POETRY

Ahh, yes, I am a poetry fan, too, though probably not all that knowledgable.
I prefer the old school on the whole: Shakespeare, Milton, the Romantics. I never go to see Shakespeare's plays, because I'd rather simply read them - for all his reputation as a dramatist, he will always be 'just' a poet for me.

I was force-fed Milton while studying, but oddly enough, it didn't put me off. I slogged through Paradise Lost and even remember parts of it.
It's a staggering piece of work and some sections are utterly beautiful, but it's not about anything much you can relate to, so you end up admiring rather than enjoying it. Lycidas, on the other hand - now there's a poem.

DH Lawrence was another writer introduced to me by academia, and another who has stayed with me. I'm not all that struck on his verse as such, but he was a prose poet in my opinion. The closing chapter of The Rainbow still stands as some of my favourite writing.