Yes, right where I got the idea Reeba !
Eleanor & Catherine. ;)

I think JA gives Eleanor 'shadings' of a literary Gothic heroine yet there is more to her charecter too.
Eleanor is 'gothic like' by some sentimental habits-
She always wears white, she wears her mother's set of pearls.
Pearls, of course, were mourning jewellery.
She hangs Mrs Tilney's portrait in her bedroom.
Her place of tranquility & peace is her mother's walk.
Posssibly, this walk makes her feel near her mother and safe.

Yet there is more to Eleanor than being similar to a gothic heroine.

] Perhaps JA concedes that the background of the gothic heroine is possible in reality, but the other things not ?

In some ways Eleanor's circumstances make her as like a gothic heroine- yet these were also ground in the reality of her era.
It may not mean Eleanor is a gothic heroine- ( unlike Isabella she isn't 'lost' in reading ;)) yet I admit I see aspects of a literary gothic heroine about her.

A couple of background cirumstances...

1. Gothic heroines often have mothers who die when they are young.

In Regency England, many children were left without a mother, (another eg is Emma).
It did not mean a child must grow up unhappy- yet Eleanor missed her mother and did not have beneift of an older companion or kindly father.

2. Gothic heroines were often in the power of a tyrannical male, often a parent or guardian.

As we know from books like 'The Gentleman's Daughter', a Regency husband/ father held dominion over home & family.
General Tilney doesn't mistreat Elenor yet he doesn't respect her. His affection for his children is bound up by their chances of making rich marriages.

Eleanor was witheld from marrying a gentleman due to his inferiority of situation (Ch. 31).

[ Dear, old imposing dad is of the old school. Despite all his fancy Rumsfordian renovations- General Tilney does not have modern values. He's an old fashioned snob and a show pony, imo. ]

Unlike General Tilney, Eleanor shows an enlightened attitude.
I feel she is more conservative than Henry in her ideas of civil order, yet she is not an authoritarian.
Some of her attitudes reflect modern values. She believes in marriage for love, a custom still coming into JA's society. Indeed, she helps Henry and Catherine in their courtship. 'Such a sister-in-law I should delight in' she replies, knowing perfectly well Henry means Catherine, (who thinks Henry refers to Isabella.)
Like Mr Darcy, Eleanor can be a social realist. She accepts marriages across class boundaries.
It leads me to wonder if Eleanor and Henry discussed the popular concepts of Equality and Liberty, just as they discussed ancient history.
Remember the Country & the Age in Which We Live ?

Eleanor is more similar to Henry & Catherine, her conservative streak and dislike of civil disorder may reflect the C18th.
Yet, from her values and attitudes, she is able to adapt to changing times. She is better educated than most women of her era. Her judgements are grounded in good sense, she enjoys Udolpho yet does not impose gothic illusions on reality. She doesn't know of Catherine's suspicions of her father as a wife murderer but if she did, she would not approve.

I love Eleanor Tilney. She is one of my favourite charecters in Austen. :)

One reason Eleanor maybe overlooked by academics is they really don't know what to make of her ! She almost defies the traditional idea of NA being JA's attack on gothic books.