Does anyone else find the works of the Gawain/Pearl poet to be deeply moving? I'm not a Christian but his characters feel very realistic and heartfelt.
I've read Tolkien's translations of those poems plus Sir Orfeo. Pearl is a legitimately beautiful poem, especially once you think about its conceit: a daughter who died as an infant returning to comfort her father by showing him a vision of Heaven, where she is.Not to mention the poetic description of the heavenly Jerusalem is incredible.
>>24714975>>24714998I personally found the prose to be excessive for my taste. I also think I read the Tolkien translation.IMO I much prefer the older french romances of the likes if Chretian de Troyes from the 1100's. Stuff like Yvain and Lancelot. They are more terse but still lively, it struck a more enjoyable balance between plain speak and high words i believe. But to be fair they are not directly comparable, Gawain is much more of a poem while Chretien's work is more of a narrative.
