Sir Gawain and The Green Knight
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- Create Date：2021-08-16 09:53:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Unknown
- ISBN：0199540160
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Summary
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is probably the most skillfuly told story in the whole of the English Arthurian cycle。 Originating from the north-west midlands of England， it is based on two ancient Celtic motifs--the Beheading and the Exchange of Winnings--brought together by the anonymous 14th century author。 Acclaimed poet Keith Harrison's new translation uses a modern alliterative pattern which subtly echoes the music of the original at the same time it strives for fidelity。 This is the most generously annotated edition available， complete with a detailed introduction which situates the work in the context of Arthurian Romance and analyzes its poetics and narrative structure。
Reviews
maura
，
this one was for you dev patel <3
sophie
，
bonus points because I imagined the green knight looked exactly like the green giant from the sweetcorn advert
Scout
，
Simon Armitage's translation is playful and readable， but sometimes the modern vocab felt tacked-on rather than part of a cohesive style。 The poem itself is as weird and cool as ever， favorite scenes were of course the first head chop and the arrival at the chapel。Yes I was inspired to reread it because of the movie-- which was also weird and cool， in slightly different ways。 David Lowery did kind of wuss out by 1） only having Gawain and Bertilak kiss once instead of six times， and making Gawain Simon Armitage's translation is playful and readable， but sometimes the modern vocab felt tacked-on rather than part of a cohesive style。 The poem itself is as weird and cool as ever， favorite scenes were of course the first head chop and the arrival at the chapel。Yes I was inspired to reread it because of the movie-- which was also weird and cool， in slightly different ways。 David Lowery did kind of wuss out by 1） only having Gawain and Bertilak kiss once instead of six times， and making Gawain not into it， and 2） not including all the extensive hunting and butchering scenes。 But whatever。 。。。more
Lou
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A strange Green Knight interrupted King Arthur's Winter party， proposing a challenge for whoever's brave enough to do it。He'll allow anyone at the party to hit him， but in a year whoever hit him has to find the Green Knight and he'll return the blow。Gawain， King Arthur's nephew， accepts the Green Knight's challenge and chops his head off。After losing his head， the Green Knight simply picks it up， reminds Gawain of his promise and leaves。The year passes and Gawain ventures out to find the Knight A strange Green Knight interrupted King Arthur's Winter party， proposing a challenge for whoever's brave enough to do it。He'll allow anyone at the party to hit him， but in a year whoever hit him has to find the Green Knight and he'll return the blow。Gawain， King Arthur's nephew， accepts the Green Knight's challenge and chops his head off。After losing his head， the Green Knight simply picks it up， reminds Gawain of his promise and leaves。The year passes and Gawain ventures out to find the Knight and so begins his adventure。 -------------------------------------------------------------------------This was such a fun poem！ I didn't think I would like it as much as I did。The twists and the translation was nice。I really did enjoy the innuendos and the rhymes that were throughout the poem。Sometimes the prose lost me， but everything made sense by the end of the poem。 。。。more
Blair
，
I probably should have read this before now and I really enjoyed belatedly getting to it in this version from Simon Armitage， which is accessible but also very well crafted， making great play with the alliteration。 I can't speak to accuracy and would like to compare to some other translations。 I probably should have read this before now and I really enjoyed belatedly getting to it in this version from Simon Armitage， which is accessible but also very well crafted， making great play with the alliteration。 I can't speak to accuracy and would like to compare to some other translations。 。。。more
James
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In preparation for the movie I wanted to read the tale that it was based upon。 Interesting story and I'm excited to see what they will do with the movie！ In preparation for the movie I wanted to read the tale that it was based upon。 Interesting story and I'm excited to see what they will do with the movie！ 。。。more
Spenser
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Fun little audio book to listen too during drives to and from work。
Emily Migliazzo
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A grand old time was had in the 14th century。 Read a translation; 1Not fluent in Middle English。
Max Tsudowood
