I like what you say about Catherine reading the situation well. At face value this novel is a parody, but we are ment to 'read' it at different levels. I think an important lesson that Catherine needs to learn is not only to recognise what is real, and what is only an idea that she is imposing, but how to react to them. Characters in this novel who impose drama on everything loose out in the end.

- Catherine reads the General incorrectly and tries to make a drama out of it. She nearly looses Henry's regard as a result
- It turns out that the General is a bad person and there is a real drama when he throws Catherine out of the house (quite the gothic thing). Instead of turning to dispair, Catherine responds well, and as a result keeps Eleanor's regard, and gets home safely.
- Isabella has a situation of some concern when he marriage to James must be delayed, but she turns it into a huge drama, and tries to make a better match with Captain Tilney. As a result she looses James
- Henry reacts dramatically to the General's treatment of Catherine. I like him better for it, but it is a dramatic reaction to throw off your father and chase after the girl. The Morelands say he may not marry Catherine until he has his father's approval
- Eleanor does not react dramatically but stays behind and in the end is able to get the man of her choice and convince her father to approve Henry's marriage.

In a thread below it was discussed that there are elements of the gothic in Eleanor, but she is also a well rounded character, thus saying that there can be elements of the gothic in all of us. I'll extend this by saying that in NA, JA says that there are elements of the gothic, and dramatic problems in real life, and not only do we need to recognise them in their correct context, but we need to learn how to react correctly to them.