen do now? Will love bloom between Henry and Catherine? ... or is to be strangled in the dark halls of Northanger Abbey? With each time I read this tale, I grow more fond of the young heroine Catherine Morland and am sure you will too. Noe
Happily, a relative of their mother saves them from poverty and offers a small cottage for the bereaved family to live in. Ere long, Marianne has Colonel Brandon showing a clear interest in her. However, she is uninterested because he is twenty years older! — which is actually refreshing, considering in those days old guys are always marrying teenagers and no one seems to bat an eyelash! Anyway, Marianne is filled with vitality both physically and emotionally and she figures an older man just won't do ... enter Willoughby, a dashing 
