Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, Pearl, And Sir Orfeo

SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, PEARL, AND SIR ORFEO
THREE MEDIEVAL ENGLISH POEMS, WITH TRANSLATION AND COMMENTARY BY J.R.R. TOLKIEN
 
It’s Christmas at Camelot, and in this classic of Arthurian legend, King Arthur won’t begin to feast until he has witnessed a marvel of chivalry. A mysterious knight, green from head to toe, rides in and brings the court’s wait to an end with an implausible challenge to the Round Table: he will allow any of the knights to strike him once, with a battle-axe no less, on the condition that he is allowed to return the blow a year hence. Arthur’s brave favorite for the challenge is Sir Gawain…
 
Accompanying Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in this collection of medieval English poems are Sir Orfeo, a medieval version of the story of Orpheus and Euridice, a love so strong that it overcame death, and Pearl, the moving tale of a man in a graveyard mourning his baby daughter, lost like a pearl that slipped through his fingers. Worn out by grief, he falls asleep and dreams of meeting her in a bejewelled fantasy world.
 
Interpreted in a form designed to appeal to the general reader, J.R.R. Tolkien’s vivid translations of these classic fourteenth-century poems represent the complete rhyme and alliterative verse of the originals. This beautifully decorated text includes as a bonus the complete text of Tolkien’s acclaimed literary commentary on Sir Gawain.

This definitive J.R.R. Tolkien translation offers a unique window into the world of fourteenth-century poetry:

• Three Middle English Masterpieces: Experience the foundational chivalric romance of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poignant dream-vision of Pearl, and the mythic quest of Sir Orfeo, brought together in one essential volume.
• Faithful Poetic Translation: Feel the power of the original meter, masterfully rendered into modern English by Tolkien while preserving the poems’ unique acoustic footprint and alliterative schemes.
• Expert Scholarly Insight: Go beyond the poems with the complete text of Tolkien’s acclaimed lecture, offering deep insights into the themes of Christian knighthood and courtesy in Sir Gawain.
• The World of Camelot: Journey to a world of honor, magic, and moral challenge as one of King Arthur’s most famous knights faces a mysterious, otherworldly foe at a fateful Christmas feast.

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