Author: Ano Sensei
Format: Video
Genre: Alliterative poetry, Medieval romance
Structure: Alliterative verse, Bob and wheel
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight: Does *anyone* know what it means? Intro & analysis by Ano Sensei
This video introduces the poem — its manuscript history, the debates over dialect and authorship, its remarkable structure (including the famous "bob and wheel") — and explores why, after 600 years, it continues to puzzle and captivate readers.
The Gawain poet also wrote Pearl and two other shorter works. If you read nothing else from medieval literature, these are the ones to read — in the original Middle English if possible, with a translation to hand.
0:00 Introduction
0:20 Basic background information
0:42 The manuscript
0:56 Dating the manuscript
1:13 The dialect and region
1:47 The author vs. the scribe
2:18 A reading of the opening lines
3:33 A reading in modern English
4:30 The schwa
5:04 Uncertainties about the text
5:18 The meaning of the text
5:39 The deeper meaning
6:32 The literal meaning
7:00 "bobbaunce"
7:21 The Green Knight's head
8:14 Poetic techniques and structure
8:41 Conclusion
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9 Comments
0:00 Introduction
0:20 Basic background information
0:42 The manuscript
0:56 Dating the manuscript
1:13 The dialect and region
1:47 The author vs. the scribe
2:18 A reading of the opening lines
3:33 A reading in modern English
4:30 The schwa
5:04 Uncertainties about the text
5:18 The meaning of the text
5:39 The deeper meaning
6:32 The literal meaning
7:00 “bobbaunce”
7:21 The Green Knight’s head
8:14 Poetic techniques and structure
8:41 Conclusion
Your video is delightful! I love Sir Gawain and work hard to catch whatever nuances I can. Thank you!
Many thanks for the feedback!
Oh! I see you have joined as a channel member. Thank you for that too! Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or there’s a video you’d particularly like me to make. No guarantees, but I’ll do what I can!
Hi! As a channel member, you may be interested in a new project I am developing. It’s a poetry discussion forum – with a difference! It’s still at the testing stage, and I’m inviting a few people to put it through its paces before I go into full production.
The main link I’d appreciate some follow-up on is this: https://mgj.5d9.myftpupload.com/forums/topic/shelley-and-heavy-metal/ All and any reactions are most welcome at this stage!
You’ll need to create a login, and you are, of course, welcome to comment on either of the other forums (self-intro, or a thread on a poem of your choice: https://mgj.5d9.myftpupload.com/poetry-forums/).
I’d be grateful if you could let me know if you have problems logging in or accessing other parts of the site. I need to get everything ironed out before moving this from a staging site to full production mode!
Just giving you thumbs-up in case; no worries if you’re busy or anything. Oh, and I’m working on a video on Chaucer’s ironies that I’ll be uploading on YouTube over the next few days.
Thanks for reading!
Great video, insightful and concise. Thank you!
You’re welcome. Thank you for the feedback!
i’m glad this was recommended to me. great video thankyou!
I’m glad you found it and enjoyed it. Please check out my other stuff – and tell all your friends! 🤓