Northanger Abbey
Isabella Thorpe
Catherine's false friend
A glamorous, gushing girl who swears eternal friendship to Catherine. She is more interested in rank and flirtation than in anyone's heart.
Isabella Thorpe is twenty-one, fashionable, dramatic and always on show. She meets Catherine in the Pump Room and announces that they will be the greatest friends in the world. They bond over The Mysteries of Udolpho, and Isabella hands her a list of seven horrid novels to read.
Her warmth is all talk. She says there is nothing she would not do for her friends, but she weighs every person by their fortune and position. She is a foil to Catherine, whose honesty shows up her performance. She is fond of dramatic poses and sighs, and she has a talent for seeming to be in raptures while keeping a sharp eye on who is rich and who is not.
“I am positive we shall be the greatest friends in the world! You have the look of an angel, Catherine!”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
Isabella gets engaged to James Morland, and Catherine is thrilled to be getting a sister. Then Captain Frederick Tilney arrives, and Isabella flirts with him openly at an assembly while still engaged.
James breaks off with her, and the Captain, who never meant to marry her, drops her. Isabella then writes to Catherine as if nothing has happened, asking her to patch things up with James. Catherine sees through it and refuses to answer, ending the friendship.
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