Product Description

A collection of three medieval English poems, translated by Tolkien for the modern-day reader and containing romance, tragedy, love, sex and honour. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Pearl are two poems by an unknown author written in about 1400. Sir Gawain is a romance, a fairy-tale for adults, full of life and colour; but it is also much more than this, being at the same time a powerful moral tale which examines religious and social values. Pearl is apparently an elegy on the death of a child, a poem pervaded with a sense of great personal loss: but, like Gawain it is also a sophisticated and moving debate on much less tangible matters. Sir Orfeo is a slighter romance, belonging to an earlier and different tradition. It was a special favourite of Tolkien's. The three translations represent the complete rhyme and alliterative schemes of the originals.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #359685 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-17
• Released on: 2007-01-01
• Formats: Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 4
• Binding: Audio CD

Review
'The introduction to Gawain is a little masterpiece.' Times Higher Educational Supplement 'This magnificent Arthurian tale of love, sex, honour, social tact, personal integrity and folk-magic is one of the greatest and most approachable narrative poems in the language. Tolkien's version makes it come triumphantly alive, a moving and consoling elegy.' Birmingham Post

From the Back Cover
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About the Author
J.R.R.Tolkien (1892-1973) was a distinguished academic, though he is best known for writing The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, plus other stories and essays. His books have been translated into over 30 languages and have sold many millions of copies worldwide.

Customer Reviews

Quite academic but still great!
I thought that these were children's stories, but they are actually some middle english poems, translated into modern English. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a tale of one of King Arthur's knight, Sir Gawain. One night a green knight comes in and offers a challenge - he challenges someone to cut off his head, providing that he does the same to them. Gawain beheads him, but he picks up his head and walks away! Now Gawain must redeem his pledge. Pearl is a poem written by a grieving father. He falls asleep at the spot where his daughter died. He sees her in Paradise, and talks with her. Unlike Sir Gawain, it is a rhyming poem. Sir Orfeo is about King Orfeo whose daughter has been kidnapped by elves. It is based on the Greek Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. This book is quite heavy, but if you want a bit of a challenge and also an interesting read, I would recommend this book.

Faithful Translations
I must clarify that "A Reader" is incorrect in stating that King Orfeo's daughter is kidnapped, rather it was his wife. "Sir Orfeo" is based on the classical myth of Orpheus and Euridice, where the characters are renamed by the anonymous poet as Orfeo and Heurodis. This Breton Lay has a decidedly happier ending than the classic version. This lay is heavily Christianized, but the Celtic elements also present render it a complex and sophisticated poem, difficult to pin down in a single interpretation. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" is perhaps the best Middle English work, but "Sir Orfeo" is a close second. I am pleased with Tolkein's translation, which is faithful to the Auchinleck Manuscript (as far as I can tell, it doesn't say in my copy of the book which MS it is based on).

Bad Decision
Why did they choose Terry Jones to read this audiobook? Shouldn't they have asked themselves who actually has the most suitable voice? Jones's voice is okay, and he reads nicely, but he can't pronounce R sounds. In an alliterative poem this is unfortunate, in my opinion.