That is not the hallmark of literate programming, but the hallmark bad/unhelpful code comments or docs. Like, you can also have bad/unhelpful function names or unclean and tangled implementations.
"TeX: The Program" is a joy to read.
Except that literate programming encourages that style by mixing comments with the code.
It doesn’t. Literate programming is letting the documentation, rather than the implementation, dictate the order and organization of the program.
You could theoretically write a literate program that is nothing but code, if the code is so readable that it doesn’t need explaining. The distinction is that it is “human first” over “computer first”.
> literate programming is telling me what I already know
Referring to specific literate programs would make this comment easier to believe. Even my very first literate programs avoided this trait, so I really cannot relate.
It sounds like you are describing trivial in-line comments instead of chunks of programs interspersed with explanations.
That comment about beginners is a nod to the sibling comment explaining how it is useful for a beginner. I've never found it useful myself, but I can see the value.