Sir Gawain And The Green Knight - Brian Stone

Sir Gawain And The Green Knight is the masterpiece of medieval alliterative poetry. The unknown 14th century author [a contemporary of Chaucer] has imbued his work with the heroic atmosphere of a sage, with the spirit of French romance, and with a Christian consciousness. It is a poem in which the virtues of a knight, Sir Gawain, triumphant in almost insuperable ordeals, are celebrated to the glory of the House Of King Arthur. The impact made on the reader is both magical and human, full of drama and descriptive beauty. A New Year’s feast at King Arthur’s court is interrupted by the appearance of a gigantic Green Knight, resplendent on horseback. He challenges any one of Arthur’s men to behead him, provided that if he survives, he can return the blow a year later. Sir Gawain accepts the challenge and decapitates the knight – but the mysterious warrior cheats death and vanishes, bearing his head with him. The following winter Gawain sets out to find the Knight in the wild Northern lands