Aims
This course aims to:
• understand the origins of the Robin Hood legends
• understand how the Robin Hood legends developed over time
• be conversant with some of the sources for the Robin Hood legends
Content
Have you heard of Robin Hood? Of course you have! He is the hero we first meet in our childhood and who accompanies us throughout our adult lives. He exists in the lexicon of English phrases: the 'Robin Hood tax'. He exists in many aspects of popular culture making appearances in such hits as Shrek, Time Bandits, and Star Trek. If you are a Dr Who fan, then you'll know that Dr Who is really Robin Hood is disguise. Robin's archenemy is the sheriff of Nottingham and is a villain for all times. Maid Marian is Robin's female partner in crime, becoming (along with Bonnie Parker) the archetypal anti-hero's love interest. Every hero (anti- or otherwise) needs a best buddy: Robin's inseparable companion is Little John, his loyal lieutenant whose company Robin cannot do without. And like all heroes, Robin has martial skills to defeat his enemies; in Robin's case, he is an archer beyond compare. But what do you know of the origins of the Robin Hood tales? This course comes with a health warning: if you don't want to have your preconceptions about the Robin Hood tales challenged, then look away now: when asked, nine out of ten people preferred to hear the legend rather than the truth about Robin Hood. But if you are that one person in ten who seeks the truth and you want to meet the real medieval Robin Hood, then this is the course for you!
Presentation of the course
The majority of sessions will be spent reading the medieval texts of Robin Hood.
Course sessions
1. Locating Robin Hood in Time and Place: The May Games and the origins of the tales.
2. Reading the medieval texts of Robin Hood: The Gest of Robin Hood.
3. Reading the medieval texts of Robin Hood: The Gest of Robin Hood.
4. Reading the medieval texts of Robin Hood: Robin Hood and the Monk.
5. Reading the early modern texts of Robin Hood: A selection from Robin and the Curtal Friar; Robin and Little John; Robin and Allen a Dale; Robin and Maid Marian; Robin's death; Robin and the knight.
Learning outcomes
You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course.
The learning outcomes for this course are:
• to understand how to read medieval and early modern texts
• to become conversant with the characters in the Robin Hood tales
• to understand how to discover resources for enhancing your understanding of a topic in medieval history
Required reading
The following website gives an excellent introduction to the problem:
The Robbins Library Digital Project at the University of Rochester: 'The Robin Hood Project’
https://d.lib.rochester.edu/robin-hood.html
