Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: A New Verse Translation Audiobook

" It was hard to read, but well rewarding. An excellent example of Arthurian literature. "

" I read this at the advise of a friend. I found myself loving Sir Orfeo the most of the stories. "

" I love these medieval chivalric stories, especially Orfeo, but the language was very archaic. "

" Though I yield to none as a Tolkien fan, and (as he also did with Beowulf) Tolkien "wrote the book" on the Gawain Poet, I find that this translation is not a clear lens through which to view the original poem. It seems almost as if Tolkien was unwilling to drag the poem all the way into modern English, or was trying to preserve some elements of the distinctive midlands dialect in which it was written. Either the way, the results are difficult and challenging; one feels it might almost be better to simply assault the original armed with a good glossary... maybe Tolkien's, in fact. Otherwise... might I suggest the Penguin translation? "

" A brilliant, erudite and faithful translation of this masterpiece of the Middle-ages! "

" Tolkien's translations are pretty good in my humble opinion. It would be even more exciting if this edition had line numbers, but I found my around alright. I love how affordable this edition is too! "

" Very good edition. I read a different one a couple of years ago, but it didn't have the same "rhyme and flow." Tolkien also added quite a bit of insight with his intro. "

" once you finally get through it all, it's pretty good. But the story itself is so hard to read because the translation is more exact and true to old english, that you almost have to plow through the entire thing or meticulously read each line to be sure you understand the general idea. "

" "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is one of my favorite middle English texts, and from what I've heard and read, the Tolkien translation is one of the best. The other poems interest me also, because critics say the anonymous author of "Gawain" wrote the others as well. "

" Incredible translations - now you know why he rates the Chair! "

" Anglo Saxon speech in the 1400's was so hard to translate that even an authority like Tolkien could not get all of it. But a tale with a 7 foot tale faerie named the Green Knight on a secret mission of a Fae Queen does make a juicy tale. "

" I absolutely love Tolkien's rendition of this King Arthur tale. He really captures the rhythms, alliteration, consonance, and feel of the original while updating the language to be accessible to (educated) modern readers. His talent for language shines in this collection. "

" read it because tolkien did the translation. "

" A short poem, roughly the length of Beowulf, that tells of Sir Gawain's exploits with the mysterious Green Knight. More chivalry and ethics lessons with one of the more constant characters of medieval literature. Gawain faces fear and death and battles temptation and inconstancy. "

" Sir Gawain's story was pretty interesting, as was Sir Orfeo's. Pearl was just . . . boring. And long. "

" Tolkien's handy translations of some Middle English classics. I wouldn't bother with translations, except a. sometimes I'm just too busy to slog through Middle English and b. Tolkien's writing has a majesty of its own "

" Liked Sir Gawain and Sir Orfeo. I couldn't even begin with Pearl, y'all, and I've read Jude The Obscure. Some things are too depressing and maudlin to bear. "

" I taught this book to my Sophomore classes. They loved it. There's lot of interesting twists and turns. "

" I only read Sir Gawain; I decided not to dig into the other two. It was pretty good. A little long-winded at times, but enjoyable. "

" The plot may suffer a bit from the predictability of its time period and age, but something I found enamoring was the original Anglo-Saxon script on the opposite page; a minor detail, but something that added interest when I felt lost/bored by it. "

" Hysterical old comedy. This is very meaty mental material. Very short, and it didn't take me long to finish. "

" I read this in college and it was WAAAAAY beyond my ability to make meaning of. Perhaps if I tried again with a guide, I would enjoy it more! "

" Of the four texts I read for English 210 I think this is my favorite. Something about the chivalric code appeals to me more than the warrior code of Beowulf and The Odyssey. "

" "Very good translation. Hadn't read Sir Gawain since college, loved this edition as much if not more than the one I was required to read." "

" I'm a sucker for epic poems, lords and ladys and knights, and Arthurian fiction so I really enjoyed Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I thought this poem would be all about adventure, but it is actually a tale about temptation. The ending was a delightful twist. "

" Read this as an assignment for British Lit. class. Was surprised, but I totally enjoyed it! "

" This is an excellent edition to introduce 10+ children to Arthurian tales. Great for discussion about the 7 knightly virtues and whether Sir Gawain lives up to them or not. Children also like to talk about whether these virtues still have merit in the 21st century. "

" This was a really great story. The graphic accounts of Sir Gawain and his adventure left me with these great images in my head. There were some clever and thrilling parts in this book that got me all charged up and looking to either smite something or eat meats and drink plenty! "

" Magical and interesting to read for any lover of the Arthurian myths, but I was a little disappointed by the end. I was hoping for a climactic battle between Gawain and the green knight, but instead it all fell apart into medieval didacticism and lackluster moralizing. "