Review - In A Dark Wood

[wilderthan]

I think I'm going to end up writing my Robin Hood essay on this book. It's an interesting position to take for it: writing sympathetically about the Sheriff, making him the main character -- having no particular "bad guy". So much of Robin Hood fiction involves fighting the bad guys -- The Sheriff, Prince John, Guy of Gisborne -- that it seems odd to have a book that is more contemplative, more about emotional growth than about action and politics. You'd expect Robin Hood stories to be more about the fighting, the action and adventure and dashing men (in tights), but there's relatively little of that and it's certainly not the point.

I need to sit down and think about this, and find more comparisons from other Robin Hood stories, before I can write my essay -- it's not easy to think how to frame it, because it is so different. I can tell why I've read lukewarm reactions to this -- it isn't the vibrant Robin Hood that we're so used to: it's quieter and more contemplative. Worth reading, though, for giving depth and realism to the story. I think I wanted more of it, if anything -- more of Geoffrey learning to express his feelings, more about why he loves Hugh and Eleanor, and more of his strange affection with Robin Hood.