Gawayn and þe Grene Knyȝt

By: Anonymous

Book Overview

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE UPCOMING MAJOR MOTION PICTURE THE GREEN KNIGHT--STARRING DEV PATEL An epic poem of honor and bravery written by an anonymous fourteenth-century poet, Sir Gawain and the Green... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140440925
• ISBN13: 9780140440928
• Release Date: November 1959
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Literature for the Ages

Merwin has risen to the challenge, and, unlike Gawain, he has prevailed triumphantly on the first stroke.A new, exciting translation of the Arthurian legend, SIR GAWAIN & THE GREEN KNIGHT reads excitingly crisp and vibrant. A story with equal parts chivalry, temptation, redemption, and romance, Merwin's GAWAIN deserves to be read by a far wider audience or, even better, deserves a touring one-man roadshow presented theatrically. Easily explored in a single sitting, this clever tome should be required reading for any serious explorer of mythology, real or even the realms of pure fantasy.Highest recommendation!

"Hony Soyt Qui Mal Pense"

"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is considered one of the finest Arthurian romances in English. It belongs to the so-called Alliterative Revival: the organizing device of the line is alliteration, the beginning of several words with the same sounds ("foemen fled"). Unlike most Arthurian romances, which deal with the end of Arthur's life and his death, in "Sir Gawain," Arthur is still a youth, and the court is in its springtime. The main plot belongs to a type folklorists classify as the "Beheading Game," in which a supernatural challenger offers to let his head be cut off in exchange for a return blow. The poem is chock-full of games and exchanges.Dr. Borroff studied under E. Talbot Donaldson, who translated "Beowulf" to prose during the same period at Yale. Her translation is a joy and great fun to read.

excellent story, outstanding translation

I love Sir Gawain and The Green Knight; it is interesting not only because of its expansive picture of what chivalry is (and what people pretend it is), but also for the fact that it can be read from many perspectives (try giving it a feminist reading, for instance, and see what you come up with!). I want to commend Borroff's translation in particular; she reproduces the alliterative meter and verse structure superbly, adding much to the reading. This work is captivating and entrancing; I highly recommend it.