Tabula Rasa: Tara and Catherine Morland

Tara plays a larger role in this episode, and really in this season than previously, and what interested me were the similarities and differences between her character and that of Jane Austen’s Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey. Tara and Catherine both act as the challenge to the “impolite” friend’s behavior. Tara threatens to leave Willow unless Willow cleans up her act, and Catherine expresses incredulity at Isabella’s behavior, although the culture / society in which she lives prevents her from confronting Isabella as frankly as Tara confronts Willow. Further, Tara is not portrayed as a heroine in Buffy, in fact I might argue that her confrontation with Willow in this episode and her courage of conviction in her decision to leave is when she is strongest. Tara is a little backwards compared to Catherine though, as Catherine is struggling to obey the dictates of society while Tara defies them with her language and actions. Catherine allows Isabella to permeate her opinions for a while, while Tara immediately rebels against Willow’s overuse of magic. It is this juxtaposition that surprisingly throws Tara’s character into a new light: she can be very emotionally strong. But then of course this also highlights Catherine’s emotional weaknesses. Honestly now that I’ve explored these two characters as they compare and contrast to one another I’m more convinced than ever that Catherine is a poor excuse for a heroine. Even the shy stutterer Tara out-shines her, especially in the area of presence of mind and courage to confront. Looks like Austen did an excellent job if she was in fact trying to make Catherine Morland a total parody of a heroine: fearful, clueless, and impressionable, with little sense of self.