A cultural divide?

[damigella]

"here encountering the first knot in the smooth skein of her argument." (V. Woolf, Orlando: A Biography)
"the smooth skein of his imagination had encountered the first knot:" (my fic A Member Of The Wedding)

How come quotations from Gone With The Wind, The Muppet Show or The Little Mermaid (Disney, not Andersen) are immediately recognized while a sentence lifted almost verbatim from Virginia Woolf goes unnoticed? 
Maybe I should use precise quotations. Maybe it's a US/UK issue. Feedback appreciated.

Comments

[pgrabia.livejournal.com]

Oh, and my daughter saw my list and accused me of watching the movies and not reading the books but it's untrue! I have read the books, always before the movies, which I then found disappointing in comparison.

[damigella-314.livejournal.com]

I think your daughter and my daughter would have fun together. They seem to have the same deep-seated respect bordering on fear towards their mothers, lol.