Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (A New Verse Translation)
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Book Summary Information
Translator: Simon ArmitageEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Deckle Edge
Published: 2007-10-17
ISBN: 0393060489
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Book Reviews of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (A New Verse Translation)
Book Review: Above All, Readable
Summary: 5 Stars
I guess in an enterprise like this - creating the nth translation of an ancient classic - distinction of a given effort comes from the balance of readability poetry, and faithfulness.
This translation hikes the "readability" parameter all the way up. Most book reviewers of this translation use the "can't put it down" cliche, and it's true. No need to discuss further: if you're looking for a heckuva read, even if you're familiar with this work, you need look no further.
As for poetry, Armitage is a distinguished poet, and clearly invested great care in the music, nuance, and language (including, yes, tons of alliteration...in most cases working off a different consonant than the original). The result stands as a work of art, hence my five stars. One can't argue with greatness.
As for faithfulness...I'm no scholar, so don't take this as more than a comment from the peanut gallery. But as I read, I'd often glance over at the Middle English text and feel dismayed to find that more liberty was taken than I'd have preferred. In many cases, the Middle English is fully intelligible and quite affecting, yet Armitage chooses quite different language. On the other hand, his method is proven by the vibrantly engaging result.
My biggest quibble is that the translation contains three or four VERY jarring instances of discordantly modern colloquialisms (without discernible reason, to my eye) that come from out of nowhere. If I'd known I'd be writing this review, I'd have noted them, but never mind; as you read, you can't help but trip on them. Each time, I'd shake my head in disbelief. But, again, they're extremely infrequent.
So if readability and poetic sweep are your preference - and why wouldn't they would be if you're reading for pleasure? - this is definitely a book to own. If you're a Middle English scholar or a knowledgeable veteran of multiple previous Gawain versions, you ought to approach with a forgiving attitude. Armitage takes pains, in the introduction, to claim a minimally invasive approach. But don't all translators say the same?
Just an aside, perhaps naive: issues of spelling seem to constitute a great deal of the original's impenetrability. I'd love to read a truly minimally invasive translation, where spelling is modernized and only crucial obsolete words are individually replaced (alliteration be damned), in order to enjoy an easier undiluted taste of The Poet's voice. I hasten to note that even if such a translation existed, Armitage's work would still sit proudly on my shelf.
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