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Portrait of Isabella Thorpe

Isabella Thorpe

Catherine's initial friend and James Morland's fiancée.

From "Northanger Abbey" by Austen, Jane

Core Belief

"Social status and material wealth are the most important determinants of happiness and success, and that appearances are more important than reality."

Worldview

Isabella sees the world as a stage for self-promotion, where charm and manipulation are the keys to achieving social and financial success. She is cynical and distrustful of others, believing that everyone is motivated by self-interest.

Personality

Isabella is initially presented as a charming and affectionate friend to Catherine, but is revealed to be self-centered, manipulative, and obsessed with social status. She is prone to exaggeration, flattery, and insincere displays of emotion, and her actions are primarily motivated by ambition and a desire for attention.

In Their Own Words

"“My dearest creature, what can have made you so late? I have been waiting for you at least this age!”"
"“I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature. My attachments are always excessively strong.”"
"“Where the heart is really attached, I know very well how little one can be pleased with the attention of anybody else. Everything is so insipid, so uninteresting, that does not relate to the beloved object! i can perfectly comprehend your feelings.”"

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