"And then, look at her writings! She perceives ambiguity as depth, irony as eloquence, and pretense as originality. On one page she struts, on the next she rages, on the third she morphs, and on the fourth she becomes hysterical."

The great Victorian author (who was forced to write under a male name) mocks the female novels of her time. A century and a half later, the field remains unchanged.