Customer Reviews
Bad Decision - By: O. WOODWARD, 11 Jun 2007 
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, & he reads nicely, but he can't pronounce R sounds. In an alliterative poem this is unfortunate,in my opinion.
Faithful Translations - By: Pamela A Drouin, 23 Nov 2004 
I must clarify that "A Reader" is incorrectin stating that King Orfeo's daughter is kidnapped, rather it was his wife. "Sir Orfeo" is based on the classical myth of Orpheus & Euridice, where the characters are renamed by the anonymous poet as Orfeo & 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 & sophisticated poem, difficult to pin downin a single interpretation. "Sir Gawain & 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 sayin my copy of the book which MS it is based on).
Quite academic but still great! - By: , 04 Aug 2001 I thought that these were children's stories, but they are actually some middle english poems, translated into modern English. Sir Gawain & the Green Knight is a tale of one of King Arthur's knight, Sir Gawain. One night a green knight comesin & 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 & 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 herin Paradise, & 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 & Eurydice. This book is quite heavy, but if you want a bit of a challenge & also an interesting read, I would recommend this book.
