One of the greatest works of the Middle Ages, in a marvelous new verse translation
Composed in the fourteenth century, Sir Gawain and... read full description
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Dec 05, 2011
I didn't know where to post this so I think this is a good place!
It remains me of my Literature professor, in a good way of course! :)
It remains me of my Literature professor, in a good way of course! :)
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Dec 31, 2009
Mark
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It’s always puzzling to know what to do with a book subtitled “A New Verse Translation.” It’s all very well for the moment, of course, but what about in a few years? When the translation is no longer new, will it need a new title? I have similar reservations about terms like “postmodern.” What comes after it? Post-postmodern? And is modernism now called pre-postmodernism?
All of which doesn’t seem strictly relevant, except that I can’t help feeling that there’s something slightl More...
All of which doesn’t seem strictly relevant, except that I can’t help feeling that there’s something slightl More...
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Nov 12, 2008
Elizabeth
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I have meant to read a translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight ever since I read Gillian Bradshaw's Hawk of May. I was reminded when I read Gawain and Lady Green by Anne Eliot Crompton. I loved both of these books. I loved the story of Sir Gawain. But somehow I didn't get to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight until now. (As I read the first of these books as a teenager, I think I can safely say that it's been a long time).
Why now? Because I wanted to read Simon Armitage's notes o More...
Why now? Because I wanted to read Simon Armitage's notes o More...
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May 17, 2008
Erik
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In no way was I prepared to enjoy this as much as I did. Auden once said something to the effect that the difference between poetry and prose is that prose can be translated. Whether or not this new translation is "good" I'm hardly smart enough to declare, but Seamus Heaney liked it, as did John Ashberry, and they ought to know. I guess I picked up the book because it was one I thought I should read. I'd read a prose translation of it years ago, in high school, and I've decided pro
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Aug 31, 2011
Dulac3
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One of the best of the 'classic' Arthurian tales. Gawain is presented a bit differently here from many of the other tales. Usually he's a bit of a braggart and kind of a jerk, especially to women, but here he is presented as the perfect exemplar of courtoisie. He's also a bit young and still untried, so maybe that explains it for those who want to be able to have a grand unified theory of Arthuriana.
Anyway, you probably all know the story: Arthur is about to have a New Year's feast, More...
Anyway, you probably all know the story: Arthur is about to have a New Year's feast, More...
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Apr 14, 2010
Mark
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This is probably the greatest medieval romance ever written. Maybe that's extravagant praise--there's also Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, Dante's Divine Comedy, and a few others, but I do think that if it hadn't been for Chaucer, the anonymous Gawain-poet would have been considered the greatest medieval English poet.
The story is about a beheading test--the Green Knight challenges Gawain to exchange beheadings. Gawain will behead the Green Knight now, and then undergo the same thin More...
The story is about a beheading test--the Green Knight challenges Gawain to exchange beheadings. Gawain will behead the Green Knight now, and then undergo the same thin More...
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May 11, 2011
Leslie
rated it: 
Thoughts:
I imagine if you’re interested in quests and bravery and peril this poem is pretty top notch.
Quests, bravery and peril are not my cup of tea.
I wanted more supernatural drama with the Green Knight and less courtship and hunting (though like a creep I enjoyed the detailed doe-, boar- and fox-gutting passages).
I found the pageantry of knighthood both tedious and fascinating. It was like reading Lucky magazine; no tassel or surface on a kn More...
I imagine if you’re interested in quests and bravery and peril this poem is pretty top notch.
Quests, bravery and peril are not my cup of tea.
I wanted more supernatural drama with the Green Knight and less courtship and hunting (though like a creep I enjoyed the detailed doe-, boar- and fox-gutting passages).
I found the pageantry of knighthood both tedious and fascinating. It was like reading Lucky magazine; no tassel or surface on a kn More...
