transformed feminine weaknesses into narrative strengths

[AidaGlass]

Hello,
What does the red part in italic mean? Would you elaborate on it please?

Theories of female aptitude for the novel tended to be patronizing, if not downright insulting. The least difficult, least demanding
response to the superior woman novelist was to see the novel as an instrument that transformed feminine weaknesses into narrative strengths.

Women's Literature in the 19th Century: British Women Writers | Encyclopedia.com

 

[Loob]

This time, the sentences that follow do help. They describe what were seen as feminine weaknesses, and how these became strengths in the context of the novel.

Women were obsessed by sentiment and romance; well, these were the staples of fiction. Women had a natural taste for the trivial; they were sharp-eyed observers of the social scene; they enjoyed getting involved in other people's affairs. All these alleged female traits, it was supposed, would find a happy outlet in the novel.​