Reading Robin Hood Retellings

Happy Independence Day!!! To celebrate, it seems I'm talking about something English (or, if Lawhead is right, Welsh.) Is that bad form? I promise to say a prayer for America and watch fireworks later. :)

Book blog Pages Unbound is hosting a Robin Hood reading event this week, so I'm answering their discussion questions. I'd love to hear your answers—Robin Hood is a fascinating legend—so feel free to answer the questions on your own blog, in Pages Unbound's combox, or in mine.

What versions of Robin Hood have you read?  What retellings?

Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead and The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley are the two that come to mind. It's possible that I've forgotten others. I've also read Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, and the outlaw and his merry men are featured therein. I've reviewed Hood and The Outlaws of Sherwood on this blog.

What movie or television versions have you seen?

I grew up with the animated Disney version, and am still known to sing some of the songs around the house and smile over them. As an adult, I've seen Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and its spoof, Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

Do you have a favorite book or film?

It's impossible not to love the old Disney, with its lively characters, cheerful songs, adventurous children, and happy ending. Men in Tights is naughty but desperately funny. Hood is the most interesting in a historical sense—Lawhead's study of the legend, explained in the back of the book, is as fascinating as his storytelling—and The Outlaws of Sherwood was probably the most enjoyable read for characters and relationships.

Who is your favorite classic character?

Eh, I'm a girl and a romantic. I like Marian.

How do you feel about female Robin Hood characters?

As in, the substitution of a girl for the traditionally male protagonist? Or the general shortage of women in old tales like this? The former could be interesting if done well. The latter... suffice it to say that that was one of the reasons I liked the McKinley version. McKinley puts females in lead roles even if they weren't present in the original myths.

Do you like an emphasis on the romance between Robin and Maid Marian, or more emphasis on adventure?

Adventure bores me very quickly if it's not strongly supported by character and relational development. Said relational development does not have to center around the romance, however, as there's lots of superb camaraderie to be had in the Hood mythology. But even though Marian was a rather late addition to the canon, historically speaking, I confess that I'll be a bit disappointed if the love story is left out entirely.

Your turn to answer the questions!

Currently Reading: Hood

That night Bran sat in the corner by the hearth, sipping wine in sombre silence, brooding over the unfairness of the Ffreinc king, the inequity of a world where the whims of one fickle man could doom so many, and the seemingly limitless injustices—large and small—of life in general. And why was everyone looking to him to put it right? "For the sake of Elfael and the throne," Ffreol had said. Well, the throne of Elfael had done nothing for him—save provide him with a distant and disapproving father. Remove the throne of Elfael—take away Elfael itself and all her people. Would the world be so different? Would the world even notice the loss? Besides, if God in his wisdom had bestowed his blessing on King William, favoring the Ffreinc ascendancy with divine approval, who were any of them to disagree?

When heaven joined battle against you, who could stand?

Author: Stephen R. Lawhead

Synopsis: In this medieval Welsh retelling of Robin Hood, dissipated young prince Bran ap Brychan is left with the responsibility for his people when his father is murdered—and with a price on his head, courtesy of the lord who has taken over his castle and his land. Bran never had much interest in being king even when there was a kingship to be had, but the terrible plight of his fellow Welshmen calls out to him. Setting up operations in the midst of the heavy forests around Elfael, he leads a band of outcasts in a campaign of hooded terror and robbery against the intruders, hoping to raise money enough to aid the people and buy back their land from King William.

Notes: "The Welsh are extreme in all they do, so that if you never meet anyone worse than a bad Welshman, you will never meet anyone better than a good one." Thus writes Gerald of Wales, quoted at the back of this novel as part of Lawhead's fascinating defense for his choice to set the Robin Hood legend among the Cymry—the eleventh-century Welsh. The quote continues with: "Above all, they are passionately devoted to liberty, and almost excessively warlike."

Lawhead's "Rhi Bran"—'King Raven'—starts off rather indolent and dispassionate, thanks perhaps to a privileged but abusive upbringing, but events and destiny waken the outlaw we all know and love. He's at least as much angry freedom fighter as playful robber, however, and his character development and exploits are neatly interlaced with a portrayal of historic Wales under Norman invasion.

Bran himself is a generally well-built character forced to undergo an arduous hero's journey, but Lawhead plays freely with reader affections and allows moments of flat dislike for the protagonist. Not only that, he creates a certain amount of sympathy—not approval, but understanding and pity—for Bran's enemies at times, alternated with horror. Sympathizing with 'the bad guys' is always an uncomfortable experience, but realistic in light of the humanity of the villains, and admittedly well suited to a tale of good-hearted thieves.

While the story is historical fiction first, it reads like fantasy, with several loosely supernatural occurrences to bolster that sense. The character development, action, and world-building so crucial to the success of the fantasy genre are all present, though I've met both worlds and characters with more powerful emotional resonance.

