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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Probably still the best modern translation of the Mabinogi, 2 Mar 2004
"The Mabinogion" remain the greatest, the grandest and the most moving of all Medieval Welsh fabular prose, and Jones and Jones' English translation, even though it is over half a century old now, has yet to be rivalled. Taking admittedly difficult and often corrupted manuscript text, they have succeeded in making a comprehensive and vibrant edition of all eleven tales, with copious notes which range to satisfy not only the scholar but the casual reader. A map and pronunciation guide complete the mix. From the "Four Branches", those stories of gods and would-be-gods in the mists of the past, wooing and slaying, deceiving and conquering, are brilliantly and stirringly represented by the translators, and the full tragedy of Branwen's fate, or of Rhiannon's penance, the wretched savagery of Efnissien, the boldness of Bran and the guile of Gwydion are here given as much loftiness and power as in the original Welsh. The four "native" tales, which feature Arthur to varying degrees of prominence, are dwarfed by the beast within their number, "Culhwch and Olwen", a rollicking sprawl of a broad comedy (with its moments of pathos), which is admirably executed by Jones and Jones, evenm if they occasionally lose sense of the author's dry humour. The "Three Romances" are tales of derring-do by the warriors of Arthur's retinue, where jousting, magic and fair damsels are the aim of the day. Strikingly different to the "Four Branches", these tales are more patently 'medieval', and will appeal greatly to the admirers of Malory or Chretien, and of the Arthur stories which have inspired many a Round Table spinoff. Forget the imitators. These are the originals. The translators' usage of the familiar sexond person pronoun "thee" and "thou", whilst meant to represent the equivalent in the Welsh, can become rather obstrusive: they are fine and elegant in the more dramatic passages, but get in the way in what should be the snappy, light-hearted dialogue. Also, whilst there is care taken at times to insert speakers' names when it is unclear, this is inconsistent, and the Welsh author's characteristic use of 'said he' rather than 'said X' should have been amended for ease of reading; more eye-friendly paragraphing would also not have gone amiss. But these are minor quibbles in what is still the most attractive and powerful English translation of the Mabinogion. "He that leads shall be a bridge," spoke Bran the Blessed, and this edition is the modern reader's bridge to an under-read Medieval classic. Do read it.
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by Chretien Troyes
by Geoffrey of Monmouth
by Thomas Love Peacock
by Rachel Bromwich
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