The Jane Austen of Horror

As Lou points out in one of his many, many comments, any prolific writer can be referred to as the "Stephen King" of their particular genre. I was on the verge of stealing Lou's insight and calling Jane Austen the Stephen King of rural gentry romance, but then I changed my mind. I think Stephen King is the Jane Austen of horror. That has a much better ring to it, don't you agree?
Anyway, the only romances I can admit to reading and enjoying are the really old ones that people now think are classics. But, really, they're still romances. You always put yourself in the shoes of the main lady protagonist and hope beyond hope that she wins the heart of the man she adores. Or you wait in horrible anxiety wondering if she will ever realize that he is already in love with her and that she must return his affections! Oh, goodness, my heart is all aflutter!! The secondary enjoyment of these books is the acquired knowledge of early 19th century social custom. And finding out what people did for entertainment before TV.
Anyway, have you ever seen the movie "Clueless"? Well, that was a total rip-off of Jane Austen's Emma. Little did I know! Emma tries to elevate the social status of a friend. Dissuades her from marrying the man who loves her and makes her fall in love with a man who is really in love with Emma. Then the friend falls in love with another guy, who Emma suddenly realizes SHE loves. Amid other similar blunders, everything turns out peachy keen. The friend marries the first guy and Emma marries the other guy. Happy ending! Now I know what its like to live in 19th century England.