It's My Loss Department: What work of art, or body of work, do you not appreciate but wish you did? In my case, it's the novels of Charles Dickens. I can't read them with pleasure—his prose style is anathema to me—even though I KNOW he was a great writer. It's absolutely my loss.

What a great thread this is! Thanks to everyone for chiming in.

I should add something relevant that Kingsley Amis once said: "All amateurs must be philistines part of the time. MUST be: a greater sin is to be coerced into showing respect when little or none is felt." Everybody out there: TAKE THIS TO HEART.