Why Jane Austen?

I am taking a class at Lipscomb in the LLL program about Jane Austen. My goal is to find what the big deal is about her? Why Jane Austen? Why now?

Through the years I have read several of her books, mostly under duress. Not my favorite period of literature. Our book club read Pride and Prejudice for our yearly classic. I have watched it on DVD, seen "Becoming Jane" and "The Jane Austen Book Club", and am now watching all the other films from Austen's books. (My favorite so far is Sense and Sensibility.) And I still ask Why Jane Austen?

Seems to me her books are very formulaic--If you have read one, you know that the theme of women in poverty and an always happy ending will occur.

Perhaps it is because the readers wish to return to a kinder, gentler time when tea was the highlight of the day, the gentry never worked, but rather went on long visits with friends and relatives, and affairs of the heart ruled the day.

I will say, I like her more than the dark hopelessness of modern fiction. I will take P and P over The Road any day.