Character Analysis
Mrs. Tilney died nine years prior to the events in Northanger Abbey of a sudden and tragic illness. Her absence is acutely felt by her only daughter, Eleanor. Though General Tilney seems unfeeling, we find out from both Henry and Eleanor that he was deeply affected by his wife's death. Mrs. Tilney's demise spurs Catherine's imagination and leads her to make some rather disastrous assumptions regarding General Tilney.