I agree with most of your points, and i was not defending Sanderson because I think he's a great writer. I think he is a good fantasy writer who writes enjoyable novels that I like to read. Hell, that's what I think Tolkien is. To find a great fantasy writer I would have to go back to E.R.R. Eddison and his works have too many flaws for me to truly call them great, timeless literature.

But, the point I quibble with is when you say that Dickens is basically not meant to be entertaining to today's audience. I agree, it's not supposed to be Lost, bright and shiny with a thin veneer of deeper meaning. But to me a great work should be timeless not because it is well written, but because it speaks to us. it does not so much entertain us, but grab us and draw us in. We should see our hates and lusts, loves and sorrows reflected on its pages. We should feel it. It should tell us we are not alone,t hat others have been there, felt what we have felt, stumbled where we have stumbled. As for the example of Dickens, I enjoyed, was entertained by, Great Expectations partially because of the mystery and the complexity of the plot, but also because I was interested in Pip's growth throughout the novel. I read it in high school and I saw myself at times in him. A Tale of Two Cities, which to me is an exciting novel, not dense and dull at all, is important and lasting because of how well Dickens makes you feel the sacrifice at the end. It stays with you, haunts you. The characters and their actions give the novel its staying power. Prose should enhance those things, never obscure it.

To use a movie or show metaphor like you did, I am reminded of watching high school students watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The movie looks, sounds, and feels incredibly dated. Students complain. Why is it black and white? This is stupid. This is boring. Then, about halfway through, the complaints die out. By the end, the filibuster scene, every student is silent and staring at the screen in rapt attention. That is great storytelling, with characters, story, and meaning that speaks across time, culture, and trends. Lost will never be that way. Sanderson, as his published work stands now, will never be that way.