Description
Book SynopsisRobin Hood is one of the most enduring and well-known figures of English folklore. Yet who was he? In this intriguing book, Lesley Coote re-examines the early tales about Robin in light of the stories, both English and French, that surrounded them - stories with which they shared many elements of form and meaning. In the process, she returns to questions such as `Where did Robin come from?' and `What did these stories mean?' The Robin who reveals himself is as spiritual as he is he is secular and as much an `insider' as he is an outlaw. And in the context of current debates about national identity and Britain's relationship with the wider world, Robin emerges to be as European as he is English - or perhaps, as the author suggests, that is precisely the quality which made him fundamentally English all along.
Trade Review"Coote's scholarly study of the storyworlds of the early Robin Hood tradition broadens our understanding of the interconnectivity of medieval outlaw tales, romance, the fabliau tradition, miracle of the Virgin stories, trickster tales, and pastourelles."--Alexander L. Kaufman, Reed D. Voran Distinguished Professor of Humanities, Ball State University
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Who Was Robin Hood? 1 Robin Hood and the Written Word 2 Robin Hood and the Printed Word 3 Robin Hood and `Maid' Marian 4 Robin Hood and the Virgin Mary 5 Robin Hood and Romance Narratives 6 Robin Hood and Other Tricksters 7 Robin Hood and the Comic Tale 8 Robin Hood and the Medieval `Past' Appendix: The Texts in Modern English Translation References Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index
