num_pages: 94
description: Composed during the fourteenth century in the English Midlands, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight describes the events that follow when a mysterious green-coloured knight rides into King Arthur's Camelot in deep mid-winter. The mighty knight presents a challenge to the court: he will allow himself to be struck by one blow, on the condition that he will be allowed to return the strike on the following New Year's Eve. Sir Gawain takes up the challenge, decapitating the stranger - only to see the Green Knight seize up his own severed head and ride away, leaving Gawain to seek him out and honour their pact. Blending Celtic myth and Christian faith, Gawain is among the greatest Middle English poems: a tale of magic, chivalry and seduction.Bernard O'Donoghue's elegant, lyrical verse translation skilfully conveys the force and imagery of the original, while his introduction considers the work's influences. This edition also includes a note on the translation and an extract from the original Middle English text.
language: English
title: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
titlecomplete: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
characters: The Green Knight, Sir Gawain, Morgan le Fay, Sir Bertilak de Haute Desert, King Arthur
genres: Literature, Arthurian, Classics, School, Mythology, Medieval, Fiction, Poetry, Read For School, Fantasy
ratings_count: 67708
places: Camelot
awards: awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Harold Morton Landon Translation Award
publisher: Penguin Classics