COVE

This letter isn't an Austen original. It was actually penned by Shannon Winslow in her fan fiction sequel to Northanger Abbey titled Murder at Northanger Abbey. The letter is displayed in a flashback shortly before Catherine and Henry are married. I was drawn to the letter because of its faithfulness to the Austenian language and the voice of Henry as well as its logical existence withing the timeline of these characters' lives. 

Recreation of Fan Fiction Love Letter from Henry Tilney to Catherine Morland, crafted by Emma Young, 2023. The letter has been slightly modified from Winslow's original, as I felt the opening lines were out of character for Henry, so I removed those lines. I wanted to show some love for Northanger Abbey  and for Henry, which is why I chose to look past canonical letters. There aren't a miriad of letters in Northanger Abbey, and there are none between Catherine and Henry. This makes sense because for much of the novel, they live close to one another, and correspondence between the two would have been most improper.

Composing Henry Tilney's Letter to Catherine Morland, created by Emma Young, 2023. The letter was handwritten on tea-stained paper with a glass dip pen, folded , and sealed with wax with the symbol of two hearts, befitting a love letter. While glass dip pens are a modern invention, the process of writing with a dip pen and folding the paper into a letter are historically accurate.

The fact that there are still people reading and writing about Jane Austen's works, even in our modern era, speaks to the quality and universal appeal of her books. Her characters live on through film, stage, and written works created by faithful fans of Jane's worlds.