I got my love of reading back in 1962 when our high school Literature books had THE ODYSSEY. Since those days I have read both the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid several times along with other great pieces of literature.
On the other hand Silas Marner and Jane Eyre probably caused lots of kids to swear off reading forever! “DULL!” beyond words!
My father finished HS in 1931. All students were required to do 4 years of Latin and 3 years of Greek.
I went to the same HS in the 60s. All students were still required to do 4 years of Latin. 3 years of Greek had become an option. Another option was 3 years of college physics and chemistry. In addition, 2 years of either German or French was mandated.