@sickburnbro i honestly doubt that many people liked reading for pleasure even back when literature was supposedly good
maybe there was a brief period in like the late 20th century but that's about it
before then, there were so many other things folks could do for entertainment that weren't paywalled beyond what average people could afford or cockblocked by bureaucratic red tape. would you rather sit around reading some wordcel shit or pay a nickel to go bowling with your friends at the bowling alley that didn't allow coloreds? or go fishing in the creek without paying some government faggot for a fishing loicense?
i'm betting it was mostly a thing for snooty upper class people