Marie Borroff (1923–2019)
Author of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (A New Verse Translation)
About the Author
Marie Borroff is Sterling Professor of English, Emeritus, at Yale University.
Image credit: Yale
Works by Marie Borroff
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Patience; and Pearl: Verse Translations (1967) — Translator — 380 copies, 1 review
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Borroff, Marie Edith
- Birthdate
- 1923-09-10
- Date of death
- 2019-07-05
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Chicago (MA)
Yale University (PhD|English literature and philology) - Occupations
- poet
translator
university professor - Organizations
- Yale University
Smith College - Awards and honors
- Sterling Professor (Yale University) (first women honored)
- Relationships
- Borroff, Edith (sister)
- Short biography
- Marie Borroff became the first woman to teach in the English Department at Yale, and in 1965 was the first woman appointed to be a professor of English.
She was one of the first two women to be granted tenure in any department in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and in 1991 she became the first woman on the faculty ever to be named a Sterling Professor, the highest honor bestowed on Yale faculty. Her verse translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was first published in 1967; it appeared together with her translations of Patience and Pearl in 2001. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- New York, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Connecticut, USA
Boothbay Harbor, Maine, USA - Place of death
- Branford, Connecticut, USA
- Burial location
- Boothbay Harbor, Maine, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
Shame be to the man who has evil in his mind
Written c. 1375, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an Arthurian quest fantasy. It has all the elements that make such a fantasy work, the brave and redoubted knight, the alluring lady, the magical and mysterious stranger (after all, the Green Knight is able to have his head removed and then hold it in his hand while it talks to you), the ranging quest and the moment of truth.
The poetry is so beautifully written; it sings. I do not know, but I show more imagine, this poem being recited to a gathering, perhaps at court, much as Homer sang his poems to the Greeks. To the possible chagrin of my husband, I read this aloud to myself. It seemed to demand it. show less
Written c. 1375, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an Arthurian quest fantasy. It has all the elements that make such a fantasy work, the brave and redoubted knight, the alluring lady, the magical and mysterious stranger (after all, the Green Knight is able to have his head removed and then hold it in his hand while it talks to you), the ranging quest and the moment of truth.
The poetry is so beautifully written; it sings. I do not know, but I show more imagine, this poem being recited to a gathering, perhaps at court, much as Homer sang his poems to the Greeks. To the possible chagrin of my husband, I read this aloud to myself. It seemed to demand it. show less
Though partner and I just named our business after one of the titular characters of this poem, I hadn't read it since high school. Time for a reread!
What I encountered was an entirely new poem, in part thanks to Marie Boroff's careful and lyrical translation and excellent introduction. The story and language were a lot more engaging than I remembered, and there were endless subtleties that I (and my teacher) missed the first time round.
When classical and medieval works are taught in high show more school, I think the sophistication of the authors ends up being overlooked—especially when it comes to a work like Gawain, whose author is working in a centuries-old tradition of medieval romance and writing for a very genre-savvy audience.
So while Gawain is at its heart an entertaining yarn about chivalry and magic, it uses the quest narrative to do a lot more. Embedded in Gawain's story is a deep contemplation of mortality and morality, with the potent figure of the Green Knight at its heart. Both tempter and confessor, he's as knotty and polysemous as the five-point star on Sir Gawain's shield, and even by the end Gawain isn't sure what to make of him—he's both blessing him and politely refusing a dinner invitation. Gawain, too, is more complex than I remembered, with a lot of subtle characterization on the page—especially in the chamber scenes, which were somehow a lot funnier than they were in tenth grade.
So, both a masterpiece and a really fun romp through a medieval fantasy landscape. A quick read for anyone interested what popular literature was like before the invention of the novel. show less
What I encountered was an entirely new poem, in part thanks to Marie Boroff's careful and lyrical translation and excellent introduction. The story and language were a lot more engaging than I remembered, and there were endless subtleties that I (and my teacher) missed the first time round.
When classical and medieval works are taught in high show more school, I think the sophistication of the authors ends up being overlooked—especially when it comes to a work like Gawain, whose author is working in a centuries-old tradition of medieval romance and writing for a very genre-savvy audience.
So while Gawain is at its heart an entertaining yarn about chivalry and magic, it uses the quest narrative to do a lot more. Embedded in Gawain's story is a deep contemplation of mortality and morality, with the potent figure of the Green Knight at its heart. Both tempter and confessor, he's as knotty and polysemous as the five-point star on Sir Gawain's shield, and even by the end Gawain isn't sure what to make of him—he's both blessing him and politely refusing a dinner invitation. Gawain, too, is more complex than I remembered, with a lot of subtle characterization on the page—especially in the chamber scenes, which were somehow a lot funnier than they were in tenth grade.
So, both a masterpiece and a really fun romp through a medieval fantasy landscape. A quick read for anyone interested what popular literature was like before the invention of the novel. show less
I love Sir Gawain and The Green Knight; it is interesting not only because of its expansive picture of what chivalry is (and what people pretend it is), but also for the fact that it can be read from many perspectives (try giving it a feminist reading, for instance, and see what you come up with!). I want to commend Borroff's translation in particular; she reproduces the alliterative meter and verse structure superbly, adding much to the reading. This work is captivating and entrancing; I show more highly recommend it. show less
Nearly done teaching it. Borroff's translation is, I guess, tied for the best available, but--and I hate to be a snob about it--there's really no substitute for the original. I doubt Borroff would disagree with me.
which isn't to say that the translation can't be improved* in places: for example, a nice short piece by R. J. Dingley in Explicator some years back suggested that the "gyn" of Patience 146 ("Hit wat3 a ioyles gyn þat Jonas wat3 inne") be glossed as "craft," while Borroff does it show more as...well, my Borroff's in my office. But trust me. If you're writing a paper on this, please look to the original and don't be afraid of the Middle English dictionary.
* Of course depending on what counts as an improvement: is the translator trying to capture the 'feel' of the original or the sense? Borroff's translation tends to go for the feel and is quite good at that particular task. show less
which isn't to say that the translation can't be improved* in places: for example, a nice short piece by R. J. Dingley in Explicator some years back suggested that the "gyn" of Patience 146 ("Hit wat3 a ioyles gyn þat Jonas wat3 inne") be glossed as "craft," while Borroff does it show more as...well, my Borroff's in my office. But trust me. If you're writing a paper on this, please look to the original and don't be afraid of the Middle English dictionary.
* Of course depending on what counts as an improvement: is the translator trying to capture the 'feel' of the original or the sense? Borroff's translation tends to go for the feel and is quite good at that particular task. show less
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