Wednesday, February 13, 2013  Is Jane Austen overrated?  That's
a question posed by the title of Ron Rosenbaum's article in
Slate, enticingly luring you with the promise of Slate-style
contrarianism.  But since the anti-Austen faction (led by
notable stalwarts like Charlotte Bronte and V. S. Naipaul) has
been so vocal as of late, this isn't the contrarianism you've
been expecting: It's the backlash against the backlash.  The
answer, according to Rosenbaum, is No, but also kind of: 
Enough! Please! We get it. I’ve written it myself several times.
Jane Austen is a serious—and seriously great—figure of seriously
great literature. Don’t diminish her work by calling it chick
lit! Did I mention she’s a very, very, serious (but brilliantly
comic and satiric) author? But it’s begun to seem like she’s now
assumed the role of the designated highbrow writer for light
readers. It’s not that she’s overrated. It’s that she’s in dire
jeopardy of being overhyped—and dumbed down in the process.
Rosenbaum's argument is close