Why do the Classics seem so boring and are the people who like them lying?

Most people today are told to read the classics like they are told to eat their vegetables and take their medicine. It is boring, unpalatable, and something you do for good health but not really for enjoyment. But Great Literature was never meant to be swallowed down like a vile, unctuous tonic. It was meant to bring joy, delight and beauty to your life. Great Literature, unlike books that we read to learn science, maths or grammar, are meant for passing your time. The books of Charles Dickens were printed in a serialised format in magazines that people eagerly devoured. So why is it that so many classic books bore people today such that they find it a chore to get through even 20 minutes of undisturbed reading? Is it something wrong with the books themselves which writers have improved upon since, is the written medium itself outdated for storytelling...or is there something wrong with the average person today?