Although some might consider Northanger Abbey a slighter or lighter part of the Jane Austen library, I think it compresses an accomplished lot in a slim volume. It’s as great a cast of characters, with all their charms and foibles, and as diverting a comedy of manners and intrigues as any of Austen’s works. It’s also a great takeoff on Gothic novels, and even incorporates some incisive observations on the writing and consuming of novels in general.