As for the writing, Lawhead is a serviceable if sometimes mildly annoying prosist with a good strong grasp of story structure. Comparing his Hood to Robin McKinley's Outlaws of Sherwood, the former cannot match the latter's beautiful phrasing and quick, powerful emotional connections, but is decidedly structurally superior. Hood may prove difficult for readers to get into on account of that, but the intriguing history and suspense win out eventually.

The portrayal of the medieval Church contains the standard grasping, worldly bishops and cardinals, but also holy, humble, and sincere churchmen; the latter including the ever-amusing Tuck, here in a role of lovable cornball heroism. The lot of them are blessedly free of anachronistic evangelical Protestant thought patterns—which sometimes appear in historical fiction from categorically Christian publishing lines (Thomas Nelson, in this case)—though Angharad has her suspicious moments. Lawhead treats history with deep respect, and publishing house aside, this book is simply fiction without the need for the word Christian preceding it.

The situation among the oppressed Cymry gives the Robin Hood legend a firm and unique placement, setting this novel apart from other retellings. It also raises the stakes enough to make its sequels seem not only like probably reasonable developments, but important and desirable ones.

Recommendation: Read it for a fresh take on Robin Hood and some interesting history. Don't pass up Lawhead's defense of his Welsh setting, either; that's likely to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the book.

Currently Reading: The Outlaws of Sherwood

“One of the things you insist on leaving out of your calculations is that our absurd and uncomfortable life under Sherwood’s wide branches suits some of us,” said Will. “Say, Little John, if someone gave you a herd of cattle, would you go back to farming?”

“No,” said Little John immediately. “They’d get the pox, and I’d not have rent on quarter day, and soon I’d be an outlaw.”

“Nothing would drive me back to my father’s hall,” said Will; “not even a full pardon. Indeed, particularly not a full pardon, because then I’d be treated as the lord’s son again, and if you knew how boring it is, dressing up in frills and a clean shirt every day and praying that a guest will arrive some time soon with a few new jokes... You can even get bored with hunting and hawking occasionally, without the savour of need. I know why the Lionheart went off to Palestine; he couldn’t stand it either. All those state dinners. I’d have followed him if I hadn’t heard about Sherwood. I wanted to stay in England.”

Author: Robin McKinley

Synopsis: After a misfired arrow makes him an outlaw, Robin flees deep into Sherwood, which he knows well from having worked as one of the king’s foresters. He expects to be sought by the corrupt sheriff of Nottingham, but two of his friends find him first: Much and Marian, the former of whom has ideas for making him a Saxon rebel-hero against the domineering Normans, and the latter of whom he loves. Though Robin wants nothing to do with leadership, he soon finds himself responsible for a band of renegades in the forest—hiding them, teaching them how to hunt and survive, and superintending their work against the sheriff and all Norman cruelty.

Notes: In a brief note in the back, McKinley speaks straightforwardly about her interpretation of the Robin Hood legend, including the difficulties of drawing from widely varying versions and the incompatibility of the modern image with historical likelihood. I wish I’d read her note before the book, rather than after. But the few hey-wait-I-don’t-remember-thats hardly detracted from the pleasure of the tale.

McKinley’s note is important, however, because she reimagines a named time and place. The language and humorous banter—Much always made me laugh—are in the voice and tradition of fairy tales, not of plain history; also, the author overrides conventional portrayals to offer her female characters a stronger role.

The matter of outlaw femininity forms its own subplot to the tale. Marian, for instance, proves the true sharpshooter, and she and several other women struggle to be taken seriously by their male companions. McKinley develops this beautifully, although I might make the slight complaint that as marriage by nature is ordered toward the creation of children, it’s hard to imagine what all those girls and their respective lovers plan to do in their future situation. Slight complaints aside, the romances are enjoyable, and readers will delight alongside the young women as the latter hunt, shoot, learn woodscraft, join in the practices of Sherwood outlawry, and escape being sold into marriage for political advantage.

Robin—but here the reviewer struggles with the fact that author and protagonist carry the same first name. Robin Hood, in this incarnation, is strong and wood-wise but not quite legendary in his own right. His marksmanship is average, clearly inferior to Marian’s. Difficulties have left him silent and resentful. But like many others who have leadership thrust upon them by quick-thinking friends, rather than demanding the mantle for themselves, he proves more than capable.

My own acquaintance with the Sherwood hero comes mostly through Sir Walter Scott and Disney (though I’ve seen both Prince of Thieves and Men in Tights... maybe the less said about that, the better), and McKinley’s version proved thoroughly likable in its own right as a more careful and intimate development of the characters. In fact, the book’s main weakness—and it would have been admittedly difficult to fix—was that after the first chapter, it spent a little too long adding new characters without much progression of plot otherwise. It got far more interesting after Friar Tuck, one of the last of the main additions, entered the story, after which I had not a fault to find with the playing out of the tale.

At the end the book focuses on friendship, the power of camaraderie, and does so with a lot of beauty. For myself, I was sorry to see it come to a close; Sherwood Forest and the outlaws’ affection and woodscraft captured something exquisite from my childhood fantasies, and I would have been glad to remain there.

Recommendation: Read it for woodsy adventures, for humor and wonder and the strength of a band of true friends.