[ThisIsAWhatWhat]

"The guard lines are drawn in; making our play grounds much smaller and cutting us off from our best well of water, this is done for no other purpose under the sun but to interfere with our only enjoyment and to grind us to the lowest depth of subjugation."

This was written by an imprisoned soldier. Who thinks that a depressing number of college students today would be incapable of this writing quality?

[wavemode]

"quality" is subjective. The passage comes across as poetic to us today, sure, but that's just how people spoke in that region and time period.

Some future civilization may read our writings today and similarly marvel at its archaic style.

[pona-a]

Yes, but I believe there are some more objective traits that define good writing beyond just style. It's the use of metaphor, more precise choice of wording, overall speaking less in logical predicates and more so in powerful impressions.

I heavily doubt one would read an old instruction manual or an employee handbook with overflowing glee just because it used an archaic style, at best maybe briefly consider the novelty of a few out-of-use words before moving on.

[becquerel]

How many people back then were outright illiterate?