Storyworlds of Robin Hood

In her engrossing book on Robin Hood, Lesley Coote also considers a geography beyond Sherwood Forest for the legend . . . The book’s fascinating focus is on the European-wide literary setting of Robin Hood-type tales in the late medieval, pre-Reformation era . . . Coote takes us deep into the pious, ribald, scatological and sometimes pornographic tales of the period . . . The book is not a search for the historical origins of Robin Hood but for his literary and cultural foundations. The result is a fascinating and engaging new look at an old legend. * Sean McGlynn, The Spectator *
fascinating . . . The author takes us from the written word to the Romance, from Robin Hood the trickster through to Robin Hood the joker – and in all of this writes in a lively style that captivates and enchants, making parallels with the culture of Southern France, in particular the Occitan civilisation of Southern France . . . [a] lovely and charming tome. * International Times *
Lesley Coote’s scholarly study of the storyworlds of the early Robin Hood tradition broadens our understanding of the interconnectivity of medieval outlaw tales, romance, the fabliau tradition, miracle of the virgin stories, trickster tales, and pastourelles. * Alexander L. Kaufman, Reed D. Voran Distinguished Professor of Humanities, Ball State University *
This is an important book that takes the Robin Hood legend out of the familiar forest of ‘Merry England’ and relocates it within the more culturally extensive greenwood of late medieval Europe. Lesley Coote’s comparative approach situates the Robin Hood myth within a complex matrix of multilingual cultural contexts – French pastourelle traditions, English and German trickster stories, fabliaux and other comic tales, and Miracles of the Virgin tales among others. Thoughtful, learned and sometimes provocative, Storyworlds of Robin Hood is a significant contribution to our understanding of the outlaw myth. * Dr Rob Gossedge, Cardiff University *