“Translating Troubles: Alliterative Verse in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was my first paper for my WR 150 seminar, “The Matter of King Arthur.” This paper examines the priorities of translation. It particularly grapples with whether a translator should prioritize meaning over style when translating poetry. This paper gave me a lot of trouble at first. To make my argument for style over meaning, I needed to examine differences between three translations of Sir Gawain. The thought of uncovering those differences made me feel uneasy, since I had not attempted to analyze translations before. However, after much re-reading and highlighting, I developed an understanding of the three translations and how they differ from the untranslated poem. This paper is the result of that understanding.
ALICIA ESPINOSA is a rising sophomore in Boston University’s College of Arts and Sciences, studying history. She was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She has always possessed an interest in medieval history and literature but gained an even deeper appreciation for them from this seminar. Alicia can not thank Dr. Sarah Campbell enough for her support and guidance throughout the course.