I wish I could remember at all what I was thinking when I first read Jane Eyre! Your description of why Jane was so appealing makes sense, but I have no idea if the book spoke to me in that way at all. I just remember lying on my stomach on my bedroom floor late at night, coming to the end of the book, and just feeling utterly thrilled and satisfied -- and that's really my only clear memory of the experience of reading it.

The other stuff you're saying -- you're clearly coming at this with a LOT more familiarity with other novels of the time than I am, and more familiarity with the academic discourse on the subject! And it definitely sounds really interesting. Would you mind expanding a bit on the fluffification of Austen? I'd love to know more!