Final answer:
Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey is depicted as an unlikely heroine whose character is divided between society's expectations and her true self, which is used by Austen to engage readers through an ironic narrative strategy.
Step-by-step explanation:
Catherine Morland's character in Austen's Northanger Abbey is portrayed as an unlikely heroine, diverging from the typical tragic or beautiful protagonist seen in fiction during Austen's time. Her family's average status, lack of remarkable beauty, and disinterest in common female accomplishments of that period contribute to her character's division.
Rather than fitting neatly into one role, she is somewhat divided between what society expects and who she truly is, creating a sense of irony about her role in the novel.
This ironic approach is intended to pique the reader's interest in how such a character can be central to the storyline, and it is a device often used by Austen to engage the reader more deeply with the text.