] No, seriously, how does Catherine compare to other Gothic heroines?

Many Gothic heroines simply annoy me. They nurse canaries and whatnot; they play lovely "romantic" instruments like lutes and lyres; they are constantly reminded of and quote passages of sentimental verse; they are so accomplished they make Georgiana look like a slacker--in short, they exist only to be preyed upon by a harsh, cruel world.

Catherine is much more interesting. She may learn poetry, but at least it's more Shakespeare and Pope than Tompson. She's wild and noisy--and I prefer wild and noisy to pale and insipid. Picture of perfection, and all that...