Robin Hood The Shaping of the Legend

Among the narrative traditions of the Middle Ages, the Robin Hood legend occupies a unique, important, and often overlooked position. Robin Hood's uniqueness and importance begins with his status as the only English contribution to world mythology. His is also the only lasting myth to arise from the High Middle Ages and the last Western legend to achieve a sustained international appeal. Several Robin Hood ballads survive from the Middle Ages, and from the 15th to the 17th centuries Robin Hood figured prominently in folk drama. Since then, he has appeared in numerous proverbs, placenames, operas, novels, children's stories, films, and television shows. Yet in spite of its importance, the Robin Hood legend has received surprisingly little study. This book charts the genesis and development of the legend from the Middle Ages through 1700. In bridging the divide between the worlds of fiction and history, the volume incorporates the strengths of both historical and literary approaches.