Such a fun read! A simple tale, cleverly translated by Tolkien.

I picked this up because of the incredible trailer for The Green Knight! I knew I wanted to get my head around the story before I saw the film, so I dove into the source material. I enjoyed it and really love Tolkien's translation.

I won't lie, I skimmed Pearl and Sir Orfeo because poetry isn't my thing. Oops!

Chronologically, the earliest of Tolkien's writings but not the best place to start. Despite, some of the fantastical elements this is still a mostly academic exercise. Tolkien has kept the alliteration technique of the first two poems even when words have been updated to modern English. This makes it quite a tricky read as it doesn't flow very well. Sir Gawain is worth persevering with but Pearl has such a heavy religious tone with a lot of repetition that it outstays its welcome quite early on. Sir Orfeo was my favourite as it was fun, fantastical and flowed quite nicely. Would only recommend to Tolkein completists or those with an interest in medieval literature.

The Struggle Against Nature
28 September 2011

ttThis middle English poem is said by some to be the greatest poem of Middle English literature, however it does have to compete with The Canterbury Tales for that title, something that I am not going to go into since I have not have the chance to read Chaucer's work at this stage. However while the earliest copy of this poem exists on a manuscript dating back to 1400 AD, it was probably circulating much earlier than than. We don't actually know who the author of this poem is (and my suspicion is that it is like The Odyssey - it was an oral poem what was written down at a later date, and copied, and the version that we have is the earliest version of this copied text). The manuscript also contains two other poems, the Pearl and Sir Orfeo (both of which Tolkien translates as well).

tWhile the poem begins in King Arthur's court, during a feast, the opening stanza goes back to the founding of England - Troy. It appears (and I noted that Holinshed, the English Chronicler from whom Shakespeare used as a source for some of his plays) also puts the origin of the British people to Troy. The story is that after Troy fell, Aeneas fled to Italy where he founded a colony and from that colony Romulus and Remus arose and went on to found the city of Rome (or at least Romulus, since since he killed Remus). However, one of Aeneas' general's, Brutus, was not happy with the location, so he left with some followers, sailed to Britain, defeated the Giants, and founded a colony that eventually, after millennia, went on to rule the world. This of course is all legend and there is no historical or archeological evidence to support this ever actually happening (though it does make a ripping yarn).

tAnyway, that is beside the point. The poem itself was quite popular and tells the story of Sir Gawain who, at the feast, decides to take the Green Knight's challenge, which is that if somebody where to strike him then they must meet him at the Green Chapel in a year and a day and also be struck. Sir Gawain decides that sounds like a bit of fun and proceeds to lop off his head. However the Green Knight simply picks it up (his head that is) and walks out, telling him that he will see him in a year and a day. So Sir Gawain travels the land and arrives at the castle of Sir Bertilak. Bertilak then heads out out on a hunting trip but before he goes he tells Sir Gawain that if he gives Gawain the proceeds of the hunt, Sir Gawain must give him whatever he got that day. So, while Bertilak is out his wife attempts to seduce Gawain, who resists the temptations, and the first two times he is given a kiss, and the last time he is given a girdle which will protect him from harm. Gawain honours his agreement to Bertilak (with the exception of the Girdle) and then goes out to meet the Green Knight. After the battle, it turns out that the Green Knight is Bertilak.

tThis poem carries a lot of symbolism which will simply take way too long to explore the subtleties (and for those who are interested, I'll simply refer you to Wikipedia). However, one of the major themes in this poem is chivalry, which is a medieval code of honour for knights. One of the major aspects is honesty and keeping one's words. Gawain does demonstrate his honour by keeping his word to Bertilak (and the Green Knight) however he does fail with handing over the girdle. This is interesting because he keeps the girdle for protection when he meets the Green Knight without actually knowing that he has already met the Green Knight. We also notice that he honours the marriage vows by resisting Bertilak's wifes advances, even though each advance becomes progressively stronger. Some have suggested that the advances of Bertilak's wife reflects Bertilak's hunting trips, as the animals Bertilak hunts become progressively more aggressive.

tAnother aspect is nature verses civilisation with the Green Knight (and in turn Bertilak) representing nature and Camelot representing civilisation. The Green Knight's entrance to the feast is a reflection of the chaos of nature bursting into the order of civilisation, and Sir Gawain takes the challenge in an attempt to tame nature. However, considering the time this poem was written (the Dark Ages) it is also looking back to a more civilised time (despite doubts as to the actual existence of King Arthur's court). The time in which this poem was composesd was a time of lack of law and there is, in a way the hearers were no doubt longing for the better times.

tIn this particular work, there are two other poems which I will briefly mention. The first is The Pearl, which is an allegorical dialogue between a knight and a woman about the kingdom of heaven. This poem has a lot of biblical images (which includes the Pearl, a symbol that Christ uses in one of his parables to describe the beauty and value of the kingdom of heaven). The Knight had the pearl, but lost it, and is worried that in losing the pearl he has also lost access to the kingdom of heaven. Some have suggested that the Pearl is probably representing a loved one, such as a child, but I think the allegory in this poem is deeper than that.

tThe final poem, Sir Orfeo, is a retelling of the Greek story of Orpheus in the underworld (and this is very clear in that Sir Orfeo is a form of Orpheus). The poem is set in Winchester, however in the poem it is also called Thrace (the location in Greece of the original Orpheus myth). In this poem, though, instead of travelling to the underworld to rescue is beloved, he travels to the Faerie world where his beloved has disappeared. However, in all forms, this poem is the same as the Greek legend.

