By beginning the novel with the assurances of Catherine's ordinariness, it seems like JA is forcing us to spend the rest of it figuring out why she is the heroine.

I just enjoy how she takes the parody a step further and gives us her standards for how things should be, as well as poking fun at the melodrama of gothic fiction. JA makes a subtle point about the true definitions of a heroine; rather than in an unlikely combination of beauty and accomplishment, the true heroine is to be found in the girl next door who is honest, honorable, and friendly.