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Jun 22, 2010
Eddie
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I'd been attracted to this poem for years and years, but somehow never read it; tiptoeing 'round it like a gentleman too dignified to display his blood-gorged book lust. The title itself attracted me - the name Gawain and the idea of a Green Knight evoked plenty of mental imagery: greenery and silver clashings in fecund fairy tale landscapes. I also like the way Tolkien's name looks and sounds (evocative of tangled teeming forests clearly delineated) so I dipped into his version a while ago, but
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Apr 14, 2010
Mark
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The appeal of this book is the Middle English text of the poem on one side, and the modern English translation on the other. However, I don't like the translation very much, and I don't care for the author's use of regular English characters for the Middle English thorn and yogh symbols. There are superior texts, and there are superior translations; the advantage of this text is that it combines the two.
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Nov 27, 2007
Maggie
rated it:
An excellent translation of a favorite work. Like Heaney's Beowolf, the original text is set facing the translation.
What I particularly loved about Armitage's work is his devotion to alliteration throughout the work. As he explains in his preface, the Gawain poet was writing in a form that hearkens back to Anglo-Saxon poetry, where alliteration within the line instead of rhyming at the end is key to the music of the poem. Really, his introductory musings on poetry is a big part of w More...
What I particularly loved about Armitage's work is his devotion to alliteration throughout the work. As he explains in his preface, the Gawain poet was writing in a form that hearkens back to Anglo-Saxon poetry, where alliteration within the line instead of rhyming at the end is key to the music of the poem. Really, his introductory musings on poetry is a big part of w More...
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Dec 03, 2011
Isabel
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Let me tell you, then, a tale of adventure,[return]A most striking one among the marvels of Arthur[return]Which some will consider a wonder to hear.[return]If you listen closely to my words a little while[return]I'll tell it to you now as I heard it told[return]in town;[return]A bold story, well proven,[return]And everywhere well known,[return]The letters all interwoven,[return]As custom sets it down.[return][return]During a New Year's feast at Arthur's court, Sir Gawain takes up a challenge iss
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Dec 23, 2011
Priscilla
rated it:
I had to read this for one of the courses I took for this semester.
The narration was indeed flawless but I guess maybe it's just my soft spot for Middle Age English where thou's and ye's are common (is my history correct?). This just actually part of the collection of stories and adventures about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, full of chivalry and valor of course. Along the way, it got predictable considering my background with books in the adventure/mystery genre. Bu More...
The narration was indeed flawless but I guess maybe it's just my soft spot for Middle Age English where thou's and ye's are common (is my history correct?). This just actually part of the collection of stories and adventures about King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, full of chivalry and valor of course. Along the way, it got predictable considering my background with books in the adventure/mystery genre. Bu More...
Nov 25, 2011
Erik
rated it:
I'm not really sure why I gave this book two stars originally. I thought I kind of liked it? Maybe not though.
Either way, I like it now. My tenth grade English teacher recommended I read this book after I finished Beowulf. When I did, he asked me to compare the two. This is what I can remember:
Sir Gawain was not nearly as badass as Beowulf, but he had his own allure with his chivalric everything. It's pretty easy to see where the rest of historical England derived its door-h More...
Either way, I like it now. My tenth grade English teacher recommended I read this book after I finished Beowulf. When I did, he asked me to compare the two. This is what I can remember:
Sir Gawain was not nearly as badass as Beowulf, but he had his own allure with his chivalric everything. It's pretty easy to see where the rest of historical England derived its door-h More...
Oct 08, 2011
Omri
rated it:
Reading 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' took me over 10 years. I'm not a slow reader, but it did take me time to mature enough in order to understand and appreciate it. This version of 'Sir Gawain' is a rather simple, easy-reading, flowing one. It was a fantastic read for a classic, although I have a feeling that it is not delivering the exact intention and message as the original, maybe due to its somewhat contemporary mindset. Still, it is a perfect place to start with.
I go the b More...
I go the b More...
Jun 10, 2011
Robyn
rated it:
In modern times, when we want a tale about good vs. evil we turn to the comic books. These larger than life epic tales capture the imaginations of nearly everyone and of course Hollywood has paid homage to nearly ever super-hero (and super-villain) of note.
In earlier times, the likes of King Arthur and Robyn Hood bore the weight of moral leadership for the wide-eyed imaginations of the youth of pre-comic book generations. What hero is more daring, honest, and virtuous than a knight More...
