Robin Hood is one of the most enduring and well-known figures of English folklore. Yet who was he really? In this intriguing book, Lesley Coote reexamines the early tales about Robin in light of the stories, both English and French, that have grown up around 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 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 Coote suggests, that is precisely the quality which made him fundamentally English all along.
Author(s): Lesley Coote
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 320
City: London
Cover
Title Page
Imprint Page
Contents
Introduction: Who Was Robin Hood?
1: Robin Hood and the Written Word
2: Robin Hood and the Printed Word
3: Robin Hood and ‘Maid’ Marion
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
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
