Sir Gawain: Eleven Romances and Tales

by Thomas Hahn (Editor)

Includes The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle; Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle; The Avowyng of Arthur; The Awntyrs off Arthur; The Knightly Tale of Gologras and Gawain; The Greene Knight; The Turke and Sir Gawain; The Marriage of Sir Gawain; The Carle of Carlisle; The Jeaste of Sir Gawain; and King Arthur and King Cornwall.

Genres: Arthurian, Poetry, Medieval, School, Fiction, Literature, Fantasy

451 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read all the ballads collected here before, on the Camelot Project, but I wanted a copy for myself. Besides, I own another of the TEAMS texts, and I know that they're full of good introductions and detailed notes. This volume is not an exception. If you're teaching or taking a course on these texts, it's definitely a useful resource. The texts are presented in the original Middle English, but with clear glosses beside the text.

Just on the level of the ballads, my favourite is 'The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle' -- I've both read and written other versions of that story, and I just love what people do with it. There's hints at a real love story here:

'Gawen lovyd that Lady, Dame Ragnelle;
In alle his lyfe he lovyd none so welle'...

Besides which, there's an energy to these tales that can't be denied. Try reading one aloud, and you'll see.

[Paras2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

read avowing of king Arthur in this book and enjoyed it immensely.

[daisy cooper]

giants and bears and women and swords

[Gerrold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific resource for those who love Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and medieval romance in general. Although Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is not included in this volume, it does include every other Sir Gawain romance. Some of the tales are better than others, but as a scholarly resource, this collection is enormously useful. What's more, you'll better appreciate the incredible artistry of the Gawain/Pearl poet when you see how far Sir Gawain and the Green Knight rises above other contemporary treatments of Sir Gawain.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though not all of the eleven stories are five-star stories, the way they are collected, with decent introductions, good glosses, and extensive notes, especially since some of these poems are difficult to find, makes this book worthy of a five-star rating.

TEAMS has put together a great library of Middle English works. Of the three volumes I've read, this may be my favorite. I will definitely buy more of their volumes.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I love "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," I did not know I loved Sir Gawain romances. There are twelve gems in this volume, all written in the Middle English they were first penned in. It's a bit of a challenge to get use to reading the texts in their native language, but once you do it is more than worth it. The stories are lively and funny. "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle" is in here and it's believed to have been the inspiration for Chaucer's "Wife of Bath's Tale."

[Rachael MacLean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really interesting Gawain tales in this book and Hahns does a great job of contextualizing in the introductions. I really liked studying Sir Gawain and the Turke especially. I also really appreciate the mission of making it free online and thus available to everyone, not just a bunch of academics.