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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Penguin Classics)

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I know that the Marie Borroff translation is much praised, but this one is far better for the undergraduate classroom. While both translations share some characteristics (both are in poetry, both try to maintain the alliteration), you need only compare/contrast the "bob and wheel" (last 5 lines of each stanza) to see that Stone has managed to maintain "the sting in the tail" so typical of the original Middle English version--wherein a significant or surprising part of the stanza often appears in the bob and wheel--start with Fitt I, stanzas 4 and 7. Stone also maintains the "alliterative signaling" oral tradition: when possible he tries to alliterate only key words (Boroff seems happy when she can alliterate anything in the line, regardless of its significance to theme or motif!). As a medievalist, I am truly sorry to see so many of my colleagues jumping on the Borroff bandwagon when this superior, alternative translation is so readily available.

The Penguin Classics edition of SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, edited by J.A. Burrow, is fantastic for motivated readers who wish to approach the text as it really is, and delve deep into its symbolism and historical references. Burrow's edition is not a translation into modern English, but a presentation of the original Middle English with enough notes and and a glossary so copious that the reasonably well-educated reader will be able to tackle and even really enjoy this important work.

While it was written at the same time as Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES, which is difficult but of which the modern reader can usually get the gist, SIR GAWAIN is written in a dialect of rural England which seems more impenetrable nowadays. Under this archaic facade, however, lies a magical tale ostensibly of Arthurian myth, but which is really an adaptation of an older, indigenous legend. The framing of the tale attempts to claim a noble heritage for England from Troy like the Roman poet Vergil had done for Rome with his AENEID.

I was a bit disappointed by the lack of a decent introduction. Barrow provides only a brief explanation of how the text was typeset and minor alterations in spelling, but I would have preferred coverage of the history of the story, the role of Arthurian myth in the popular literature of the writer's region, and a brief mention of the other contents of the manuscript on which the work was found.

If you are a student of English literature, or simply a lover of archaic English texts, the Penguin edition of SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT is a great choice.

I have read at least four translations of Gawain, including Tolkein's, and the Brian Stone version is my favorite. It is written in understandable English. As another reviewer has pointed out, Stone's version is most like the medieval one in its structure, its use of alliteration, and the rhyme scheme of the bob and wheel. Tolkein, in an appendix to his version, gives a clear and enlightening explanation of the principles of this kind of poetry. Once you've read Tolkein's explanation, your appreciation of the poem will be greatly enhanced. Nowadays, many poets and others turn up their noses at alliteration, but I love it. So the language is one of the things that make the poem such a pleasure to read.

Another thing that makes Gawain a great read is that it is just a darn good story. When a green man riding a green horse and carrying his own green-haired head gallops into Arthur's dining hall, you know there's going to be some drama in this tale. And there is! There's some hunting and killing of animals for the sportsperson and the bloodthirsty. There's romantic temptation, and there's suspense.

One reviewer speculated on possible symbolism in the novel. The search for deeper meanings might interest some readers. For me to "get" a symbol, it has to jump out of the book and bite me on the nose.

Brian Stone has done a good job of translating this medieval story and has kept the alliterations (many of which are tongue twisters). Sir Gawain is challenged by a knight all in green who supposedly lives at the Green Chapel. The storyline has some twists to it and proves to be a satire on medieval romances. The Green Knight, the mysterious challenger to Sir Gawain, tries to test Sir Gawain in all possible ways; even throughout Gawain's journey to the Green Chapel. Surprising ending to the unaware reader. The end notes and essays are especially helpful in analyzing the story and understanding all the details of the poet. It's a good read if you're looking for a fun medieval story.

The author of this little masterpiece is unknown. This story - or 'romance' if you like - was found in a little manuscript that was written in c.1380. There are three other stories in that manuscript presumably by the same author.

