Gawayne and the Green knight;

by Charlton Miner Lewis

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: Poetry, Fantasy, Fiction, Classics

122 pages, Paperback

Published August 19, 2010

Reviews

[Keith Kavanagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

now let's hope the film isn't brown shite

[Z · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is some bad information on the internet, here on Goodreads, and even in other books, but Gawayne and the Green Knight: A Fairy Tale by Charlton Miner Lewis is not a translation of the 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I'd hesitate to even call it a retelling.

Lewis's Gawayne is an original fairy tale poem published in 1903 about an orphan named Elfinheart who was raised by fairies and who falls in love with Gawayne, a knight of Arthur's court. To test Gawayne's worthiness for Elfinheart, the fairies send the Green Knight to play the decapitation game.

Some of the broad strokes are similar to the original story, but many of the characters and their motivations, as well as the resolution and the moral, are completely different. And honestly, it's not a very good story. The poetry is flat and lifeless, the plot is dull and not very well structured, and in my opinion, it lacks all the charm, wit, and depth of the original.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Gawayne and the Green Knight" composed in Middle English by an unknown poet in the late 14th century is a poem about Sir Gawayne a knight at Camelot and his quest to demonstrate that he is worthy of his love, Lady Elfinhart. Gawayne's test comes in the form of "beheading game" of which there are several examples the French Arthurian tales. However, no French or Gaelic version of "Gawayne and the Green Knight" has ever been found and for this reason it is generally regarded as being outside of the Arthurian canon . Notably it does not appear in Thomas Mallory's "Le Morte d'Arthur" (1485).
As translated by Charlton Miner Lewis, "Gawayne and the Green Knight" is a charming tale of chivalry and courtly love. It is great English literature. That fact that its bonafides are questionable is irrelevant.

[Dodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially I read this Arthurian-legend story in middle English with a teacher's guidance. I didn't enjoy the experience. When I saw this more contemporary translation, I gave it a whirl. It's more approachable and understandable. I'm glad I revisited this tale of determination with a touch of humor here and there.

[Jerimy Stoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is some of the best poetry I have read to date. I am eager to try J.R.R. Tolkien's version of this story. I won't reveal anything, for fear that it may spoil the movie version. I would recommend this story to those who like fairy tales, fantasy, or poetry.

[Vik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was familiar with the story (in the translation by Burton Raffel, which was in prose) but since this is written in verse, it still was quite a different reading experience.