Gawain and the Green Knight - adapted by Patrick Stuart

by Patrick Stuart

The old English poem 'Gawain and the Green Knight' with illustrations by Daniel
Puerta.

136 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2019

About the author

I am False Machine

Reviews

[Hans Otterson]

More venerable works need the treatment that Stuart gives Gawain: not a total reworking into the vernacular, but a facelift that adds words that weren't in use at the time. Here, we see things that are alien to the poet, in my readings (this is the third translation of the poem I've read, which for a scholar is nothing, for a layman something approaching craziness), words like bro and guy and freak and, of course, motherfucker. It's never too much, though; just a touch that reminds us that language can live. This isn't the most flowing translation I've read, but it covers many sins thanks to what it does with language.

That and the illustrations.

There are some end-notes on the meaning of Gawain that are quite good: so what about the gay stuff? How many dualities can we find in the Green Knight? What's with these weird sex games?

For anyone who finds themselves wanting to read Gawain more than once, I'd heartily recommend this edition.

2P

[Dom Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a passage in the notes at the end of Patrick Stuart’s translation of Gawain and the Green Knight that captures the essence of the style: “Finally we come to the end and Gawain crying and crushed because he failed, even though to us, to his opponent and to his friends, he scored 90% in a moral battle against a witch, a magic giant and a hot girl.” Stuart uses modern English and vernacular yet retains the structure of the poem. Rather than being jarring, the use of modern English gives a knowing nod and a connection with the reader. I’m not a huge fan of poetry, but this held my attention throughout. It’s beautifully illustrated and was a delight to read.

The final sections of notes needed an edit to clean them up as the punctuation goes astray, but overall this was an entertaining read. I’d intended to read it over a few weeks but constantly found myself drawn further on.

[Bugman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so happy I had someone next to me to tell me what was happening sometimes.

Love the alliteration and wordplay, love the winding and bending plot line about a crippling gambling addiction and love the phrase "mad murdering motherfucker".