The Gawain Green Game

We're reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (translated by J.R.R. Tolkien) for our teen literature discussion this week. Like Chesterton's Ballad of the White Horse, it's a story/poem that begs to be read aloud and so I've been doing just that.

According to our T.C. lecture on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, it's written in "alliterative verse". Put more simply, we've been delighting in the fun alliteration (repeating of the same first letter in numerous words) and the kids have made a game of me asking them randomly what letter showed up in the previous line. Bernie (almost 8 years old) has taken a particular delight in this and it's rather funny how it's kept everyone interested in the read-aloud. (Even Kate is attempting to get in on the act and has made some actually progress in figuring out what sound comes first in a word).

And now the storyline has gotten just a little more complex. I think I'll take a peek before I share it with all of them. :)