I'm with you on disliking Wuthering Heights, though I think for different reasons than you! I wasn't too confused by it, and in fact found the way it was writing to be extremely compelling, but I hated the story it was telling so much that I gave up on it by halfway through despite how much I admired the writing.

I've read both of Anne's books, and thought that The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was very well done, but her first book, Agnes Grey, I found to be fairly dull. I wish she'd had the chance to live longer and write more, if she was able to improve so much just between her first book and her second.

For Charlotte, I've only read Jane Eyre, and I have conflicted feelings about it to be honest. I love Jane herself, and what the narrative is doing with her, and notions of a woman's independence and freedom in the era. But I hate hate hate Mr Rochester so it's hard for me to be happy with how the story ends! (admittedly I hate St John even more....)

Yes exactly, when I read the books for the first time I was amazed to discover how different Tolkien's priorities were in his writing than what I'm used to from more modern fantasy. And creating an atmosphere is definitely one of the things his approach does well! It's odd and takes time to put yourself into the right headspace of appreciating what he's doing, but it's worth paying attention to imo.

Honestly.....as someone who loves to read, I don't think that reading is actually vital. People can learn how to use their mind from many different sources. Non-literate societies can have brilliant, insightful, imaginative people, just like literate ones. I read because it's the way that I most enjoy spending time in the world of a story. Other people read for other reasons. Other people prefer not to read, or to read only occasionally, and spend their time mentally engaging with other things. All of that is okay!

As a Canadian who had to read The Great Gatsby in English class as a teen....I do think it does a great job of depicting American values/ideals. And I did not like the book at all. :P