Yet another trigger warning…but just how troubling can Jane Austen be?

Based on a sketch of Jane Austen by her sister Cassandra. Public domainNews that the University of Greenwich is warning its undergrads about the potentially disturbing “gender stereotypes” and “toxic relationships and friendships” conjured up by Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey has prompted hilarity and consternation in equal parts.

How on earth could an 1817 parody of Gothic fiction be so troubling to our worldly wise sensibilities in the 21st century? Remember Northanger Abbey, the first of Austen’s completed novels and published posthumously, is considered more minor than her other works. In fact, it is generally mentioned as an afterthought, with the Austen canon delighting in Pride and Prejudice, its glittering jewel that is shot through with mordant wit and brilliant characterisation.

Turns out Northanger Abbey is not much of an outlier in terms of trigger warnings and Austen’s usual romp through emotional territory has been previously judged to need advance warning.

For all that Au…