Book

Author:	[no author listed]
Title:	Gawain And The Green Knight
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Country:	UK
Date:	2008
Format:	Paperback
Genre:	Poetry
ISBN13 / Barcode:	9780199540167
First Published:	1983
Rating:	Rate
Collection:	I Own It I Want It
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Notes

109 Pages

Verse Translation by Keith Harrison.

Comments and Reviews


Magic Marmalade 5th Jan 2016		Review A short book, and this translation makes for an easy read. (You could get through it in a couple of hours or so) But it is one of the staple texts of Arthurian literature (of this very early stage in the development of Arthurian legend especially). Elegantly, and poetically written, it conjures strong mental images, and the narrative is easy to follow. However... if you are to understand Arthurian literature, you have to learn to decipher symbols, and decode the symbology which these romances are thick with. Honestly, I have come to understand that not only specific things within them are symbols (the individual knights, their attire, their names (etymology rapidly becomes a new interest when you get into these works), but how knights interact with objects, and other knights, speech patterns, and even the structure of the narrative is symbolic, and has deeper, and more obscure meanings than is immediately evident. As such, these tales often seem mystical and obscure... but this is where their power (and the power of the Arthur legend) lies... they weave a spell, through fascinating the mind of the reader, and drawing you in.... and ultimately, that is how they are designed to function, and their purpose. As well as to encode, or "hide" what they would have understood to have been truths from unwelcome eyes, but be apparent to those who knew how to read them. For instance: This particular work has the entirely nutty premise of a "head chopping-off" contest between Mr Sir Gawain and the titular Knight of the distinctly (and conspicuously) Green variety.... Following a pattern for Arthurian romances (which if not established first by Cretien De Troyes, is certainly to be found there), ...the quest begins at Arthur's court (they usually do, and Arthur himself does not feature quite so strongly in them as you'd imagine ((and Sir Gawain, more than any other knight, features in almost all of them, often to parallel, or analogue the narrative of the quest of the other knight - maybe he's the most significant figure in Arthurian Literature!-))... The Green knight comes in and offers a challenge to the court, that he will accept a blow from anyone (He first offer it to Arthur) to cut off his head, in return for that knight riding out to his Green Chapel in a distant woods, exactly one year later, to receive a like blow in return. Gawain takes up the challenge, and lops the Green knight's head orrf... which the Green knight (now sans head), picks up (it still talks, as he reminds Gawain of his vow to meet him in a year), and gets on his green horse, and rides off. This bonkers story continues on from here, following the story of Gawain meeting this obligation (which I won't ruin with spoilers). One article of great interest within this book, and of tremendous general significance, and which is highly unusual in that it gives an overt explanation of what one of these symbols actually means, is when Gawain is armed and horsed in preparation for setting out on this quest, he is given a shield which bears a device (the picture) of a golden Pentagram (pentangle) on a red background... This, it explains in detail, is not, as it has come to be thought of more recently, a "satanic" symbol, and in fact, is as far from devil-worship-ry and all as is possible to get in it's origins. It is in fact Solomon's Knot, or Solomon's Seal (yup, biblical Solomon), which once stood as the seal on the pillars of Solomon's temple where the Ark of the Covenant was kept... so actually one of the most sacred CHRISTIAN (Judeo-Christian (-Islamic?)) symbols of that ancient world. But even at face value, it makes for an entrancing read, even if it is a bit grim :) 4 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?

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