Definitely she has to read the Mabinogion. I know there's one translation that's recommended as the best, but I forget which. Help?
I wouldn't say that there's a "best" translation -- the various editions all have their strengths and weaknesses (not least in that the include different subsets of material). The Jones & Jones translation (which shows up in many different editions) follows the original Medieval Welsh language the most closely in word-choice and syntax. This makes it excellent if you want to get a feel for the shape of the language but some people complain that it ends up sounding awkward and stilted. The Jeffrey Gantz translation (Penguin editions) is less literal and flows a bit more smoothly as English, but isn't necessarily outstanding on its own as great prose. The Patrick K. Ford translation is nicely idiomatic and easy to read, and is less dated than the Gantz one. (His edition also includes several items not found in any of the other commonly available editions, e.g., the story of Taliessin.) The Lady Charlotte Guest translation has historic significance for having been the first widely published English edition of the material, but the material has been heavily bowdlerized (which, considering the amount of sex that's present in the stories, has significant effects on the content). There are a few other early editions of historic significance, but since they aren't ones you're going to be running across in the bookstore, I'll skip them.
My personal preference is for the Jones & Jones translation, but you have to keep in mind that I'm heavily language-oriented, and when I'm reading an English edition, I'm usually using it as a bit of a lazy crib for the original Medieval Welsh. After that, I'd have to promote Patrick Ford, partly just cause he's a cool guy.
It's also worth noting that if you ever intend to read any of the fantasy novelizations that lean heavily on the Mabinogi, it may be best to read them first so that the novels aren't spoilt by being constantly aware of where they've messed with the original material. (This is particularly the case for Lloyd Alexander's work -- he wasn't intending to do a reworking of the Mabinogi, but he's borrowed heavily for characters and then twisted them into something entirely different. It's less of a problem for Evangeline Walton's series, since she stuck fairly closely to the original characters and plots, but I still think I'd have had a harder time enjoying her work if I'd read it after getting into the originals.)
Of course, to properly appreciate the Mabinogi, one should read it in the original ....
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Date: 2006-03-03 08:35 pm (UTC)I wouldn't say that there's a "best" translation -- the various editions all have their strengths and weaknesses (not least in that the include different subsets of material). The Jones & Jones translation (which shows up in many different editions) follows the original Medieval Welsh language the most closely in word-choice and syntax. This makes it excellent if you want to get a feel for the shape of the language but some people complain that it ends up sounding awkward and stilted. The Jeffrey Gantz translation (Penguin editions) is less literal and flows a bit more smoothly as English, but isn't necessarily outstanding on its own as great prose. The Patrick K. Ford translation is nicely idiomatic and easy to read, and is less dated than the Gantz one. (His edition also includes several items not found in any of the other commonly available editions, e.g., the story of Taliessin.) The Lady Charlotte Guest translation has historic significance for having been the first widely published English edition of the material, but the material has been heavily bowdlerized (which, considering the amount of sex that's present in the stories, has significant effects on the content). There are a few other early editions of historic significance, but since they aren't ones you're going to be running across in the bookstore, I'll skip them.
My personal preference is for the Jones & Jones translation, but you have to keep in mind that I'm heavily language-oriented, and when I'm reading an English edition, I'm usually using it as a bit of a lazy crib for the original Medieval Welsh. After that, I'd have to promote Patrick Ford, partly just cause he's a cool guy.
It's also worth noting that if you ever intend to read any of the fantasy novelizations that lean heavily on the Mabinogi, it may be best to read them first so that the novels aren't spoilt by being constantly aware of where they've messed with the original material. (This is particularly the case for Lloyd Alexander's work -- he wasn't intending to do a reworking of the Mabinogi, but he's borrowed heavily for characters and then twisted them into something entirely different. It's less of a problem for Evangeline Walton's series, since she stuck fairly closely to the original characters and plots, but I still think I'd have had a harder time enjoying her work if I'd read it after getting into the originals.)
Of course, to properly appreciate the Mabinogi, one should read it in the original ....