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tgnewman 's review for:
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo
by J.R.R. Tolkien
General Overview
I stumbled upon this translation by Tolkien by chance, and am glad to have done so. I’ve known of his work as a linguist and a translator, but never read any. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo was different and a challenge, but one I enjoyed.
Style
The style of this book is that of translated Middle English. You’ll have to speak to someone very different to myself to figure if it is a well written style therefore. However, I can say that it feels and reads as I would expect.
This is a good thing in my opinion. The stories have a real mystic gravitas to them because of this. They flow well, and though are simple, that make sense for how they would most commonly been shared, and considering their original, or assumed original age.
Story
Three separate tales of chivalric wonder, this collection covers a tale from the Round Table, a poem of devotion or love, and a truly fairytale like story of a king off to save his queen.
All are pleasant reads, the first taking up most of the novel. It feels historic and elegantly simple, with its tale of a questing knight, whose honour cannot be broken, even in the face of certain death.
From there The Pearl was the hardest one for me. I guess I struggled to get through the symbolism, and clearly need to study the piece more.
Sir Orfeo I found most charming. A magical story of Queen staling fairies and a man who through his wit goes off to save her.
Final Thoughts
Despite my struggles with the Middle English at points, I found this a refreshing read all in all.
I stumbled upon this translation by Tolkien by chance, and am glad to have done so. I’ve known of his work as a linguist and a translator, but never read any. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo was different and a challenge, but one I enjoyed.
Style
The style of this book is that of translated Middle English. You’ll have to speak to someone very different to myself to figure if it is a well written style therefore. However, I can say that it feels and reads as I would expect.
This is a good thing in my opinion. The stories have a real mystic gravitas to them because of this. They flow well, and though are simple, that make sense for how they would most commonly been shared, and considering their original, or assumed original age.
Story
Three separate tales of chivalric wonder, this collection covers a tale from the Round Table, a poem of devotion or love, and a truly fairytale like story of a king off to save his queen.
All are pleasant reads, the first taking up most of the novel. It feels historic and elegantly simple, with its tale of a questing knight, whose honour cannot be broken, even in the face of certain death.
From there The Pearl was the hardest one for me. I guess I struggled to get through the symbolism, and clearly need to study the piece more.
Sir Orfeo I found most charming. A magical story of Queen staling fairies and a man who through his wit goes off to save her.
Final Thoughts
Despite my struggles with the Middle English at points, I found this a refreshing read all in all.