Abstract:Catherine Morland, the protagonist of Northanger Abbey, is often regarded as Austen’s least appealing heroine, considered not just naïve but unintelligent. An examination of Catherine’s behavior through the lens of evolutionary theory, however, reveals her to be an astute sexual and social strategizer who ends up marrying the most eligible man in the novel. Not only is Catherine (unlike her older and supposedly more savvy friend Isabella) effective in identifying a man who is a good prospect for a husband and in convincing him that she will make a good wife. Her very obtuseness and seeming inability to read the minds of others can be regarded as assets in her goal of improving her circumstances through hypergamy (or “marrying up”). Austen’s insight into the dynamics of what Darwin would term sexual selection are clearly on display in her earliest completed novel.

中文翻译：

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奥斯汀诺桑觉寺中的性选择与女性选择

摘要：诺桑觉寺的主人公凯瑟琳·莫兰 (Catherine Morland) 经常被认为是奥斯汀笔下最不吸引人的女主角，不仅被认为天真而且没有智慧。然而，通过进化论的视角对凯瑟琳的行为进行检查，发现她是一个精明的性和社会战略家，最终嫁给了小说中最有资格的男人。凯瑟琳（不像她年长的、据说更精明的朋友伊莎贝拉）不仅能有效地确定一个适合丈夫的男人，并让他相信她会成为一个好妻子。她非常迟钝和似乎无法读懂他人的想法，可以被视为她通过重婚（或“结婚”）改善环境的目标的资产。