During 1798–1799 Austen drafted the novel first titled 'Susan,' a satire of Gothic fiction later published as 'Northanger Abbey.'
Between 1798 and 1799, Jane Austen drafted a novel initially titled Susan, which would undergo several title changes—first to Catherine, and finally, posthumously, to Northanger Abbey.
The novel is a affectionate parody of the Gothic fiction craze sweeping England at the time, epitomized by works such as Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho. Austen's heroine, Catherine Morland, imagines Gothic horrors lurking in an English country house, only to be humorously disabused of her fantasies.
This work is historically significant as Austen's most direct literary commentary on the popular fiction of her day, showcasing her sophisticated understanding of genre and her ability to blend affectionate homage with sharp satire. It also reveals her early interest in the psychology of reading and imagination, and the dangers of mistaking fiction for reality.
Although completed in draft form by 1799, the novel was not published until after Austen's death in 1817–1818, following a complicated publishing history that included the manuscript being sold and left unpublished for over a decade—a frustrating fate for one of her wittiest and most self-aware novels.