I have come to this conclusion after nearly a month of 'gothic' discussions regarding NA.

Reading 'gothic' novels was the pop culture of that time, affecting the impressionable mind.

200 years ago JA (unknowingly) sensed this phenomena which is so widespread today.

It seems we can't get away from reading.
200 years later we have it in several forms.
If it's not a hoarding/billboard then it's the front of a t-shirt ;-)
Magazines, newspapers, display the contents in bold letters and you can't help reading them.
Added to this is the computer and what all you can read there.

If one is not sensible about all this reading one can get misled by a raised imagination, and all the trivial appearances of alarm regarding - oh so many things.

Catherine was lucky as she had only 'gothic' novels to deal with and a Henry to show her the right way to deal with them.