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Proving Genre: Robin Hood in the Literary History of Medieval English Romance through 1600

Griffy, Henry
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1365687253

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, English.
This dissertation revises the literary history of the pre-1600 narrative Robin Hood tradition by linking it to the contemporary literary history of medieval English romance. The introduction and second chapter establish that Robin Hood and romance have generally been considered distinct traditions, albeit sharing certain isolated features, since at least the late-nineteenth century. A model is described whereby a work might be "proven" to belong to a given genre, based on various types of evidence. Chapters 3 through 7 provide a range of "extrinsic" evidence that contemporaries considered Robin Hood and other romance works as similar kinds of literature. They were printed, adapted into history and balladry, and performed in similar ways from the late-fifteenth century through 1600. A list of over two dozen instances where writers listed Robin Hood alongside romance or other courtly writings is presented, and the overlap of the two traditions in William Shakespeare's writings is analyzed. Chapters 8 through 12 provide "intrinsic" evidence that at least one major Robin Hood work, A Little Gest of Robin Hood, can usefully be interpreted using various hermeneutics that have been traditionally used to interpret medieval romance. A detailed explication of the Gest establishes that it uses semantic elements typical of romance, arranges them in syntactic forms typical of romance, and uses the resulting narrative situations to address frequently found in other romances. The conclusion examines various implications of the findings of the dissertation for the future research and teaching of Robin Hood and romance literature.
Richard Firth Green (Committee Chair)
Lisa Kiser (Committee Member)
Ethan Knapp (Committee Member)
851 p.
Literature

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Griffy, H. (2013). Proving Genre: Robin Hood in the Literary History of Medieval English Romance through 1600 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1365687253

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Griffy, Henry. Proving Genre: Robin Hood in the Literary History of Medieval English Romance through 1600. 2013. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1365687253.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Griffy, Henry. "Proving Genre: Robin Hood in the Literary History of Medieval English Romance through 1600." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1365687253

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
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