2020-21 Academic Catalog

Some of the most enduring figures of the Middle Ages are Robin Hood and his Merry Men. However, the Robin Hood we know only appeared in English literature in the Late Middle Ages and his story was not established until the Renaissance. This course traces the development of the outlaw figure from Anglo-Saxon poetry through Irish and Icelandic traditions to the rebels that arose in the Middle English period. We examine the outlaw from several theoretical standpoints, including the postcolonial, anthropological, ecocritical, and gender studies perspectives. All readings are either in Middle English or in Modern English translation.