sé que no es justo valorar un libro escrito hace tantos siglos pero es que esto es pura mierda random… para leer sobre un monstruo verde en navidad me veo el Grinch adiós

yes i have read yet another edition of this poem and i'm logging it on goodreads to feel better about myself

When I found out we had to read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for a current university subject, I was a little worried. I often struggle with analysing poetry and something written in Middle English was not going to be easy. Thankfully we had to read the Brian Stone translation, which only hints at being Middle English. This is a famous 14th century Arthurian romance that is often known for the beheading game.

This is a typical quest narrative; The Green Knight exposes the Knights of the Round Table as timid and cowards when he challenges them to the beheading game. The rules are simple, one knight tries to behead the Green Knight and in a year and a day he will meet them for the returning blow. The Arthurian world is governed by a well-established code of behaviour. This code is one of chivalry, a romantic notion that is deeply rooted in Christian morality, being a beacon of spiritual ideals in a fallen world.

The beheading game is a plot device used as a test in the quest narrative, Sir Gawain is thrown into participating in the game and he is left with a choice, to be a man that lives by his code or not. A game that is meant to measure the inner worth of the knights and it does it in a big way, it exposes the Knights as cowards but Gawain steps up, sort of.

There is a whole lot of humour in this story that often gets over looked when trying to analyse this difficult text. The idea of beheading someone and them returning for a reciprocating blow should have given that away. However the supernatural elements might have made this difficult to pick up on the comedic value. The Green Knight can be interpreted as an allusion of Christ and the strong religious overtones might lead you to think that but I saw him more as a plot device to represent life’s challenges.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was a rather beautiful and interesting exploration for me. The translation I read did make it easier to understand, I don’t think I could handle learning Middle English. I had to do an assignment on this text and the quest narrative so I feel like I’ve already said plenty about this poem before sitting down to writing this review. I hope there is plenty of information here and gives the reader an idea of what to expect when reading this poem. It isn’t hard to understand if you have the right translation and is well worth reading.

This review originally appeared on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2014/...

Pues me ha gustado y me ha llamado mogollón la atención cómo está escrita la tensión sexual entre los personajes, aunque me gustó que en la película hablaran de la vergüenza y de la arrogancia y aquí se reduce todo a "un caballero debe resistirse al mal", que está en línea con la ideología de la época pero chafa el encuentro final entre el caballero verde y el protagonista. Un poco random el "No, es que voy a rajarte el cuello porque me has devuelto los besos de mi mujer pero no me has dicho que te ha regalado un cinturón y eso no es muy taki taki rumba por tu parte, así que shame on you". Que oye, también está en la línea de la redención de los pecados en el catolicismo, que si te callas mal pero si se lo cuentas al cura pues hala, ya estás perdonado, pero como que es una historia muy chula para que al final se reduzca a una moraleja tan básica. BUENO NO SE HASTA QUE PUNTO LA MORALEJA ES UNA TAPADERA, PORQUE ES TODO BASTANTE GAY Y BASTANTE SEXUAL, PERO BUENO

When it comes to reading older English texts, understanding the language becomes the most important tool to comprehending the story. This text was enjoyable, and the lines, when isolated, are beautiful and descriptive - but without having an understanding of “how” to read it, i think it would be difficult to enjoy. When reading Shakespearean sonnets, we know the “rules” of iambic pentameter and so it’s easier for us to consume the lines even despite the difficulty we might find with the language. For Gawain, however, there is no rhythmic dictation of that sort, and so I found understanding the text to be the main challenge. The story itself was entertaining, if perhaps a bit drawn out, and the poetry was lovely. As uni texts go, I enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected.

n  n    “—¿Cómo, es ésta la corte de Arturo —dijo—, cuya fama tanto se ha extendido por todos los reinos del mundo? ¿Dónde están ahora vuestra arrogancia, vuestras proezas, vuestras victorias y valor, y el arrojo del que os jactáis?”n  n

Un breve relato que tiene todos los ingredientes para formar una maravillosa historia caballeresca ambientada en el mundo del Rey Arturo y sus Caballeros de la Mesa Redonda.

En este libro acompañaremos a Sir Gawain, uno de los famosos caballeros, en un viaje en el que varios sucesos pondrán a prueba su código de caballero. Precisamente esto es lo que más me ha sorprendido, que no se tratara de una historia con acción al uso, con grandes combates, sino que está enfocado más en el aspecto moral del protagonista.

El punto clave de la lectura será el final, que nos hará darle una vuelta a todos los actos sucedidos y nos dejará reflexionando. Considero que el epílogo es también muy interesante para terminar de entender una obra tan antigua, que se hace muy amena y que ha envejecido a la perfección.

This was a little hard to read at times and a little boring but overall I liked this!

A really great re-telling, in storybook form.
I did skip and heavily abridge a few pages, while reading to my kids (I wasn’t ready to read them the attempted seduction scenes!), but overall we really enjoyed it! The illustrations were fabulous, too!

surprisingly into this funky little poem! yes reading multiple stanzas of middle english poetry about a boar hunt tested me as a person but parts of it are so fun and intriguing. sometimes culturally iconic texts are good. i understand the hype.

Quina absoluta meravella a tots els nivells.
Pel text, perquè és una combinació espectacular d'aventures, intimisme i poesia, que pivota al voltant dels valors artúrics de la lleialtat, l'honor i la virtut. Però per la traducció de Rosa Badia, que el fa molt i molt proper i modern, i construeix un pont de sis segles entre els nostres dos mons.
Un imprescindible a la meva biblioteca personal, al qual hi tornaré sovint perquè m'ha encisat.

Em confirma que l'adaptació al cinema de Lowery és una altra obra mestra insuperable, a més.

2022/ Reread twice this year…what a great story. Simon Armitage’s translation is excellent, and the narrators northern accent made the audiobook an absorbing experience. :)



I've been assigned this book four times, and never read it - so I figured I should actually read it now. It was well worth the wait. (Apparently the assiduous alliterative verse is attractive - I'm emulating especially effectively, even excellently?). A wonderful majestic fairy tale for grown-ups, and definitely something I'll read again -- hopefully three more times so I can look all of professors of the past in the face again sometime. :)

Es la segunda vez que lo leo y me gustó aún más en esta ocasión. :)