Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Translations important Theres the 1920's transaltion by Tolkein and Rieu Then the later translation into modern english late in Tolkeins life.

A new translation by Armitage has made some impact

I like how Gawain keep giving that guy lil smooches everytime he came back with a present for him. So cute.

Don't take my rating too seriously. Whenever I read something like this, I realize that I have no idea how to read poetry that isn't in a rhyming meter or basically anything except for iambic pentameter. I end up feeling pretty dumb. I get lost in all the line indents, the stanzas, never knowing where to pause or what to do. Reading aloud is no help (at least with this, the O'Donoghue translation). I always feel like I'm stumbling around a dark maze blindfolded.

At least this version that I found in a little library has some lovely notations in it from a previous reader.

All there for the sweet intro with green headless knight. Really lost me in the middle when we were hanging out in the hall and talking to people's wives and catching rabbits. I'm judging this as if it was written in 2021 because.

A trecut ceva timp de cand am citit o carte doar pentru ca apare o adaptare dupa ea... din ce am vazut pana acum, filmul arata mult mai bine decat cartea (cam rar, stiu)

3.5 stars.

Do you like epic poems like The Iliad and the Odyssey? Well, this is the 14th century version featuring Arthur and the knights of the round table.

I know that the rating should be higher. It's a classic tale with a good adventure. I liked it. Simple as that.

Fearless, faithful knight
facing his most frightful foe
a foxy female.

I was doing some Arthurian-based board gaming a while ago with some friends, and realized that most of my actual knowledge of the Arthur myth comes from tertiary sources, which is a little pathetic. So Iread this as part of a larger attempt to become more knowledgeable about the Arthur story.

Ironically, then, Arthur's hardly in this! He's there at the beginning, when Gawain makes his wager with the Green Knight during a Christmas celebration, but is nowhere to be seen when Gawain goes on his quest to confront the Green Knight, and faces trials and tribulations along the way to prove that he is a knight worthy of his station.

Overall, I'd say I guess I kind of liked this one? It was full of knights, adventure, and a bit of intrigue, but at the same time it didn't reall have a lot of depth to it and I can't say I connected to it in any meaningful way.

One thing I found especially interesting while reading this was in looking at where some of the storytelling priorities lay, and how different they were from modern sensibility. Gawain's decision to either betray his host or break his vow to the lady, for example, is given only a quick thought – because of course he's not going to break his word – while the hunting practices of British royalty earns several pages. I can't see something like that happening in a more modern piece.

I'd say this is a must-read for people who are really into Arthurian legend, but a pass for just about anyone else – it provdes great background to our understanding of Arthur, but doesn't really succeed as a compelling story in its own right.