Critics and Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey, as a parody, is oftentimes seen as a lesser novel when compared to Austen's other works. However, Northanger Abbey includes various types of narration, deep psychological investigation, and still manages to be a telling parody of the Gothic genre.
Northanger Abbey is also seen as didactic novel. Austen not only teaches young ladies what to live like, but she also shows authors and readers alike what a genuinely good book is made of.
Austen also employees free indirect speech, which incorporates several different perspectives into one narrative. This allows for an interesting relationship between the reader, characters, and narrators.
In Northanger Abbey, Austen specifically parodies Ann Radcliffe's The Mysteries of Udolpho, a stock novel in the Gothic genre. Her main character, Catherine Morland, is the exact opposite of the Gothic heroine; she is ugly, boring, and has trouble attracting a man. Catherine also finds herself in situations that are decidedly normal and plain, but she believes are truly supernatural. In these ways, Austen parodies the Gothic genre, but manages to create a unique novel.