Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

by Anonymous, Jessie L Weston (Translator)

Overview

Arthurian legends have long been the source of countless popular tales. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is one of the best known and most widely read. During King Arthur's New Year's celebration, a mysterious knight, with green clothes and horse, arrives with a challenge to the knights of the round table--any one of them may swing at the Green Knight with an axe if he too is willing to take a blow one year and one day after. Gawain, one of Arthur's most noble knights, steps up and easily beheads the Green Knight. Yet the knight magically picks up his head and tells Gawain he will see him in one year and one day. Gawain must go through many tribulations during this year as he upholds the values of the chivalric code, approaching reunion with the enigmatic character. Jessie L. Weston, a noted medieval scholar and folklorist, provides a skilled prose rendition staying true to the original while maintaining readability. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" continues to resonate and captivate readers today. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420968569
Publisher:	Digireads.com
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Pages:	42
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.10(d)

About the Author

Paul Battles is Professor of English at Hanover College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
A Note on the Text

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Appendix A: From Caradoc

Appendix B: The Story of the False Guenevere and Bertelay

Appendix C: From The Knight with the Sword

Appendix D: From Edward of Norwich, Second Duke of York, The Master of Game

Glossary

Select Bibliography and Works Cited

Editorial Reviews

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is arguably the greatest poem surviving in English from any period, and Paul Battles’ edition is the ideal introduction to it. The text has been reconsidered at every level, and the notes and glossary take in the latest scholarship, but the scholarship never threatens to overwhelm the beauty and power of the poem. The new appendices on sources and analogs are especially valuable.” — Tom Shippey, Professor Emeritus, Saint Louis University

“Among the increasing number of translations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it is good to be able to welcome a new edition of the poem itself. The very richness of the poem’s verbal detail and the subtlety of its philosophical argument require a mastery of the original text, and in this edition the beginning student is fortunate to have not only a learned guide but also a sensible one who writes with engaging clarity and is tolerant of the diversity of critical opinion. The text itself is supplied not only with marginal glosses and succinct, informative notes but also a full glossary. The four well-chosen appendices are worthy of special mention, providing valuable source material that places the poem in its authentic context of Arthurian romance and aristocratic culture.” — Gerald Morgan, Trinity College Dublin

From the Publisher

"Among the increasing number of translations of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it is good to be able to welcome a new edition of the poem itself. The very richness of the poem's verbal detail and the subtlety of its philosophical argument require a mastery of the original text, and in this edition the beginning student is fortunate to have not only a learned guide but also a sensible one who writes with engaging clarity and is tolerant of the diversity of critical opinion. The text itself is supplied not only with marginal glosses and succinct, informative notes but also a full glossary. The four well-chosen appendices are worthy of special mention, providing valuable source material that places the poem in its authentic context of Arthurian romance and aristocratic culture."

Gerald Morgan

"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is arguably the greatest poem surviving in English from any period, and Paul Battles' edition is the ideal introduction to it. The text has been reconsidered at every level, and the notes and glossary take in the latest scholarship, but the scholarship never threatens to overwhelm the beauty and power of the poem. The new appendices on sources and analogs are especially valuable."

Tom Shippey