Out of curiosity, I've been checking out sequels to Jane Austen's works. Why do most of them focus on risque subjects? Do they think that most Austenite readers are dying to know about marital bliss, or about the seedy side of man? I think it's just another way to disguise romance novels and get them placed in the literature section. Most women that purchase romance novels (those Sandra Brown books, or the colorful covers of muscled men and barely-clothed ladies), or check them out from the library, are shy and insecure. You can see it in their eyes.
Sometimes I wonder if the profusion of such Austen-spinoffs, with their blush-worthy stories, are signs of ladies who have bought too dearly into the Darcy dream. They forget that Pride and Prejudice is the story of a relationship between 2 people who must learn to respect each other. They forget that part of Darcy's allure comes from the power of the love that he and Elizabeth have found in each other, a love bought with time and labor. Romance novels allow readers to skip this time and labor, and dive into the flesh portion of love.