Robin Hood, the medieval outlaw who has been represented as both common criminal and rustic hero, continues to fascinate and beguile the modern mind. In recent years historians and literary critics have begun to study the legend of Robin Hood, taking as their starting point the earliest known ballads from the 14th century and beyond. Thirteen of the surviving ballad texts are reproduced in this volume, with accompanying commentary and an additional selection of related poems and play extracts. Together they illustrate the development of the Robin Hood myth from his medieval portrayal as a common criminal to the romantic idealization of pre-industrial "merry England" in the nostalgia of the 19th century. The revised edition of this selection of tales brings the reader up to date with the lastest research, and contains appendices on ballad titles, place names and proverbs associated with Robin Hood.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Historical Overview of the Legend's Development
31 Mar 2000
By BURTON J NORTHON
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This new paperback edition of the 1976 work has twenty-eight new pages of preface and forward which detail and discuss much of the more recent Robin Hood scholarship by Stephen Knight and others. About two dozen Robin Hood ballads, plays, and poems are viewed from the perspective of two noted English historians. They do an excellent job of bringing a nice group of the early Robin Hood ballad sources to light. In addition, several later poems, a number of plays, and a few other outlaw poems find their way into the book and the discussion. The authors round out their study with four appendices, a bibliography (from 1976), an updated additional bibliography (since 1976), and an index. Overall this a very good place to start researching this celebrated English outlaw. If you get hooked, as I have, there is more than enough information contained here to lead you on as merry a chase of the elusive outlaw as you chose to take.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Robin Hood Through the Ages
12 Mar 2005
By Megan
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This book offers a compilation of historical Robin Hood retellings, but also a comprehensive history of the Robin Hood legend. The introduction provides a thorough description and analysis of the genesis of the Robin Hood mystique, and then in the second and third part of the book each version is individually criticized. Rhymes, songs, prose, and theatrical versions all appear. In the last section, the authors provide a sample of other outlaw poetry, which can be compared to the Robin Hood legends. The authors have also compiles a comprehensive companion to any version of the legend, with maps of places, lists of names, and theories as to the origin of the legend.
This is an interesting and readable book. It strikes a remarkable balance between anthology and read-straight-through history book. It could certainly be read straight through, or in pieces. Even if you're not interested in wading through some of the middle English words, the analysis and introduction is indispensable to anyone interested in the Robin Hood legend, in outlaw mythology, British history, or even the history of the English language.
This is an interesting and readable book. It strikes a remarkable balance between anthology and read-straight-through history book. It could certainly be read straight through, or in pieces. Even if you're not interested in wading through some of the middle English words, the analysis and introduction is indispensable to anyone interested in the Robin Hood legend, in outlaw mythology, British history, or even the history of the English language.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic study of Robin Hood.
9 May 2000
By Allen W. Wright
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Here is a book that's been considered a classic in Robin Hood scholarship for over 30 years -- and deservedly so! It collects several important ballads, plays and poems. And it has a long well-written and very accessible introduction about the legend as a whole. Also, the new preface fills people in on the exciting Robin Hood scholarship of the 1980s and 1990s. Prepare to fall in love with Robin Hood all over again.
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