King Arthur, his wife Guinevere, and the Knights of The Round Table are celebrating Christmas and New Year at the famous castle 'Camelot'. One evening a huge knight on horseback bursts into the Hall during dinner, brandishing a large and fearsome battle-axe. Everything about him is green, not only his armor - as one might expect - but also his face, his hair, and even his horse. He has come in peace as he is advertising more than once. In short he says: who is bold enough to step forward and try to chop my head off with this battle-axe? But after one year and a day it will be my turn to deal a blow. Gawain, one of the Knights of The Round Table, steps forward, takes the axe and beheads the Green Knight. As if nothing happened the Green Knight picks up his head, takes it under his arm and the head says: a year and one day from now it will be my turn to give you a blow. You have to promise that you will come looking for me. You can find me at the Green Chapel ( It's almost a joke but who knows? Maybe this is all just a joke ). If you survive my blow I will give you a great reward. The Knight doesn't want to say where the Green Chapel can be found. It's far away from here but you will find people who can show you the way. And remember, you promised. And so the adventure begins for Gawain. He has to go without a companion. He stands on his own for that was a part of the deal.

This Fantasy element is the only one in the story. Everything else is realistic. That could be an indication that some scholars are right when they say that the Green Knight is a symbol for the reviving of Nature after the winter. There is a parallel between this symbolism and Gawain who's becoming more mature as the story unfolds. Throughout the story he's tempted in many ways to betray his vow of chastity and loyalty to the Virgin Mary, and near the and of the story he's tempted into cowardice. After all is said and done Gawain has a more realistic view on knighthood. He becomes adult and reaches a new stage in his life just like the revival of Nature by the Green Knight.

One of the things I like in this medieval romance are the hunting scenes described very vividly and in great detail. It starts with a description of the animal they want to hunt down: its strong and weak points. During the chase it is as if you can hear the horns blow and the shouts of the hunters, the barking of the hounds and the grunting of the wounded animal and it ends with the cutting of the meat after the bowels are given to the hounds as a reward.

Bernard O' Donoghue has done a very fine job in translating this little masterpiece of medieval literature. It's a vivid and a very readable verse translation of this engrossing adventure.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a fourteenth century alliterative poem of unknown authorship. English has evolved to such an extent that translation is necessary for anyone other than a dedicated scholar to read and appreciate the work. This review is of the Brian Stone translation. The poem is a combination of Arthurian legend and regional folklore, most notably the Irish tale of Cuchullain, and features a prominently Christian theme.

Gawain is traditionally viewed as the most virtuous of knights (and as the most powerful in some traditions, before that position was usurped by Lancelot), and a great deal of the novel deals with his various temptations, particularly by the lady (shades of Morgan le Fay). The action and the story are good, although the author does get a little carried away in the middle with all the hunting.

Stone does a lovely job of translating, keeping the tone and theme unified while maintaining alliterative lines. I am generally not a fan of poetry, but this held my attention. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an engaging read for fans of medieval or Arthurian literature.

RECOMMENDED

This medieval poem from approximately 1350 represents one of the earliest pieces of literature extent in prototype English. At first glance the manuscript, housed in a special collection at the British Museum, appears to be in a foreign language; it is characterized by archaic spelling and specialized vocabulary known mainly to medieval scholars. But conscientious study proves rewarding; scholars may view the birth of English, or at least a stillborn twin, of its modern descendent. A unique example of a translation from oldest into
into modern English, this Penguin Classics edition includes notes on the bottom of the pages, explaining words or references to scholars and legendary figures.

Constructed in four basic Parts the plot is elegantly simple. During a Christmas feast at Camelot Arthur and his knights are amazed at the rude intrusion of a brawny giant of man on horseback--with both rider and steed appareled in green. The intruder taunts the bravery of the members of the famous Round Table--challenging any one among them to swap blows in the Beheading Game. Although modest in his self assessment, young Sir Gawain feels compelled to answer this insolent challenge--speedily salvaging the honor of Arthur's court. (A literary aside: this chaste and loyal warrior is also Arthur's nephew; the uncle-nephew bond is the most sacred human relationship in medieval lais. Gawain's failure to defend Arthur's reputation--a year hence--would prove even more shameful than if ignored by the other knights.)