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It takes a while to get going but part three easily makes up for this deficiency with stellar juxtaposition between Sir Gawain's delicate affair at the castle and the host's violent hunts in the woods in order to challenge pre-conceived notions on virtuousness。 The finale highlights Sir Gawain's depth and formalizes his character arc through a courageous act。Not sure how the other translations are but I liked A。S Kline's version。 3。5/5 It takes a while to get going but part three easily makes up for this deficiency with stellar juxtaposition between Sir Gawain's delicate affair at the castle and the host's violent hunts in the woods in order to challenge pre-conceived notions on virtuousness。 The finale highlights Sir Gawain's depth and formalizes his character arc through a courageous act。Not sure how the other translations are but I liked A。S Kline's version。 3。5/5 。。。more
Aislinn
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I actually read the Weston translation， but I can’t find that on Goodreads。 It only has the modern prose version and I read the original poem dammit。Also very glad I read Mists of Avalon before going back to this。 Totally changes the vibe。 No glory in the self flagellation。
Nicole Finch
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Four stars。 I did read the Jessie L。 Weston translation。 It's prose， which is disappointing， and the footnotes indicate that some material has been abridged。 The analyses I've read about the poem specifically discuss the alliteration in the original， and this translation seems to make no effort to maintain that， although alliteration seems to happen accidentally in the prose。 It tells the story， though， so at least I have that basic understanding。 It's a good story！ I can see why it would make a Four stars。 I did read the Jessie L。 Weston translation。 It's prose， which is disappointing， and the footnotes indicate that some material has been abridged。 The analyses I've read about the poem specifically discuss the alliteration in the original， and this translation seems to make no effort to maintain that， although alliteration seems to happen accidentally in the prose。 It tells the story， though， so at least I have that basic understanding。 It's a good story！ I can see why it would make a good movie， and I'm looking forward to seeing the new film。 I have the audiobook of a new translation in verse that I'm going to listen to to compare。++++++++++++++++++++Okay， goodreads won’t let me review the two different editions separately。 The paragraph above refers to the Weston translation。 This is about the Benedict Flynn translation narrated by Jasper Britton。 Five stars！ This translation was so lively and fun， and the narrator brought the poetry to life。 I seriously couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I listened to the alliteration and the rhythm and the rhyme。 It also didn’t abridge the sections on hunting， which Weston thought would be too graphic for people。 *eyeroll* Anyway， this was great， and I’m hyped for the movie now。 。。。more
Mark Matzeder
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The alliterative verse was a lot of fun， especially the description of the hunts in Part III。
Adam
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The appealing alliteration animates this playful and powerful poem， weaving the wonder and weight of the world into the words， ready for the reader to relish
Bart
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Intelligent ridderverhaal waar je eerst wat moet inkomen door de dichtvorm。 Interessant zijn de voetnoten en de nabespreking van het werk in dit boekje。
Jenna
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I read this in anticipation of possibly seeing the well-reviewed new Dev Patel movie at some point。 I seem to be having good luck with translations of verse narratives recently， as I enjoyed this book quite as much as I enjoyed the Headley Beowulf translation I read last fall。 The fast pacing and vigorous language never left me bored， and translator Simon Armitage's obvious enthusiastic interest in some of the original Gawain poet's preoccupations （e。g。， armor， hunting， the steps involved in pre I read this in anticipation of possibly seeing the well-reviewed new Dev Patel movie at some point。 I seem to be having good luck with translations of verse narratives recently， as I enjoyed this book quite as much as I enjoyed the Headley Beowulf translation I read last fall。 The fast pacing and vigorous language never left me bored， and translator Simon Armitage's obvious enthusiastic interest in some of the original Gawain poet's preoccupations （e。g。， armor， hunting， the steps involved in preparing game meat） is infectious， making me devour those passages with avidity despite never having had any curiosity about those topics before。 I relished the use of spiky， gristly concrete words like gralloching， numbles， and chine， which increased my awe for the virtually unplumbable richness of the English language。 Regionalisms like nithering and chunters also added texture and interest。 Finally， I appreciated how the physical adventure is balanced by timeless moral concerns （"friendship and fraternity with fellow men， purity and politeness。。。and pity"）。 "If fate is kind or cruel， man must still try。" 。。。more
