"'The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all - it is very tiresome...'" (pg 102)
This is a quote from Catherine regarding historical books. To me, the most interesting part of this quote is her mention of the lack of women in said books. I feel that this could be Austen's way of critiquing books that are only about men, or include women whose characters are shallow and two dimensional. So far, Northanger Abbey has been a blatant mockery of romance and marriage during the turn of the 19th century, reducing Austen's characters to simple minds obsessed with gothic romance novels. I'm wondering whether she'll develop Catherine's character any more to aid in her warning against such simple female characters.
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