After the Challenge and Acceptance of Part One, we enter Part Two: Preparation and Departure. We read of the perils and hardships of Gawain's odyssey as he seeks the Green Chapel--the site of the assignation as designated by the insolent Green Knight--throughout England without any
true sense of direction. Part Three may be subtitled Hunt and Temptation:
a 3-day sojourn at the castle of a most hospitable lord, who promises to provide his guest with a guide to the very Green Chapel which he seeks at year's end. The poet alternates scenes of the hunt in the forest with softer struggles in Gawain's bedchamber, as he is assaulted most delicately but insistently by the Lady of the manor, who seems enamored of her husband's guest and oblivious to her reputation. To further complicate secret affairs, the Lord jocularly insists that Gawain and he swap the spoils of each day's exertions. Gawain is hard pressed not to betray either the laws of chivalry toward the Lady or the lavish hospitality of the Lord. He insists on departing after three days of trial by seduction--determined to meet his fate at the hands of his mysterious adversary.

Part Four may be considered Trial by Axe and Conscience. Sir Gawain, barely escaping Venus' onslaughts but secretly wearing the Lady's green girdle beneath his armor, reaches the scene of his probable doom--a curious natural structure called the Green Chapel. This is a wonderful read, rich in Anglo-Saxon alliteration with vivid details of medieval hunting, feasting and personal combat. Thought-provoking themes abound such as the role of Chivalry, the dictates of Hospitality, and the influence of the French creation: Courtly Love. As the blood
representative of King Arthur, Sir Gawain is constantly being tested. Individual readers must determine for themselves how well he succeeds in his maintaining his ideals.

I've read this book twice. First, I read it in my sophmore year of highschool. I read it again in my sophmore year of college. Both readings were very enjoyable. This story combines elements of the fairy tale tradition and the heroic sagas of ancient times. In fact the first line makes reference to Troy. Who doesn't love a good questing tale? I like happy endings, and this Arthurian tale isn't all gloom and doom like the grail quest.

Middle English is a diverse collection of different dialects and styles, when it comes to literature. At the same time that Chaucer was writing in the southeast of England, with good command of French and Italian poetic sensibilities, there was a strong tradition in the north and west country of alliterative poetry, the kind that owed as much to the Old English forms of verse and use of language as to the new influences post-Norman Conquest-wise. Among the products of this time and place, the anonymously composed 'Sir Gawain and Green Knight' is one of the most outstanding.

This poem has all the hallmarks of being a work of many influences - it has the heroic aspects that one might expect from Old English epics such as Beowulf; it has a decided romantic streak reminiscent of French and Norman influences; it has virtue and church/Christian overlaying influences that come from Latin and ecclesial sources; it has magical and mystical ideas that are most likely Celtic in origin. Perhaps more like a tapestry, the various strands of influence are woven together into a glorious pattern that stands as a towerig achievement of the synthesis of language that Middle English achieved between its Germanic and Latinate streams.

Gawain's story is a very popular one. The most virtuous of the Round Table knights, his bravery and his resourcefulness at seeking the Green Knight, the annual challenger at the court of Arthur, is legendary. Gawain's small fault (and indeed, Gawain was portrayed as a virtuous human, but human nonetheless) warrants a very small penalty, but he is deemed upon reporting back to Camelot that he has brought honour upon the whole fellowship of knights. There is something magical about the Green Knight, however, and this can be seen as metaphor for the way in which temptation seems to have a magical power over humanity.

Do note: This is a review of the Penguin Classics 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' as edited and translated by Brian Stone, who also produced the Penguin Classics 'Medieval English Verse'. It has a wonderful introduction, as well as a series of essays following the translation of the poem. These essays include topics such as the significance of the Green Knight, the moral nature of Gawain, the way in which the poem can be and has been used as a play, Arthurian images, and speculation about the poet himself. There are also extracts from the original alliterative verses with the middle gaps.

There are also two bibliographies, one of texts mentioned in this book, and another for suggested readings for students. These are a bit dated now, as the latest impression of the book comes from the early 1980s, and none of the items on the list dates past the mid-1960s. There is also an extensive section of translation notes.

