Everybody has heard of Robin Hood, but very few know about the wealth of materials which record and develop the tradition that sustains the myth. In this book Stephen Knight details and analyses the entire phenomenon of the outlaw, his resistance to authority, and how successive ages have interpreted him. Most accounts of Robin Hood merely retell stories or speculate upon the original original bandit's identity. But Knight's new study, based on wide research and sophisticated literary and sociocultural research, is the first complete analytic account of this major mythic figure, the English outlaw hero who has symbolised many forms of resistance to authority around the world for over five hundred years.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Unlike Ulysses or King Arthur, Robin Hood never became an epic hero but, according to Knight, he is the only mythic character who remains truly alive in the popular imagination. The outlaw myth abides even though its significance shifts dramatically with changes in time and place. Knight argues convincingly that the search for a historical Robin Hood is a "delusory quest" and focuses instead on the sociocultural permutations of the character. Common to all Robin Hood tales is rebellion against an authority perceived as improper, but depending on context, the version may pit gallant Saxon against tyrannical Norman, dispossessed nobleman against cruel usurper, religious reformer against corrupt cleric, neo-pastoral swain against urban capitalist, or even American democrat against Old World aristocrat. Knight's survey of the Robin Hood tradition (from brief 13th-century allusions to recent films featuring Kevin Costner and Mel Brooks) is meticulously thorough, and his attention to secondary sources is judicious. Knight intends his impressive scholarship to be accessible to nonacademic readers, but his usage ("agon," "demotic") may be daunting for some and strained conceits ("Robin Hood proved a rough diamond among the novelistic jewellers") may also diminish the book's appeal. Illustrated.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"By no means indifferent to the romantic lure of the myth of the outlaw, Stephen Knight here provides an analysis of Robin Hood that is at once sympathetic and critical, warmly humane and politically astute - and remarkably thorough. This excellent book will fascinate and instruct all who have responded to the enduring fantasy of noble lawlessness." Professor Douglas Gray, University of Oxford .
"What emerges very clearly is the extraordinary power and diversity of the material. Again and again the reader is encouraged to look at well-known works in a fresh and invigorating way or to explore unknown but fascinating areas. Knight is open-minded and generous. I find it all very persuasive." Professor Lee Patterson, Yale University. "Knight,s survey of the Robin Hood tradition (from brief 13th-century allusions to recent films featuring Kevin Costner and Mel Brooks) is meticulously thorough, and his attention to secondary sources is judicious." Publishers Weekly .
"Professor Knight's generous-spirited and stimulating book deserves to reach an audience well beyond the universities." Times Literary Supplement.
"Knight's study, which is supported by a useful time line, an extensive bibliography, and a thorough index, makes it a valuable addition to both graduate and undergraduate libraries."Choice.
"Professor Knight's generous spirited and stimulating book deserves to reach an audience well beyond the universities... At the same time, it leaves scholars with much to reflect on."Andrew Wawn, TLS "A superb work on the subject... Stephen Knight's Robin Hodd is truly `complete' and must be the last word on a folk hero who represents even today, our very best qualities - love and honour and fairness.". Harry Sayen, The Times.
"What emerges very clearly is the extraordinary power and diversity of the material. Again and again the reader is encouraged to look at well-known works in a fresh and invigorating way or to explore unknown but fascinating areas. Knight is open-minded and generous. I find it all very persuasive." Professor Lee Patterson, Yale University.
"Professor Knight's generous-spirited and stimulating book deserves to reach an audience well beyond the universities." Times Literary Supplement
"Knight's study, which is supported by a useful time line, an extensive bibliography, and a thorough index, makes it a valuable addition to both graduate and undergraduate libraries."Choice
"Professor Knight's generous spirited and stimulating book deserves to reach an audience well beyond the universities... At the same time, it leaves scholars with much to reflect on."Andrew Wawn, TLS
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent overview...,
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This review is from: Robin Hood (Paperback)
This text is foundational to the study of Robin Hood. An overview and analysis of the most important, and sometimes obscure, texts in the tradition, it moves from ballad to play to broadside to musical to novel to film with practiced ease. Professor Knight's comments are insightful and solidly backed. Not a dry book, it is full of energy for the subject and a wry wit. Want to know about Robin Hood? Start with Stephen Knight.
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