Medieval Outlaws: Twelve Tales in Modern English Translation

by Thomas H. Ohlgren, Shaun F.D. Hughes, Thomas E. Kelly

Description Billy the Kid, Jesse James, John Dillinger, and Al Capone were all are criminals who robbed and killed, yet they were considered good outlaws, celebrated in sensational newspapers, newsreels, and dime novels of the day, and later in film and television, for their daring, courage, loyalty, and even chivalry. Our fascination with criminal heroes has a long history, extending back to legendary accounts in medieval chronicle, romance, and ballad. Although their names may not be familiar-Earl Godwin, Hereward, Eustache the Monk, Fouke Fitz Waryn, Án Bow-Bender, Gamelyn, Owain Glyndwr, William of Cloudesley, and William Wallace-these outlaws, in addition to Robin Hood, were all driven to lives of crime as victims of political intrigue or legal injustice. They committed capital crimes punishable by death, but, paradoxically, they were loved, encouraged, and supported by their communities. This revised and expanded edition of Medieval Outlaws gathers twelve outlaw tales, introduced and freshly translated into Modern English by a team of specialists, including Timothy S. Jones, Michael Swanton, Thomas E. Kelly, Mica Gould, Stephen Knight, Shaun F. D. Hughes, Alexander L. Kaufman, Thomas H. Ohlgren, Thomas Hahn, and Walter Scheps. The tales range in date from the Norman Conquest to the sixteenth century. Introductions precede each selection and notes identify all of the significant names, places, and historical events mentioned in the texts. Accessible and entertaining, these tales will be of interest to the general reader and student alike. About the Editor Thomas H. Ohlgren is Professor of English and Medieval Studies at Purdue University and is the author of numerous books and articles on medieval manuscripts and literature.

Genres: Classics, Medieval, History

524 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2005

Reviews

[Matthew Yeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an academic level treatise on some of the more popular outlaw tales from the Medieval period, so it’s not really for casual reading. Each section discusses one work, covering the text itself (what remains, where it is stored, who wrote it, etc.), the translation, the historical context, the historicity of the events and characters, and so on.

The last part of each section is a translated summary of the actual text, so by the time you actually reach the tale, you’ve read up all the background on the story, the characters, and the documents themselves. If you follow up on the many citations (which is half the fun in a book like this, in my opinion), it can be a dense read, but it will give you a fantastic overview of the primary outlaw heroes and villains, certainly more than the stock Robin Hood tales, though one of the earliest texts that reference Robin Hood is included.

So, if you find something like Robin Hood interesting, and want to follow up with other examples of the genre, and read texts that were likely in every literate medieval noble’s household as entertainment, you can follow the exploits of Eustache the Monk, Fouk Fitz Waryn, Hereward, etc.

It’s not for everyone, but for the closet academic looking for a much deeper dive on this genre, this is a very good starter sampling of the literature.

[Dwayne Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of outlaw characters, this a very good collection. It is a scholarly collection, but it manages to do so without killing the joy of reading the stories.

[Stefanie]

An old book from a college class on Robin Hood that isn't super readable.