Oh, and the writer of the piece is just whining. If you don't like chick-lit, don't read it. I don't.

That poster has taken the words right out of our mouths, hasn't she, Tracey?

If you don't like chick-lit, don't read it. I don't.

I say amen to that! No reason to blame that on Ms Austen!

The problem with the article is that the author fails to make the distinction between "Austen the book" and "Austen the movie." One of the wonderful things about Austen's heroines is that they ARE flawed, and yet, through their flaws, still likeable. It's Andrew Davies and Joe Wright who don't get this, not Austen herself. Elizabeth Bennet can't handle the thought that someone might be smarter than she is. Catherine Moreland is incredibly stupid. Elinor and Marianne--shall we start with their messed-up family dynamics or their dubious taste in men? Fanny Price has no personality. Emma is stuck up and selfish. Anne Elliot is a doormat. There it is (ducks flying tomatoes). THIS is the reason we keep coming back (that, and to read Wentworth's letter). Chick lit, yes, but also a profound insight into the flaws and virtues of very complex women.

Chick lit, yes, but also a profound insight into the flaws and virtues of very complex women.

Indeed, Trinity, and within the context of a rather complex society with its stringent rules and numerous double standards.

With all due respect - and there are certainly exceptions - but in our fanfiction world the characters of those FF writers who base their stories essentially on the various movie adaptations are rather two-dimensionally romantic, and lack the depth of Ms Austen's sharp perceptional qualities.