Heidi
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This book isn't my normal reading but overall I enjoyed the story line。 It is a translated story from medieval times and so there were moments when I had to reread or figure out what just happened。 I did like the story and the ending for me was all about Chasity/chivalry。 This book isn't my normal reading but overall I enjoyed the story line。 It is a translated story from medieval times and so there were moments when I had to reread or figure out what just happened。 I did like the story and the ending for me was all about Chasity/chivalry。 。。。more
Xiyi
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2021年的第16本。这个译者是神仙吧！读感也太好了。读啥Tolkien啊！故事本身太有魅力了，起承转合都非常完美。配合电影食用最佳。
Toni
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Interesting。 I appreciated hearing the audiobook additional version spoken in actual old Anglo Saxon language。
Emma
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Not my favourite translation， but very enjoyable nonetheless。 I especially loved the work he put into alliteration。 I had to read several passages out loud to appreciate the full effect。
DJ
，
It was different
Stephen Cook
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Having not read any other version I can't give praise in comparison， but Armitage's translation is a delight to read （or listen to）， and maintaining the alliterative style gives the poem so much life。 I wanted to read this to contextualize my upcoming rewatch of 'The Green knight，' having been failed by my high school curriculum which denied me a place to read this prior。 So while I have praised Armitage's translation， the rest of the review will be of the poem's narrative itself。 5 stars for th Having not read any other version I can't give praise in comparison， but Armitage's translation is a delight to read （or listen to）， and maintaining the alliterative style gives the poem so much life。 I wanted to read this to contextualize my upcoming rewatch of 'The Green knight，' having been failed by my high school curriculum which denied me a place to read this prior。 So while I have praised Armitage's translation， the rest of the review will be of the poem's narrative itself。 5 stars for the particular edition if you already know you want to read the poem， but the poem mostly just reinforced how much I like the film， seeing how much of what I loved was fully created for the film。 I knew going in that the film's bleaker ending was a creation of its plot， both because I had to check but was also pretty sure considering how shocking it is compared to the traditional morality of the time period。 But that moral difference kind of defines why I didn't love the poem but really do love the film。 This is the story of a brave knight， repeatedly praised by the characters and the narrator for being so ultimate in his virtue。 He faces temptation but it's mostly a conflict of manners rather than morals。 His climactic failure feels mostly glossed over after he reveals the truth， facing no consequence for his cowardice and lying。 The whole thing feels lighter and more comedic than I'd expect， even for the era， and while it's pretty fun， it doesn't feel as satisfying or cathartic as the ironically more ambiguous film adaptation。 Did people in those days find a portrayal of goodness to be itself entertaining？ Was the quality of a story so linked to the quality of the morals of its protagonist？ Such feels the case in the way the Gawain poet writes the piece。 For me， it's the capacity for character failure and growth that adds interesting conflict to a tale， not the evidence of virtue。 Lowery's film is so interesting because it rejects the theme， plot， characterization， and structure of the work it adapts while still feeling like it belongs beside its source poem。 While many "modernizations" of classic works take the base elements and apply a fresh aesthetic to them （perhaps most notably the 90s teen Shakespeare trend）， Lowery has taken the aesthetic and iconography of the poem and found something new around that， without feeling like a shameless stealing of that iconography for commercial value。 In the face of what Lowery offers， choices like the reveal of the Green Knight's identity in the poem feel a bit silly and while Lowery's film sometimes feels incomplete in ways that the poem explains， it also finds more satisfying answers by denying us satisfaction altogether。 Anyway， Simon Armitage=good， poem=eh， David Lowery's 'The Green Knight'=great。 。。。more
Iosephvs Bibliothecarivs
