I think you nailed it, but I'd add that it was also about how 'literary criticism', at least the kind taught in the school(s) she went to, seems to try to avoid all that 'emotional' stuff for a purely intellectual analysis of the text.
So she felt like she 'wasn't supposed' to do that 'complete immersion' think that you (and I!) like so much.
On a side note, complete immersion is what makes books like Harry Potter and LOTR so gratifying to read (at least for me). They are believable enough that you just slide into that world.