In earlier times, the likes of King Arthur and Robyn Hood bore the weight of moral leadership for the wide-eyed imaginations of the youth of pre-comic book generations. What hero is more daring, honest, and virtuous than a knight More...
May 18, 2011
Jenny
rated it:
An Arthurian poem in Middle English (written around 1400), accompanied by a very readable modernization by Simon Armitage. The story is simple: As King Arthur, his Queen, his knights, and their ladies are enjoying a Christmas feast, they are interrupted by the axe-wielding Green Knight, who challenges Arthur's champion, Sir Gawain (the purest and bravest and, well, you know the drill). His deal is this: Sir Gawain gets to deal him one blow with the axe, and the Green Knight won't fight back.
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Jan 25, 2011
Dusty
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For one very brief moment I considered becoming a scholar of medieval literature. That moment came and went about the (second) time I read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the finest example of early, adventurous, English romances. On one hand, I wish the book were as well-known and revered outside the academic world as is its less satisfying older brother, Beowulf. But on the other hand I'm glad I've so far not been subjected to a Zemeckis-directed CGI bastardization of it. In a nutshell, the b
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Dec 26, 2010
Scott
rated it:
Armitage's translation seems very readable, an enjoyable modern version of the poem in its own right. But I'm so drawn to the strange Middle English of the original poet, so different from his contemporary, Chaucer, that I found it difficult to read the modern version.
This is a beautiful book with two wonderful versions of a great tale, but I found one thing frustrating. Although I appreciate Armitage's gifts and the readable new version of the poem, one of the biggest benefits of a More...
This is a beautiful book with two wonderful versions of a great tale, but I found one thing frustrating. Although I appreciate Armitage's gifts and the readable new version of the poem, one of the biggest benefits of a More...
Mar 29, 2010
Angelia
rated it:
Of all the tales of Arthur's knights, this is by far my favorite. The narrator is witty, wry, and the poet is skilled in the art of storytelling. The poet maintains suspense superbly and cleverly diverts our attention from Gawain's quest, thus making the poem's ending a surprise for new readers. Gawain, though ostensibly a chaste knight, is surprisingly easy for the reader to identify with, particularly as the story progresses and Gawain finds himself in a bit of a pickle. In teaching this poem,
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Feb 02, 2010
Alex
rated it:
The meter on this thing is pretty impressive: a strict alliterative pattern of two stresses, a pause, and two more stresses, with a five-line rhyming stanza (a short line followed by four with an ABAB scheme) at the end of each passage. It should be terribly constrictive, but the Gawain poet flows through it like it's nothing.
Not that I can read the original, of course, so I have to take Armitage's word for it that it's as good as his translation, which I did like. This edition h More...
Not that I can read the original, of course, so I have to take Armitage's word for it that it's as good as his translation, which I did like. This edition h More...
Jul 28, 2011
Tiger Holland (All-Consuming Books)
rated it:
It's Christmastime at Camelot and King Arthur and the whole court are enjoying themselves immensely. The revelry is just reaching its height when a giant green man carrying a spring of holly and a monster-sized battle-axe comes up to the feasting tables with an offer: Any of the knights are welcome to strike him down with his own axe, if they are willing to receive one stroke in return a year later. Nobody is interested in his rather dorky offer until the Green Knight insults the Camelot knights
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Mar 14, 2010
Nikki
rated it:
Simon Armitage's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is certainly a very modern one. I think it's important to remember, when reading anything in translation, that nothing is immune to the translator's own views and intentions. This is especially apparent in translations like Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf, and this translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but it's always the case. Even when it's a group of undergrads doing awkward prose translations -- I always use the
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Oct 23, 2011
Keith
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This is a beautiful tale of magic and chivalry that I’ve read many times. I’m not familiar with other translations, but I enjoy Brian Stone’s translation and his deft use of alliteration. (I’ve never tried to read the poem in its original North West Midland dialect – that might be something to try, though I’ve heard it is much more difficult than reading Chaucer, which I find very slow going.)
The story, familiar to many, is exquisitely told and the characters are charming and lively. More...
The story, familiar to many, is exquisitely told and the characters are charming and lively. More...
