Here's why:
* Gothic Conventions: "Northanger Abbey" plays with common tropes found in Gothic novels like mysterious castles, secrets, hidden passages, and brooding heroes. Austen uses these elements humorously, highlighting their absurdity and often exaggerating them.
* Catherine Morland: The protagonist, Catherine, is a young woman who is deeply influenced by Gothic novels. She reads them voraciously and interprets real-life situations through the lens of her fictional world. This leads to comical misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
* General Burdon: Catherine's romantic interest, Henry Tilney, is a witty and intelligent young man who gently satirizes Catherine's Gothic fantasies. He uses his knowledge of literature to challenge her assumptions and expose the flaws in her perception of the world.
Through "Northanger Abbey," Austen cleverly mocks the genre's excesses and highlights the dangers of allowing imagination to run wild, especially when it comes to romantic notions and social expectations.