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Rating: 
Summary: Best modern translation
Review: This book contains a reprint of Borroff's now standard translation, in addition to translations of two other middle English poems from the Gawain ms. Borroff has not only rendered Gawain into very readable modern English, but has also retained the alliterative lines of the original. Aside from the merits of this edition as a translation, Sir Gawain is one of the finest poems written in the English language. There are several sharp departures from typical romances of this type, and in Gawain's test we are made to see the contradictory nature of the courtly ideal. Amazing in style, it is both a clever critique of chivalric values and an entertaining adventure.
Due to the difficulty of the remote dialect of the original, this lively and witty romance is difficult to read in middle English, even for those who have studied Chaucer. It is, however, not impossible. For those who are interested in the poem, I would recommend reading it in translation, then trying the Anderson-Cawley (Everyman) edition, which normalizes the runic letters preserved in the Tolkien-Gordon-Davis (Oxford UP) scholarly edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent translation
Review: This is a great translation of one of the finest poems ever written in the English (well, middle English) language. The poem, in its original form, is very difficult to read, and Borroff's translation makes it not only easy but also very enjoyable to read.This poem originally was very alliterative, and Borroff has preserved much of that. Sir Gawain is one of the greatest of the Arthurian legends, and this translation preserves much of the poems integrity. This is definitely a must have for any student of early English poetry or Arthurian legend. The other works, Pearl and Patience, are believed to share the same author as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These, too, are excellent poems. This would be a great addition to any collection.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent translation
Review: This is a great translation of one of the finest poems ever written in the English (well, middle English) language. The poem, in its original form, is very difficult to read, and Borroff's translation makes it not only easy but also very enjoyable to read. This poem originally was very alliterative, and Borroff has preserved much of that. Sir Gawain is one of the greatest of the Arthurian legends, and this translation preserves much of the poems integrity. This is definitely a must have for any student of early English poetry or Arthurian legend. The other works, Pearl and Patience, are believed to share the same author as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These, too, are excellent poems. This would be a great addition to any collection.
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