Rating: 
Summary: Great for first-time readers or scholars
Review: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, with its translation by Keith Harrison (Oxford University Press 1998), is an enjoyable, as well as intellectually stimulating, book. A substantial amount of additional material is included in the book, including a wonderful introduction and explanatory notes. The poem is translated in verse, maintaining the story's oral history, and seems to preserve the original style that would have been common in the late 14th century when the poem was written. It is apparent in Helen Cooper's introduction that Harrison strove for accuracy in the story in addition to the careful manipulation of alliteration, rhythm, and bob-and-wheel styles of the original text. The introduction was extremely helpful in its explanation of terms, making the text more accessible to readers without extensive knowledge of medieval literature. It also discusses the anonymity of the poem's author and describes both the time period of the poem's setting in Arthurian times and the time in which the poem was written, including the influence of French romances.
The plot is captivating and either provides a twist ending for the first-time reader or the detection of foreshadowing for someone familiar with the poem's ending. The only slightly unsatisfactory part of the text lies in Gawain's excessive condemnation of himself at the end, leaving the reader questioning why he was so hard on himself while his peers commended his actions.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book for any reader
Review: This book is probably one of the best out there to dive into the world or Arthurian Romances. Harrison's translation is easy to understand, and provides helpful endnotes for much of the historical context. The plot is exciting, and the story progresses smoothly. Although the introduction by Helen Cooper is very informative about the author and subject of the novel, it also provides interpretations of the story itself. I would recommend that those who are unfamiliar with the story to take Cooper's advice and not read it, for it will give away much of the plot, which is rather intricate.
The novel starts out in King Arthur's court, around Christmas time. An unusual visitor arrives, in the form of a giant knight, who as the title implies, is green. He makes a challenge that is met by Sir Gawain, the king's nephew. After a short display, he finds out that he will ultimately have to confront the knight a year later to receive his deathblow. Thus, the story begins, as Gawain sets out on his voyage, to not only find the Green Knight, but also the hero in himself.
Although not too long, the text is very rich. It is full of subliminal messages, which create plots of their own. However, it can still be enjoyed even when taken literally, thanks to the clear writing of Harrison, and to the imagination of the original author.
At less than ten dollars, the book is an excellent value. Although a casual reader would get enjoyment from one reading, further readings would almost certainly bring out new themes and revelations to those more familiar with Arthurian romances, making this a must for any Arthurian enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for any reader
Review: This book is probably one of the best out there to dive into the world or Arthurian Romances. Harrison's translation is easy to understand, and provides helpful endnotes for much of the historical context. The plot is exciting, and the story progresses smoothly. Although the introduction by Helen Cooper is very informative about the author and subject of the novel, it also provides interpretations of the story itself. I would recommend that those who are unfamiliar with the story to take Cooper's advice and not read it, for it will give away much of the plot, which is rather intricate.
The novel starts out in King Arthur's court, around Christmas time. An unusual visitor arrives, in the form of a giant knight, who as the title implies, is green. He makes a challenge that is met by Sir Gawain, the king's nephew. After a short display, he finds out that he will ultimately have to confront the knight a year later to receive his deathblow. Thus, the story begins, as Gawain sets out on his voyage, to not only find the Green Knight, but also the hero in himself.
Although not too long, the text is very rich. It is full of subliminal messages, which create plots of their own. However, it can still be enjoyed even when taken literally, thanks to the clear writing of Harrison, and to the imagination of the original author.
At less than ten dollars, the book is an excellent value. Although a casual reader would get enjoyment from one reading, further readings would almost certainly bring out new themes and revelations to those more familiar with Arthurian romances, making this a must for any Arthurian enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: A great medieval romance
Review: This version of "Sir Gawain" must be one of the best around. Keith Harrison translates into modern English a fascinating poem of challenge, witchcraft, temptation, and courage, composed in a mix of alliterative-epic verse with the "bob-and-wheel" that closes each stanza. The introduction explains all these terms, plus others, in case the reader is not familiarized with them. The translator has kept the rhythmic cadence of the bob and wheel, while the alliterative part is correspondingly "epic," dealing with the serious subject at hand. The explanatory notes are helpful, although here, as in the entire Oxford Classics Collection, numbered footnotes would have been better than the not-numbered endnotes we get.The story of "Sir Gawain" lends itself to several interpretations, since under the apparently simple surface of a challenge to King Arthur's Court and the ensuing adventure of Gawain, there are other plots, different points of view, and a very modern juxtaposition of perspectives that other poems, such as "Havelock" or Marie de France's "Lais" simply do not have. A mysterious Green Knight challenges King Arthur's Knights to a bizarre contest. Gawain answers, and from then on nothing is what appears to be: a decapitated man will live to restore his head to his body, Gawain will go looking for the Green Knight's abode and find a castle where the owner will offer a little challenge of his own, while the owner's wife does her best to seduce Gawain. The descriptions of the hunts are vivid and violent. The descriptions of the bedroom scenes between Gawain and the lady of the house are playful but menacing at the same time. Almost everything is explained when Gawain realizes that he is not such a perfect model of Knighthood as he thought, and when both he and the reader can see that the true contest has taken place far from battle axes, hunts, and bloody hounds killing their prey. What does not get an explanation, though, is Gawain's extreme condemnation of himself while he absolutely ignores the witchcraft used to trick him, his host's false pretenses, the lady's hypocrisy, and the good ol' joke they have played at his expense. "Sir Gawain" could have used a different ending, and not Gawain eternally sad because he finds out that he is human after all, but what we get here is very good. This English medieval romance delivers quite a lot. Read it and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Achievement Of Lyrical Verse
Review: Within this Arthurian Romance poem, the author serves to illustrate the trials and tribulations of Sir Gawain in a compelling achievement of lyrical verse. The translation by Keith Harrison contains a well written introduction with extremely informative background on both Arthurian romances in general, and also specifically focused on an analysis of Sir Gawain. Harrison restores the author's original achievement through preserving much of the structure and mood, keeping the plot unscathed, as originally intended by working closely with the original text to revitalize the Old English by granting it current nuances while remaining removed from the rather blunt phraseology of today and maintaining the opulent nature of the original text. The author writes to the audiences expectations, preconceiving the notion that Arthurian romantic heroes intrigue with violence, chivalry, and conflict, and he works within that to produce a piece that upholds those expectations while, at the same time, humanizing Sir Gawain. As intended by the author, the translator clearly invokes the audiences' sympathy by allowing them to share the same emotions of fear and hesitation as Sir Gawain, thereby involving them more as a spectator amongst the action of the piece. Therefore, this piece offers a very effective description of a more humanized romantic hero than is often related within Old English Arthurian romances. At $8.95, it is well worth its cost if you are indeed interested in Arthurian literature and lore, and seeking a short, enthralling poem about the plight of one man seeking heroism.
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