I will try to enliven the forum with fun questions.
Name your favourite traditional authors and poets.
Best author Jane Austen. As Walter Allen said, 'You don't blunder onto perfection six times' That is why she is my number one. People can argue over the best novel ever written, but as a collection of six books, no-one comes close to her genius.
I did not add authors to my list, that I have only read once.
My list.
1st. Jane Austen
Joint Second place.
Henry James
Joseph Conrad
George Eliot
Thomas Hardy
Charlotte Bronte
Lord Alfred Tennyson
William Shakespeare
Charles Dickens
I think 'MacBeth' is his best.
@ Lily Dooner, you just reminded me of how much I love Philip Pullman, I loved 'His Dark Material' when I first read it in 8th grade. 'Subtle Knife' was my favourite out of the trilogy.
It happens with me too. I was the only one who went 'Noo..' when my English syllabus changed and 'Macbeth' was removed. But I got to read Shakespeare's "As you like it". Great play indeed!
Jane Austen totally agree with you, Northanger Abbey is my favourite :). Tolkien is my favourite authour, I love all of his novels, poetry and languages he was an artist. Elizabeth Goudge is another of my favourites and the Little White Horse is the novel I read while I'm feeling a little sad and losing faith in stuff.
I love Shakespeare too and am increasingly frustrated everytime my teacher says 'we are doing Macbeth' and I'm the one of the only ones who shouts 'YAY!' and claps her hand like a seal :P
Phillip Pullman is also very good and I loved His Dark Materials. I really like J.K. Rowling and Kristin Cashore as well.
Bram Stoker and Emily Bronte are another two of my favourites