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'sir Gawayn & þe grene knyȝt' from north-west England in the late 1300s has a fantastic plot and composition。 This edition （Penguin Classics） has a great translation and essays by Brian Stone。 I read much of it out-loud and would love to hear it performed （oh， to have witnessed the 1971 play at Newcastle！）。 The only sour note came near the end when Gawain blamed all his troubles on women。 （We can both acknowledge the culture that produced this attitude and criticise it as sexist and wrong。） I ca 'sir Gawayn & þe grene knyȝt' from north-west England in the late 1300s has a fantastic plot and composition。 This edition （Penguin Classics） has a great translation and essays by Brian Stone。 I read much of it out-loud and would love to hear it performed （oh， to have witnessed the 1971 play at Newcastle！）。 The only sour note came near the end when Gawain blamed all his troubles on women。 （We can both acknowledge the culture that produced this attitude and criticise it as sexist and wrong。） I can't wait to read Simon Armitage's translation during christ-tide。 。。。more
Tyler
，
This tale is lots of fun to read （essentially an historical text that's also sword-and-sorcery， it never ceases to amaze me that this is just something we made in the past and that's endured this long）， but I'm still a little confused on its place in the timeline of Arthurian myth。 Clearly I need to read some more。 But anyways， do read it， do see the Lowery movie （as it's superb）， and do your research on the differences between the two and why they're there。 This tale is lots of fun to read （essentially an historical text that's also sword-and-sorcery， it never ceases to amaze me that this is just something we made in the past and that's endured this long）， but I'm still a little confused on its place in the timeline of Arthurian myth。 Clearly I need to read some more。 But anyways， do read it， do see the Lowery movie （as it's superb）， and do your research on the differences between the two and why they're there。 。。。more
Fiona
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Ok guess I have to read a lot of Arthurian legend now （yes this is a request for recommendations I have no idea where to start）
Nathan Finke
，
I'm not that big of a poetry fan， especially poetry like this which doesn't rhyme （it focuses on alliteration instead）。 But I am a sucker for any Arthurian story， and this is a very good one of those。 Not to long and if read like a story rather than poetry it is very good， among the best。 A great demonstration of chivalry through courage and romance。 I'm not that big of a poetry fan， especially poetry like this which doesn't rhyme （it focuses on alliteration instead）。 But I am a sucker for any Arthurian story， and this is a very good one of those。 Not to long and if read like a story rather than poetry it is very good， among the best。 A great demonstration of chivalry through courage and romance。 。。。more
Guus van der Peet
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Mijn ambitie om het gedicht in het Middelengels te lezen stokte toen ik me na twee versregels realiseerde dat ik geen idee heb wat ‘The borgh brittened and brent to brondez and askez’ betekent。 Toen ben ik maar doorgegaan met de handige hertaling die steeds op de rechterpagina stond， want ik vond dat ik het verhaal als mediëvist echt wel gelezen moest hebben voordat ik de nieuwe verfilming ging zien。 De film is fantastisch en iedereen moet die zien， maar ik was ook uiterst positief verrast door Mijn ambitie om het gedicht in het Middelengels te lezen stokte toen ik me na twee versregels realiseerde dat ik geen idee heb wat ‘The borgh brittened and brent to brondez and askez’ betekent。 Toen ben ik maar doorgegaan met de handige hertaling die steeds op de rechterpagina stond， want ik vond dat ik het verhaal als mediëvist echt wel gelezen moest hebben voordat ik de nieuwe verfilming ging zien。 De film is fantastisch en iedereen moet die zien， maar ik was ook uiterst positief verrast door het gedicht。 In de meeste middeleeuwse Arthurromans rennen de tafelridders een beetje John Cleese-stijl door kastelen en vechten ze met iedereen neer die in hun pad komt。 Hier is Gawain juist constant bewust van zijn sterfelijkheid， en blijft het ambigu of zijn uiteindelijke confrontatie met de Groene Ridder eervol is of niet。 Ik ga nog wel een tijdje blijven nadenken over mijn interpretatie van deze tekst， wat （als ik heel eerlijk ben） niet zo heel vaak gebeurt bij Middeleeuwse teksten als ik er geen paper over hoef te schrijven。 。。。more
leah
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fellas， is it gay to get swindled by a green giant？
Brett
，
A tale that recounts the ambition and frailty of the human condition that never ceases to entertain。 It acts as a sort of lesson or foreshadowing for its readers， with the narration， at times， demonstrating signs of self-awareness。 Sir Gawain， as noble and courageous as he is， is conveyed as a man capable of weakness， like everyone else， and yet what it wants us to leave with is the inspiring manner in which the protagonist takes that on board to build his character。
aya
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I’m sorry but I loved this。 From the evangelical symbolism to the overarching theme about morals and being “great” vs “good”， its a beautiful piece of writing。
Marshall
，