***2024 Summer in Sherwood***
I have always found that if I want to know about something quickly, it is useful to pick up the children's version. This book was based on Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood which was published in 1883 and has the old-fashioned language to prove it. Wanting to refresh my memory of Robin Hood and his Merry Men a little more easily, I requested this one from the library.
It's all here. Robin Hood as outlaw, his acquisition of his band of Merry men, and the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. We meet Little John, Alan a Dale, Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck. King Richard the Lionheart appears in the final story, devising a stratagem to meet Robin Hood and ending up recruiting him.
This is written for children, so the politics are kept pretty simple. Robin may be an outlaw, but he cares for his community. He and his men help those in distress and hold up those who are obviously too rich for their own good. Much of the focus is on outwitting their opponents rather than killing them. Life in the forest is depicted as merry, filled with feasting, archery tournaments and adventures.
I recently attended a short class in medieval history including the events leading to the Magna Carta. I suddenly realized that this was the King John who featured in the Robin Hood tale. Duh! Crusades? I should have added things up, but I guess Robin was more myth to me than part of history. I have a nonfiction book on King John requested from the library and will look forward to reading it in conjunction with my Summer of Sherwood.
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