Linda, what an interesting and perceptive post. Thank you!

And now I will confess that when I *first* read NA, I thought General Tilney was after young Catherine, and that his increasingly irritating behavior was due to his realization that she was oblivious to his charms. I like your welll-researched explanation better!

Was anyone else misled by the General's attentions to Catherine? I didn't pick up on the fact that he may have been "courting" her on his son's behalf. I found his behavior very troubling on a number of levels, and was relieved that I had been mistaken. Even after several readings, I still find him rather creepy...