Storyworlds of Robin Hood: The Origins of a Medieval Outlaw

by Lesley Coote

Robin Hood is one of the most enduring and well-known figures of English folklore. Yet who was he really? In this intriguing book, Lesley Coote reexamines the early tales about Robin in light of the stories, both English and French, that have grown up around them—stories with which they shared many elements of form and meaning. In the process, she returns to questions such as where did Robin come from, and what did these stories mean? The Robin who reveals himself is as spiritual as he is secular, and as much an insider as he is an outlaw. And in the context of current debates about national identity and Britain’s relationship with the wider world, Robin emerges to be as European as he is English—or perhaps, as Coote suggests, that is precisely the quality which made him fundamentally English all along.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published April 13, 2020

Reviews

[Mark Dickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels unfair to judge this book on it not being what I wanted it to be.

I expected (fairly, I still think from the title) that this would be examining how the storyworld of Robin Hood built up over time. What this book is primarily however, is a discussion and exploration of the context of his original stories.

While the context of the Robin Hood stories is important—and the research and explanations here are extensive and impressive—it wasn’t a topic that I personally had a vested interest in exploring as deeply as this book does.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book both interesting and disappointing. The origins of the Robin Hood story was fascinating in that it was so far from my expectations. And while the author does go into the 19th, 20th and 21st Century version of these tales, I just wished for a better connection between the origin and Errol Flynn and the versions that followed

[MichaelK · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is written in a very dry, academic style, and it is not a good introduction to Robin Hood. I definitely would not recommend it to a casual reader who just wants to learn about the origins of the medieval outlaw. It doesn't really live up to the title, subtitle, or blurb, which suggest that the book will be an account of how the Robin Hood 'storyworlds' developed over time.

Had this been one of the first RH books I read, I probably would have bounced off it quite hard; however, now that I am more familiar with RH scholarship, I did find it enjoyable and interesting in parts, and it contains a few genuine gold nuggets, so I am glad I read it. While it doesn't provide a newbie-friendly account of how the Robin Hood legends originated, it does do a lot of good work in placing the medieval tales in a wider cultural-historical context.

[Jeffrey Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting exploration of the origins of the Robin Hood tales and the actual tales themselves (wonderfully different than how they evolved).