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nanashiame 's review for:
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle
Despite a little struggle at the start, after acclimating to the moderately unfamiliar older English, Robin Hood stole my heart just as he has the hearts of many before me. I was curious about the original tale that has led to so many revisions, spinoffs, versions, etc, in popular media, and it's certain that the humorous and gallant spirit of the Robin Hood from the books has lived on successfully in more than one of his movie counterparts.
The story begins by asking the reader, in essence, to suspend their disbelief, and participate fully in the tales they are about to be told. The book is chalk full of the expected heroic doings, but it is almost equally filled to the brim with good humor, much of which got me to laugh aloud. Robin Hood is jovial and always ready for a good joke, and the comedy is often directed at the upper classes, but it's also just as often pointed towards Robin and his yeoman. They get too cocky or bold, and they get bested. It's an endlessly delightful back and forth, and when you buy in fully to the drama of one man insulting the other and immediately they are challenging one another to a duel, it's marvelously fun.
Despite the abundance of merriment, the story gets more heavy as it progresses. Trivial encounters step aside for one almost-hanging and a fight that ends in a death, among others. The official ending is cheerful, but there is a built in epilogue, and it's painfully bittersweet and appropriately dramatic. I was surprised to find myself choked up by the end. They are the sort of adventures that you never want to believe will end, even though they must.
Of course, in a manner of speaking, Robin Hood is alive and well. The book continues to be a great read today, and the other versions (particularly the Disney one for me) keep the legend alive. Sort of like the Legacy of Sherlock Holmes, there will always be a detective in 221B, and there will always be a Robin Hood in the woods, looking for adventure.
The story begins by asking the reader, in essence, to suspend their disbelief, and participate fully in the tales they are about to be told. The book is chalk full of the expected heroic doings, but it is almost equally filled to the brim with good humor, much of which got me to laugh aloud. Robin Hood is jovial and always ready for a good joke, and the comedy is often directed at the upper classes, but it's also just as often pointed towards Robin and his yeoman. They get too cocky or bold, and they get bested. It's an endlessly delightful back and forth, and when you buy in fully to the drama of one man insulting the other and immediately they are challenging one another to a duel, it's marvelously fun.
Despite the abundance of merriment, the story gets more heavy as it progresses. Trivial encounters step aside for one almost-hanging and a fight that ends in a death, among others. The official ending is cheerful, but there is a built in epilogue, and it's painfully bittersweet and appropriately dramatic. I was surprised to find myself choked up by the end. They are the sort of adventures that you never want to believe will end, even though they must.
Of course, in a manner of speaking, Robin Hood is alive and well. The book continues to be a great read today, and the other versions (particularly the Disney one for me) keep the legend alive. Sort of like the Legacy of Sherlock Holmes, there will always be a detective in 221B, and there will always be a Robin Hood in the woods, looking for adventure.