The title on this post will puzzle anyone who hasn't actually read Radcliffe. And most people have not and should feel no shame at not having done so. It's work to read Radcliffe now. I quite like her but can't recommend her with the ease that I'd recommend a others.
For the benefit of those who have a lot of good reading to do before they get to Radcliffe, here are a few things you might not guess.
1. There is no supernatural in Radcliffe. There are no ghosts, no magical powers, no spells, no demons. Every single thing that happens has a natural explanation.
2. The (false) sense that something supernatural might be at work is always a product of the hero or heroine's imagination just as is the case in Northanger Abbey.
3. The hero or heroine's wild imaginings get out of control because he or she is in a stress causing situation such as visiting some romantic and awe-inspiring locale. This is very close to but not quite what happens to Catherine Morland.
4. Ultimately, the explanation for the bad things that happen to the hero or heroine is a plainly human cause. There is a person who is motivated by evil will and a lifetime of nursing their vices who is behind it all. Again, Catherine Morland's case is close to this but not quite.
5. Just as the supernatural elements are imagined in both Radcliffe and Austen, it also turns out to be the case that the heroine is faced by some very real threat.
6. Finally, because the supernatural is not real in Radcliffe, the encounters with this imagined supernatural don't drive the plot.
I'll explain the "not quites" in a later posts about how Austen differs from Radcliffe. For now though, I hope the similarity is clear.
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