I had similar issues to consider when I wrote my degree dissertation on H. Rider Haggard back in 1983 / 84..

I needed to reconcile my own simple pleasure and excitement at reading his African Adventures,
with my youthful politicized student awareness of ideologies of colonialism and racism..

plus.. the sheer fun of those books brought me through some dark days following the break up of a 6 year relationship,
and serious doubts about whether I even wanted to continue and finish my degree...

I spent a year immersed in many of Haggard's novels, biographies and diaries..

[.. entries regarding his friendship with Kipling]..

Haggard came out of it quite well and I salvaged a 2:2 even though I had to drop about 4000 words
of critical analysis due to only giving myself 2 days to write the bloody thing before I delivered it at the last minute to the typist... 😬