Week 12 Story Planning: Robin Hood

Moving forward with my story planning this week there is still several major decisions to be made concerning the direction my narrative will take with the tale of Robin Hood and his band of merry men. The story presentation suggestion for this week was for the narrative to be done in a ballad style. While this would be an excellent way for presenting, it would add nothing new to the story, as this is the original format for the old English tales of Robin Hood. A previous narrative presentation suggestion from the course was to tell the story as if it was the dreams of an individual. This would be rather similar in the end to the Hollywood film, A Kid in King Arthur’s Court, whereas the main protagonist is transported back to the medieval ages to participate in the reclaiming of Camelot. Rather, I believe presenting the narrative as a bedtime story being told by an adult to a child over the course of several days would be a new and unique way to present a Robin Hood tale, while also building in natural breaks in the storytelling process. In terms of the themes of the story will it be similar to the traditional ballads, praising Robin Hood as a friend to the poor, who only did what he believed to be the most beneficial for those who were in need? Or will the narrative follow a more gruesome and dark theme, one where we see the hero participating in the Crusades led by the English King Richard? This second option is the one that most grabs my attention, as it is a break from the normal Robin Hood tale, while also capitalizing on the time period Robin Hood supposedly existed in. This will be a darker take on the traditional character, more of a background story explaining where his archery skills originated, while also bringing to the forefront his motivations for helping those in need.

Bibliography: The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Robin Hood, Francis James Child (1882-1898) 

Image Information: Writing sunset Rome, Italy 

Source: Flickr   

Reading Notes: Robin Hood Part A

Robin Hood. A classic tale that has been rewritten countless times to where it is becoming harder to determine which of the stories is the original, and where the imitations began. This telling was presented in a poetry format, divided into four line sections. This is an interesting style to me, as it is one of the few times aside from high school literature classes that I have been exposed to poetry of any form at all. The stories of Robin Hood are wonderful examples of classical literature set during medieval England. However these stories have been told in more ways than I could possibly ever count, so I had an epiphany, why not transfer the core characteristics that make the Robin Hood stories so beloved into a modern age. The core characters can remain, as can the manner in which the come to know one another, simply adjusted for the modern day. Or I can always tell a traditional Robin Hood tale in an unusual style than is traditionally found. Both options have wonderful potential, with tomorrow's reading determining where I will inevitably take my tale.

Bibliography: The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Robin Hood, Francis James Childs(1882-1898)

Photo: The statue of Robin Hood in Nottingham Castle, England.

Source: Flickr