Texts are fragile and all too easily lost to oblivion. Horrific acts that forever erase cultural memory can often result from unforeseen and uncontrollable natural acts, such as fires. Fires eat ideas. A catastrophic fire in a historical library has culture for lunch. Such random conflagrations could even out-censor Big Brother. Luckily, humanity still possesses "Sir Gawain and the Green Night" because a 1731 fire did not engulf a manuscript known as "Cotton Nero A.x." Dating to the time of Chaucer, this lump of illuminated parchment contains 4 anonymous Middle English poems, "Sir Gawain" among them. Just who wrote them, why, and even where remain bubbling controversies amongst historians and literary theorists. Scholars do know that transforming these alliterative verses into comprehensible modern English presents a Knightly challenge. No formaldehyde exists to preserve 600 year old literary techniques. The lexicon, syntax, and form of English has simply changed too much. One look at the original "Gawain" manuscript will make this all too evident. Though no modern rendering can adequately convey the rhythmic feel of the original, "Sir Gawain's" story, symbolism, and emotional impact do come out of the wash sparkling clean. This 2006 translation by Bernard O'Donoghue admirably preserves these aspects of this classic tale.

This edition breaks the story down into four sections. As the first section unfolds, a party attitude overtakes Camelot. It's the Yuletide and eating, drinking, and some bed play, abound. But the general merriment gets disrupted by a giant green knight bearing an enormous ax and a Holly sprig. He challenges the group of brave knights to an exchange of blows. King Arthur accepts the challenge, but Gawain intervenes. Here's the deal: the green knight would like Gawain to take a swing at him with the ax. In exchange, following a year and a day, Gawain will seek the "Green Chapel" and receive a similar weaponry blow. Gawain lops off the giant knight's head, but the monstrosity picks it up and rides off on his horse while reminding Gawain of his promise. End of section one. The second section involves Gawain's travels almost a year later (and also describes his accoutrement in a lavish "medieval lifestyles of the rich and famous" fashion; this includes the famous "pentangle shield"). While searching for the "Green Chapel," he stumbles along, with the Virgin Mary's help, a far off castle. Here he's summarily treated like a celebrity. No holds barred. Gawain is the man. Then the games begin. End of section two. In section three the seduction begins. As the lord of the unnamed castle goes hunting, his wife tries to get all jiggy with Gawain (who has implicitly taken a vow of chastity). All he accepts are kisses, even when she exposes herself. As part of the game, he gives these back to her husband (one wonders how he would have "given back" a full tryst). This lusty temptation leads to weakness, however, as Gawain accepts her garter as a love-token and as protection from harm (so she claims). No other nookie happens. In the final section Gawain confronts the green knight as promised. It doesn't go well, but, not to give anything away, it doesn't go as bad as it could have. Many surprises await, including a Biblically inspired misogynist diatribe. In the end, Gawain is not perfect. But he's probably as close to perfect as a semi-realist literary character can get.

The story itself, here presented in its original poetic verse form, belongs squarely in the medieval romance genre. The tale resonates an ethos from a time when the world "made sense." Christian ethics, metaphysics, and theology undergird the quest, making it a true product of its more "certain" times. One of the poem's possible themes or messages, bajillions have been suggested, is that we humans rarely rise to the level of sainthood, but who can blame us? Sure we can try, but human nature will likely bar our righteous path. The green knight himself tells Sir Gawain: "...you fell short a bit and failed... because you like being alive. I don't blame you for that!" Even glorified, elevated, chivalric Gawain has faults. The occasional second person asides (in certain "bobs and wheels") emphasize the didactic and introspective dimensions of a tale that likely has an oral history. Here the reader/listener receives personal attention. But most readers will revel in the historicity of the tale itself. The mysteries surrounding its composition also makes for an intriguing read. One can scour the text for symbolism and write a dissertation on its complex literary forms, or simply read it as an adventure tale. Either way it delivers. Since this piece of cultural history wasn't eaten in an inferno, we're free to digest it for our own purposes. Get green.