This certainly is a compliment, much more than a simple polite "no." Basically, this agent isn't interesting in trying to sell JAFF, and that's why she refused you.
As to whether the market for Austen-inspired fiction is waning, well, I hope not. I've got a book coming out in a few months. However, realistically, we have to know that any market can become glutted. It seems like the writers who became the most successful and famous through writing JAFF were the very early ones. In many cases there have been much better books written since, but they were a success because of the novelty of the genre. No way around it, it's not a novelty any more. At the same time, in many ways it seems like Austen mania is still on the rise. Already established writers are starting to get in on the act, and more and more Austen-inspired books are becoming movies. How long will it be before the public (as opposed to die-hard Austen fans) becomes tired of Pride and Prejudice, I don't suppose anyone can really say.
As for the originality of your work, I haven't read many of the other books out there that tell P&P from Darcy's perspective, but it's certainly been done several times. It is unique to have it written by a man, but I think you would perhaps have to compare what you've written to what has already been written by others to know if you're really bringing something new to the table. In some ways, it's a compliment--it means that you've got the character of Darcy and the progression of his feels down so well that the things you write seem a natural extension of what P&P already tells us.
As to whether the market for Austen-inspired fiction is waning, well, I hope not. I've got a book coming out in a few months. However, realistically, we have to know that any market can become glutted. It seems like the writers who became the most successful and famous through writing JAFF were the very early ones. In many cases there have been much better books written since, but they were a success because of the novelty of the genre. No way around it, it's not a novelty any more. At the same time, in many ways it seems like Austen mania is still on the rise. Already established writers are starting to get in on the act, and more and more Austen-inspired books are becoming movies. How long will it be before the public (as opposed to die-hard Austen fans) becomes tired of Pride and Prejudice, I don't suppose anyone can really say.
As for the originality of your work, I haven't read many of the other books out there that tell P&P from Darcy's perspective, but it's certainly been done several times. It is unique to have it written by a man, but I think you would perhaps have to compare what you've written to what has already been written by others to know if you're really bringing something new to the table. In some ways, it's a compliment--it means that you've got the character of Darcy and the progression of his feels down so well that the things you write seem a natural extension of what P&P already tells us.