Myth and National Identity in Nineteenth-Century Britain: The Legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood by Stephanie Barczewski

by Stephanie Barczewski

Scholars have become increasingly interested in how modern national consciousness comes into being through fictional narratives. Literature is of particular importance to this process, for it is responsible for tracing the nations evolution through glorious tales of its history. In nineteenth-century Britain, the legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood played an important role in construction of contemporary national identity. These two legends provide excellent windows through which to view British culture, because they provide very different perspectives. King Arthur and Robin Hood have traditionally been diametrically opposed in terms of their ideological orientation. The former is a king, a man at the pinnacle of the social and political hierarchy, whereas the latter is an outlaw, and is therefore completely outside conventional hierarchical structures. The fact that two such different figures could simultaneously function as British national heroes suggests that nineteenth-century British nationalism did not represent a single set of values and ideas, but rather that it was forced to assimilate a variety of competing points of view.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Arthurian, Lit Crit, Theory

Hardcover

First published March 2, 2000

About the author

A specialist in modern British history, Stephanie Barczewski is professor of history at Clemson University, where she has taught since 1996. Dr. Barczewski has been awarded the Gentry Award, Clemson's highest honor for teaching in the humanities, as well as a Faculty Award of Distinction for student mentoring from the Clemson National Scholars Program.

Reviews

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

My attention was mainly on the RH material but all of it was interesting eg. the hundreds of changes made to an 1860’s edition of Mallory’s Le Morte d’Arthur to make it acceptable as the ‘text’. What I also found very interesting was how, for much of the century, Marian provided a very different role model as compared to Guinevere etc. ie she resisted the conservative moral exemplum to which the others were employed.

I found Barczewski’s examination of the roles played by the mythic icons of Arthur and RH in helping construct (and sometimes challenge) British history and character fascinating. There was one example that I thought was stretching things (which, of course, I now can’t find) but overall this work is well researched and well argued.

[Matthew Kilburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still, I think, the essential book on the subject, and often unpalatable business of subjecting folk tales to nation-building and imperial myth.

[Plato · Rating 3 out of 5]

My German professor recommended this book for my paper. It did help, but I'm not writing about Robin Hood so I skipped all those parts.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very well-written. The material is not particularly groundbreaking, but it's an interesting blend of literary and historical analysis. She seems to favor King Arthur more than Robin Hood, but it may be an issue of sources.