Dec 22, 2011
Ally
rated it:
I'll admit to having mixed feeling before I even picked up this little gem - this was the last text on our reading list for my Myth class at university, and a weird bit of Arthurian legend tacked onto a few solid months of Ancient Greek. I didn't know what to expect, and I was more than a little sad that the module was coming to a close. What I can say, however, is that they saved a really good read for our last text!
Simon Armitage's translation of the poem Sir Gawain and the Green K More...
Simon Armitage's translation of the poem Sir Gawain and the Green K More...
Aug 07, 2011
Annemarie
rated it:
This was an excellent book, very fun adventure story, and a very deep insight into the medieval mind. Sir Gawain is the perfect knight, albeit very young. He has the best manners, the best attitude and is Arthur's nephew and will inherit the throne. At Christmas he is challenged by an amazing giant of a knight who allows Gawain to chop off his head. The Green Knight picks up his head and makes Gawain promise to meet him at his castle one year from today to recieve his blow. It's an odd set up, I
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Jul 02, 2011
Ed
rated it:
This is a rather magical tale.
The images are very intense, and incise themselves in one's mind. The translation into latter-day English leans a lot on alliteration, mirroring the method of the original maker. The original Middle English used such a technique of rhymed but alliterative verse, only ending in rhyme at the end of each part. For the most part the translation is quite effective, only once in a while sounding forced; the original, I suspect*, was more artless and direc More...
The images are very intense, and incise themselves in one's mind. The translation into latter-day English leans a lot on alliteration, mirroring the method of the original maker. The original Middle English used such a technique of rhymed but alliterative verse, only ending in rhyme at the end of each part. For the most part the translation is quite effective, only once in a while sounding forced; the original, I suspect*, was more artless and direc More...
Dec 30, 2008
JoDean
rated it:
My 16yo son received this book for Christmas from his uncle. One of the recommendations on the back cover described this translation as "luscious." I wanted to read it to see if it was luscious language or luscious flirtation or more. It's the former.
I very much enjoyed reading this. Poetry is hard to translate; either exact word for word translating or the rhyme and meter must be sacrificed. Armitage choose to keep the strong alliteration.
This edition has a str More...
I very much enjoyed reading this. Poetry is hard to translate; either exact word for word translating or the rhyme and meter must be sacrificed. Armitage choose to keep the strong alliteration.
This edition has a str More...
Jun 17, 2011
Bree
rated it:
It’s New Year at the Round Table and there’s a raucous celebration going on. King Arthur, portrayed as a fun, courteous and excellent host is holding a feast for the knights and everyone is enjoying themselves when a Green Knight rides on. He’s completely green – not just his armour. His face, hair, horse etc – all green. He’s bordering on insulting as he greets the Court and proposes a game – he will submit to one stroke from the large axe he’s carrying if the giver of that stroke agrees to tra
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Apr 16, 2011
Smilingplatypus
rated it:
Where has this been all my life? As a Medieval Studies grad and King Arthur geek, I don't know what's more embarrassing: that I haven't read this poem before, or that I'm reading it in translation. But the Borroff translation was the copy I happened to have on hand, so I thought that a translation was better than nothing.
And wow, am I glad I made that choice. The poem was written mainly in alliterative verse (think Beowulf), and Borroff maintains the alliterative and pulse of the More...
And wow, am I glad I made that choice. The poem was written mainly in alliterative verse (think Beowulf), and Borroff maintains the alliterative and pulse of the More...
Jun 17, 2011
Fine and enjoyable translation.
"Yes, he dozes in a daze, dreams and mutters
like a mournful man with his mind on dark matters-
how destiny might deal him a death-blow on the day
when he grapples with the giant in the green chapel;
of how the strike of the axe must be suffered without struggle.
But sensing her presence there he surfaces from sleep,
drags himself out of his dreams to address her.
Laughing warmly she walks towards him
and finds his More...
"Yes, he dozes in a daze, dreams and mutters
like a mournful man with his mind on dark matters-
how destiny might deal him a death-blow on the day
when he grapples with the giant in the green chapel;
of how the strike of the axe must be suffered without struggle.
But sensing her presence there he surfaces from sleep,
drags himself out of his dreams to address her.
Laughing warmly she walks towards him
and finds his More...
