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danieleales 's review for:
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
by Gawain Poet
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
That lord was well aware
of how to host a game
An extremely vivid story. The descriptions of the Green Knight, of landscapes, of the aftermath of a hunt, are extremely evocative. It really pulls you into the tale that the poem is telling, and I think Armitage's translation really captures that.
The meaning of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is somewhat difficult to pin down, I think. At times, it reads like a story about human fallibility - how the Ideal Knight, as Gawain is famed to be, is not real. It is an impossible criterion to reach. At other points, it reads like a puritan tale about the risk of temptresses (especially at the end). Overall, I think the story is best approached as being about failure - of wanting to succeed, but being held back by doubt, and, importantly, fear of death and legacy.
Ultimately, it is a quick read, and worth it.