The World According to Catherine Vernon

Though any claim of a defined main character in Lady Susan would go against the traditional definition of an epistolary novel, I would certainly make the assertion that Catherine Vernon is the central axis around which the story is told, were I hypothetically obligated to choose a main character. Appearing in fourteen of the forty-one letters through out Lady Susan, Catherine Vernon seems to me more like the narrator, and furthermore more like the person whom everything is happening to, than Lady Susan Vernon herself does. In other words, it is easier to see the world that the characters of Lady Susan live in through Catherine's eyes than it is to see it through Lady Susan's because of the personal connection that Catherine Vernon's writing style enables her to have with Austen's readers. The first reason why Catherine Vernon seems so genuine and open is because all of her letters, save one, are addressed to her mother (the other is to her brother). By only addressing her mother, Catherine’s tone is much less formal and withholding than some of the other letters in the novel which censor and hold back information for the sake of propriety as dictated by the society of the era. Moreover, the effect that Catherine’s tone has upon the third party readers of her letters is one of inclusion and familiarity – this makes it easier to understand where Catherine Vernon is coming from. Additionally, the fact that Catherine is perpetually right through out the novel, but does not have the social position to fully assert herself, instead sitting back almost as a knowing spectator, makes her seem like she is on a higher level in terms of insight than the other characters of Lady Susan.

Generally Catherine’s letters voice opinions on events that are narrated in directly preceding letters written by Susan Vernon and as a result Austen sets up Catherine to comment on events told my Lady Susan in addition to furthering the plot. Catherine’s sensible demeanor and casual tone make her the best candidate, therefore, to be the main character and narrator of Lady Susan.