I listened to the audio book read by Terry Jones, and the audio book had the same cover. Hearing it read is special in the way that hearing great poetry is.

Gawain:
I see why some have sought here awhile:
The image of Arthur and all his court
And the final forgiveness and freedom in virtue;
But the middle was a muddle, to me at least.
4 stars

The Pearl:
A long lost pearl—standing for a little girl
Whose death her father mourns, what imagery!
But what I wanted at the end of The Pearl
Was poetry, not raw theology.
2 stars

Sir Orfeo:
Once there lived a Tim who read
About some alive and “some were dead.”
And he was caught up in the play
Of Orfeo/Orpheus/Odysseus’ lay.
3.5 stars
(Forgive the archaism, I know it’s dry
But Tolkien did it so so can I)

I remember hearing some of the story of The Green Knight, but I didn’t know even half of it. I really enjoyed the story of Sir Gawain, even if it was in verse form. Tolkien did an admirable job with the translation. I must confess I only read the poem of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - not Tolkien’s lecture or the other two poems at the end of the book. Worth a reading though if you like verse format or medieval stories.

Read for interpretations of literature class and was confused pretty much the whole time.

I enjoyed reading this along with Burton Raffel’s translation. Both were very excellent and easy to understand. I particularly liked the Tolkien translation because it was Tolkien. He has a particular style that makes me happy.
I wish stories were still written in poetry.

Absolutely wonderful: I had a difficult time falling into a book so concerned with feasts and hunts and December merriment, but tinged with a constant temptation hanging over the whole book. The final scene is a real relief and makes me want to read it again without the tension. Not only did I like the Catholic morality put as close as possible next to the best of chivalry, but Gawain is an easily likeable protagonist. He strikes all the right human notes.

Far be it from me to criticize Tolkien in any way, but I felt the translation too much at times, but he quickly redeems himself with Pearl and Orfeo. Poetry and I have had a tenuous relationship, but Pearl is one of the easiest to say poems I have read in a long time. I read nearly all of it out loud. Pearl is a neat cross between Dante's Comedy and Lewis' Grief Observed. Lovely in every way.

Orfeo, though short, is memorable. A lovely story striking all the right notes.

Newer Review:
I read this a second time and enjoyed knowing in advance what would (not) happen. Very jolly atmosphere maintained throughout, which I enjoyed. A great representation of medieval life as we commonly stereotype it, but with real depth that grapples with the demands of medieval courtesy.

This is the second, maybe third, time I've read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but it is the first time I've ever read Pearl or Sir Orfeo. Tolkien's translation and notes are delightful to read. I enjoy the story of Sir Gawain very much. Pearl is quite good, but I know I did not get everything I ought out of this first reading. The poetry and Biblical allusions are beautiful, rich, and need time for digesting. Sir Orfeo is a more narrative, short story in poetic form and is pleasant to read.

I love the Green Knight story, although I feel like the GK was a bit unfair to Gawain. Even though I am a Tolkien fan, I have to warn you away from his translation in favor of Simon Armitage's. Here's a sample of Tolkien's translation:

'If I tell thee the truth of it, when I have taken the knock,
and thou hast handily hit me, if in haste I announce then
my house and my home and mine own title,
then thou canst call and enquire and keep the agreement;
and if I waste not a word, thou'lt win better fortune,
for thou mayst linger in thy land and look no further-

but stay!
To thy grim tool now take heed, sir!
Let us try thy knocks today!'
'Gladly,' said he, 'Indeed, sir!'
and his axe he stroked in play.

Here is Armitage's comment on the Tolkien translation: "I read Tolkien's translation when I was in my mid-20s; not surprisingly for someone who had studied and decoded the original text, his is a highly faithful rendition. But I never really responded to the antique diction and syntax - it struck me at times as even older than the original."

Here is Armitage's version of the same passage:

'I could tell you the truth once you've taken the blow;
if you smite me smartly I could spell out the facts
of my house and home and my name, if it helps,
then you'll pay me a visit and vouch for our pact.
Or if I keep quiet you might cope much better,
loafing and lounging here, looking no further. But
you stall!

Now grasp that gruesome axe
and show your striking style.'
He answered, 'Since you ask,'
and touched the tempered steel.

This looks like a pretty clear case of Tolkien being more faithful and Armitage being more readable. Generally, Armitage's alliteration is less hokey than Tolkien's, and that's what I responded to.

What else is in this volume? Stuff you could probably do without. "Pearl" is a very dry narrative about a guy who has a long metaphorical dream about Heaven. It largely rehashes portions of the Bible, mainly from Revelations. "Sir Orfeo" is more interesting- basically a take on the Orpheus legend- but not anything ground-breaking.