From Northanger Abbey
Henry Tilney
A witty gentleman • Clever and kind
A cheerful young clergyman who loves good books, gentle jokes and teasing conversation, and who makes Catherine laugh from the moment they meet.
Who is Henry Tilney?
Henry Tilney is a witty young clergyman who meets Catherine at a ball in Bath. He loves good novels, jokes and teasing, but he is also sensible and kind. He helps Catherine see the difference between the frightening stories she reads and the real world around her.
Henry Tilney is a character in Northanger Abbey, the 1817 novel by Jane Austen, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Henry Tilney like?
- witty
- kind
- sensible
Henry Tilney’s story
Henry is the younger son of General Tilney of Northanger Abbey and the clergyman of the village of Woodston, about twenty miles from home. He is introduced to Catherine at the Lower Rooms in Bath, where he makes her laugh by joking about her journal and about Mrs. Allen’s muslin.
He and his sister Eleanor take Catherine for a walk up Beechen Cliff, where he admits that he loves novels too. On the drive to Northanger, he teases her with a made-up tale of hidden doors and gloomy chambers, and he is amused by how much she enjoys it.
When he finds Catherine near his late mother’s room and learns what she has imagined, he is shocked but gentle, and reminds her to judge by what she really sees. After his father sends Catherine away, Henry refuses to give her up. He rides to Fullerton, asks her to marry him, and waits until his father finally agrees.
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
A moment to remember
Henry teases Mrs. Allen by knowing all about muslin, the thin cotton cloth of her gown, because he buys his own cravats and helps choose his sister’s dresses.
Family and friends
- Catherine Morland: dear friend, later wife
- Eleanor Tilney: sister
- General Tilney: father
- John Thorpe: rival he does not trust
Talk about it
Henry likes to tease, but always kindly. What is the difference between friendly teasing and unkind teasing?
Questions about Henry Tilney
- What is Henry Tilney’s job?
- He is a clergyman, a church minister, with a parsonage house at Woodston, about twenty miles from Northanger Abbey.
- How old is Henry Tilney?
- When Catherine meets him he seems about twenty-four or twenty-five. Austen says he is twenty-six when they marry.
- Does Henry Tilney marry Catherine?
- Yes. Once his father gives his permission, Henry and Catherine marry within a year of the day they first met.
Read the story in
Northanger Abbey
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
