| Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 22 reviews)
Sales Rank: 9301
Category: Book
Author: J.r.r. Tolkien
Publisher: Del Rey
Studio: Del Rey
Manufacturer: Del Rey
Label: Del Rey
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.7
ISBN: 0345277600
Dewey Decimal Number: 821.108
EAN: 9780345277602
ASIN: 0345277600
Publication Date: July 1988
Release Date: December 12, 1979
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, PEARL, and SIR ORFEO are masterpieces of a remote and exotic age--the age of chivalry and wizards, knights and holy quests. Yet it is only in the unique artistry and imagination of J.R.R. Tolken that the language, romance, and power of these great stories comes to life for modern readers, in this masterful and compelling new translation.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Tolkien December 7, 2008
Christopher doesn't quite have all that his dad did. But this is still a good read for Tolkien lovers.
 More Tolkien is always better November 25, 2008
This is a nice, reasonably priced version of the old English tale, translated by J.R.R. Tolkien, our favorite writer of hobbits, Dark Lords and perilous jewelry. My Dad was very pleased to receive it as a present, and best of all, I can borrow it from him and read it myself! ;) Love it.
Who cares about Middle English? December 7, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
For anyone who cares about the subject and yet is too lazy to read the original it is always a joy to read Tolkien, a master of English. The story is not fantasy, which many mistakenly look for in Tolkien, but a classic of middle English literature. If you get hooked on this genre there are many other stories, both long and short, available, and the original language is not so different from our own.
 Not Free SF Reader September 3, 2007
0 out of 12 found this review helpful
Slightly more interesting piece of output, due to the theme being the
old Green Knight story. That tale is usually quite entertaining, and is
in this version, as well. The other piece is eminently forgettable,
however. I suppose you would say that it is for Tolkien completists
only.
Enter into late-Medieval Adventure and Piety August 10, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
These three texts from the translating pen of J.R.R. Tolkien coprise an uplifiting trio that give the reader a glimpse of times when literature was aimed at both beauty and the edification of proper values. This is particularly true in the first two texts.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight presents a late Arthurian legend which was penned in a relatively obscure West-Midland dialect of early Middle English. The text, as translated by Tolkien, still maintains the auditory alliteration used to drive the poem itself. This in itself is a blessed treasure to the reader, as it is a rarely used method of poetry. The story is a gem in that it presents a fallible human, Gawain, who strives by the Grace of God to fulfill his oaths made. It is an exposition of piety, casting the Arthurian knight into a wholly Christian light.
Pearl, written in a dialectic style of poetic meter, is a moving poem of grief and understanding in the face of the death of a two-year-old child. The imagery used in it is absolutely breathtaking, drawing heavily on the Apocalypse of John for its material. The discourse is a journey of enlightenment and eventual peace, marked with profound trust in God. I found this poem to be absolutely stunning in itself. Pearl, along with Gawain, exposes the existence of a great deal of Marian piety at the time of the writing. This presents an intriguing scenario which reminds Christians of the ongoing understanding of Mary's role in the Christian faith.
Sir Orfeo, related in many ways to Classical myth, is a much more light-hearted adventure. It is a quick read that presents the reader with the brave quest of King Orfeo for his lost wife,Heurodis. The sybols used are mixed from Classical as well as English/Celtic sources. While the story is not wholly inventive, it is a fun read and has been presented very well by professor Tolkien.
I suggest this set of texts to everybody, for they present the reader with poetry which is not only grounded in romance/adventure but also in morality (particulary I and II) and faith.
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