What I love about your 'take' on reading Aldric, is that you see in whatever approach one uses, purpose and success. Your father could have read, had he wanted to. He already was a reader! But what was lacking, I think, was a reason to move forward. Your aunt, by contrast (because she was driven), did much the same. She had no need for the nuances. She was ony interested in the big picture. That's all she needed. Can you see the parallel?

For those of us who are driven by the beauty of language, the power and the pleasure in using and dabbling with words, it's hard to understand. Now I am off to think about this.