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Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
- New Verse Translation
- Narrated by: Jasper Britton
- Length: 2 hrs and 14 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature
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Editor reviews
Narrator Jasper Britton handles Benedict Flynn's new verse translation with ease, never allowing the rhymes to call attention to themselves. He draws clear portraits of King Arthur, Gawain, the mysterious Green Knight, and the many others who populate this literary classic, from Guinevere to Morgan le Fay. Britton's intensity and pacing make the magical saga live and breathe. From the charger's hooves to the clash of swords, it's all completely believable. Britton is sincere and convincing when Gawain encounters severe hardships and desperation in his quest to find the Green Knight. His performance is fully engaging as this medieval legend unfolds.
Summary
A mysterious knight all in green arrives at King Arthur's court and issues a bizarre challenge. Gawain answers the knight - but at what cost? This new translation keeps all the poetic power of the original's extraordinary alliteration. One of the greatest stories of English literature from any period, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a magical, medieval combination of the epic and the uncanny.
A new verse translation by Benedict Flynn.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about Sir Gawain & the Green Knight
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- Enobarbus
- 27-02-20
Magnificent!
"Gawain" is probably the most powerful, most perfectly executed poem in English.. It combines the passionate thrust of post Anglo Saxon alliterative verse with a thoroughly European, sophisticated sensibility. The poem celebrates the very best in human nature- heroic, decent, courteous and magnanimous. It is a world in which men and women interact on equal terms with wit, vigour, kindness and integrity. There is not a wasted word in the riveting tale, every descriptive detail contributes to the power and delight of the whole. Two hours have never passed so quickly! The poem is a masterpiece of organisation yet feels driven by an urgent narrative imperative. The poet has absolute control of his rich material, whether it is describing Gawain's testing Winter Journey, fighting dragons and trolls as well as the weather, the intricacies of butchering a deer's carcase or the delightful mock seduction of our admirable hero by his lovely hostess. This recording is outstanding, superior in every way to the wretched version from Simon Armitage with its self-conscious poetic effects and lugubrious delivery. Jasper Britton is a superb narrator and Benedict Flynn's modernisation marvellously captures the energy and texture of the alliterative verse with very few awkward moments - the story is gripping and aesthetically pleasing from the first word to the last. Perhaps Gawain's uncharacteristic lapse into conventional anti-feminist rhetoric when really he is embarrassed by his own, thoroughly forgivable moment of weakness, might have been exaggerated to emphasise it's not the view of the poet, the view any fair minded reader would take. Hopefully this wonderful audiobook will help to re-establish the Gawain poet's claim to be seen as the equal of his great contemporaries, Chaucer and Langland. Certainly every school in England should have this magnificent text on its syllabus!
2 people found this helpful
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- TAG
- 05-12-18
Superb
I was looking forward to listening to this, but was surprised by how much I loved it. Excellent translation and outstanding narration! Britton has a talent for getting the rhythm of a line across without over egging it and conveys the subtilise and whit of the writing wonderfully well.
2 people found this helpful
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- Colin
- 15-05-08
First-class
I enjoyed this reading very much and I'm sure I will do so quite a few more times at least. It is a first-class old English poem, finely translated, and finely read. The poetry comes over fresh and strong, with the rhythm, alliteration, and occasional rhyme apparently well preserved by the translation. It is also a jolly good story.
3 people found this helpful
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- M A H
- 28-02-09
Sir Garwain & the Green Knight
An entertaining little story.
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- John
- 10-04-13
In stori stif and stronge
Fear not, this version of Gawain is in modern verse. But it is a story both "stif" and "stronge", narrated by a voice talent who comprehends and conveys all the outlandish drama and subtle undertones of the tale.
The sheer number of modern versions of this poem, in prose and verse--from J. R. R. Tolkien, W. S. Merwin and Jesse Weston to, most recently, Simon Armitage--testify to its enduring power. It really is an imaginative tour de force and, among Medieval poems, something of a rarity: a story that deeply satisfies our modern need for brevity, a well-rounded plot and an unexpected denouemont. Startlingly cinematic in the way scenes shift and are contrasted with one another, Gawain reminds us that writers were aware of the technique long before Edison invented the movie camera. And beyond all that there's the lush, vivid, refined, barbaric, delicate and always-surprising language wielded so skillfully by our anonymous genius. That in itself is a joy to listen to.
I lack the background to be a perceptive critic of the present version of the poem, but at least to me it stands up very well indeed, driven along by an energetic performance. Use it as a way to get back into the poem if you know it already--or as a way to get others hooked.
6 people found this helpful
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- JATIN THAKKAR
- 29-08-18
Great Book!
This is a very intriguing and exciting book narrated beautifully. I really love it and would recommend it to others.
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- Amazon Customer
- 30-08-17
Beautiful story
I had to read this book for school, and I truly enjoyed it. The thrilling tale follows Sir Gawain and his quest to find the Green Knight. It's a short read, yet it is full of twists. The performance is superb, and it is an entertaining listen. Truthfully, I have but one dislike. Since it is a poem, written in old English, the author alliterated every word possible. This proved to be annoying at times. However, the quality of the story is not dampened, and by the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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- sivameth siravajanakul
- 21-03-17
I love this book ; I highly recommend this book; a
I love this book; read it when I was younger and rereading the book; brings back great memories of my youth.