Sir Gawain and the Green Knight edition by Anonymous Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : Sir Gawain and the Green Knight edition by Anonymous Literature Fiction eBooks 
A mysterious knight all in green arrives at King Arthur's court and issues a bizarre challenge. Gawain answers the knight – but at what cost? This new translation brings all the poetic power of the original's extraordinary alliteration. In doing so it brings the saga vividly to life, and in a manner that demands to be read. One of the greatest stories of English literature from any period, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a magical medieval combination of the epic and the uncanny.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight edition by Anonymous Literature Fiction eBooks
I am a huge fan of the medieval masterpiece "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," and so grateful that history was kind enough to leave us with a single surviving copy of it, so that we could realize how diverse, imaginative and rich in cultural mythology that Medieval society was. While we don't know the identity of the "Gawain Poet," his (or her) legacy has allowed us to realize that a local, native English literary tradition was thriving in the 14th century, and that many more masterpieces lost to us likely existed. I had read this poem years ago in a modern translation, and was instantly smitten .... The imagery that hearkened back to a deeply observant and poetic vision of the world, which so often seems lost in our digital-obsessed, anti-intellectual society today; the deft weaving of ancient pre-Christian symbolism with Christian themes prevalent at the time of the poem; the epic of Sir Gawain's quest, his inner turmoil and -- ultimately -- his humanity as he wrestled to reconcile his fear of what he was sure to be impending death with his sense of moral and chivalric duty: All these elements deeply resonated with me.As one with a deep and abiding love for and fascination with Old English and Middle English literature, culture, history and the medieval sensibility, I had come to want to experience this epic, powerful poem in its original tongue -- the northern Middle English dialect of the Gawain Poet. Finding such a copy -- and more than that, a version where the idiosyncrasies of that dialect's Middle English orthography were left intact (not standardized into Modern English equivalents) proved more challenging that I expected.
When I learned that J.R.R. Tolkien -- not just beloved author of his own epic mythology, but eminent Old English (and linguistic scholar) -- had written his own analysis of the poem, and presented it, orthographically, virtually unchanged from the original, I was ecstatic. Tolkien's insights are to be trusted, and this particular book provides useful appendices on pronunciation of Middle English, notes on word meanings and interesting notes about the original manuscript in which the poem was discovered, and other fascinating context.
For anyone with a love of historical English literature, this poem is a must, and I highly recommend reading this poem, if possible, in the original Middle English. So much is ultimately lost in translation -- especially when authors strive to preserve the unique alliterative structure of the poem. For those who might be intimidated by the quirks and inconsistencies of Middle English spelling, and the strangeness of several of the words, never fear: Middle English bears many similarities to Modern English, and once one gets a feel for the pronunciation (and becomes more acquainted with some key Middle English vocabulary), it becomes a thoroughly enjoyable and enriching experience to travel back nearly 700 years to recite this magnificent treasure of English literature in its original tongue.
Product details
|
Tags : Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Kindle edition by Anonymous. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.,ebook,Anonymous,Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,Naxos Audiobooks,POETRY Epic
People also read other books :
- 2016 Salvador Dali Wall Calendar Salvador Dali 9781623255695 Books
- Unwitting Accomplice A Short Story edition by RV Raman Literature Fiction eBooks
- Midnight Tale Single edition by George Berger Literature Fiction eBooks
- That Which Is edition by Glenn Cooper Politics Social Sciences eBooks
- Housinggeddon eBook Aaron Palm
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight edition by Anonymous Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
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.
The standard text for serious aficionados of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," edited by
JRR Tolkien--cf Lord of the Rings. It still has the same green cover and illustration that it had
35 years ago in my Pearl Poet class! It presents the Middle English text without the accompaniment of a modern English translation. However, 61 pages of detailed notes and 68 pages of extensive glossery make this book
well worth having for those who want the experience of reading the original text. A lot is lost in translation,
even within the same language. Going from Middle English to Modern English is a lot like drinking warm coke
that's been left out overnight in a glass--the real essence is gone. So I'd recommend the struggle the text
demands. It's really worth it and Tolkien's notes and glossery are a great help. You can get Tolkien's translation to Modern English in another book, without the Middle English, if you want to have that extra assistance.
I am a huge fan of the medieval masterpiece "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," and so grateful that history was kind enough to leave us with a single surviving copy of it, so that we could realize how diverse, imaginative and rich in cultural mythology that Medieval society was. While we don't know the identity of the "Gawain Poet," his (or her) legacy has allowed us to realize that a local, native English literary tradition was thriving in the 14th century, and that many more masterpieces lost to us likely existed. I had read this poem years ago in a modern translation, and was instantly smitten .... The imagery that hearkened back to a deeply observant and poetic vision of the world, which so often seems lost in our digital-obsessed, anti-intellectual society today; the deft weaving of ancient pre-Christian symbolism with Christian themes prevalent at the time of the poem; the epic of Sir Gawain's quest, his inner turmoil and -- ultimately -- his humanity as he wrestled to reconcile his fear of what he was sure to be impending death with his sense of moral and chivalric duty All these elements deeply resonated with me.
As one with a deep and abiding love for and fascination with Old English and Middle English literature, culture, history and the medieval sensibility, I had come to want to experience this epic, powerful poem in its original tongue -- the northern Middle English dialect of the Gawain Poet. Finding such a copy -- and more than that, a version where the idiosyncrasies of that dialect's Middle English orthography were left intact (not standardized into Modern English equivalents) proved more challenging that I expected.
When I learned that J.R.R. Tolkien -- not just beloved author of his own epic mythology, but eminent Old English (and linguistic scholar) -- had written his own analysis of the poem, and presented it, orthographically, virtually unchanged from the original, I was ecstatic. Tolkien's insights are to be trusted, and this particular book provides useful appendices on pronunciation of Middle English, notes on word meanings and interesting notes about the original manuscript in which the poem was discovered, and other fascinating context.
For anyone with a love of historical English literature, this poem is a must, and I highly recommend reading this poem, if possible, in the original Middle English. So much is ultimately lost in translation -- especially when authors strive to preserve the unique alliterative structure of the poem. For those who might be intimidated by the quirks and inconsistencies of Middle English spelling, and the strangeness of several of the words, never fear Middle English bears many similarities to Modern English, and once one gets a feel for the pronunciation (and becomes more acquainted with some key Middle English vocabulary), it becomes a thoroughly enjoyable and enriching experience to travel back nearly 700 years to recite this magnificent treasure of English literature in its original tongue.
0 Response to "[LXQ]∎ [PDF] Free Sir Gawain and the Green Knight edition by Anonymous Literature Fiction eBooks"
Post a Comment