I read a LOT of Austen in college having majored in English. Her works are very romantic but not saccharine. I knew several dyed-in-the-wool feminists who softened themselves a bit after reading Austen’s works.
That being said, it sounds like they still want to balance this neo-feminism with old-world femininity. I don’t completely disagree, but there are some points of modern-day feminism that are completely incompatible with Victorian-era love. Modern-day feminists believe that pre-feminist-movement women were repressed, for instance.
I do very much like the idea that modern women should focus more on elegance than sexiness. That’s really the big elephant in the room. Sexuality isn’t best when overt. Sex is meant to be shared by a man and a woman who truly, madly, deeply love one another. Elegance, I believe, needs to make a comeback.
Good point.