Austen: Steamy?

I was looking for Cliff Notes on Northanger Abbey and while I did not find Cliff Notes or any sort of notes, I found a list describing "Steamy Romantic Suspense Novels". Now I love Austen and while there is some great sexual tension in her books I don't know if I'd describe them as "Steamy". I also laugh at the other books included in the list which are by Jackie Collins, Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown and Kay Hooper. Nothing against these authors, but I don't feel that they're really on the same plane as Jane (me, but Jane rhymed).

Also the thing about NA is although it's suspenseful it's also mocking gothic suspense novels of its time. That's the point. I'm making fun of Mrs. Radcliff and others whose books grabbed the attention of young girls, who would have been ready for the marriage mart at that time and I'm sure there were some young bucks who enjoyed them as well.

Maybe that's why NA isn't as popular as some of Austen's other works. I am rereading it for the first time in a long time and forgot how many great lines came from it. It might become a favorite of mine.

So if I was writing today what type of book would I mock? Would I mock the steamy romances that I supposedly wrote? Or would I mock those conspiracy theory Da Vinci Codesque type books that seem to pop up every where and take place in every time period? Would I go further and mock chick lit...a genre most people agree I created? I have confessed to wanting to write a NA fan fiction book and in it I would mock the Da Vinci Codesque type books. I'd want a little art theft and a little conspiracy theory, but not too much to make it implausible. Besides there wouldn't really be any art theft or conspiracy theory when the book ended because it's all in Catherine's head. It's all from the novels she read.