The Gest of Robin Hood

From the INTRODUCTORY.

Among those Robin Hood ballads which are derived from genuine popular tradition, the Gest of Robin Hood undoubtedly holds first place in interest and importance. It not only gives the fullest and most comprehensive account of the habits and character of that famous outlaw, but also relates a greater number of his adventures than any other ballad. It is one of the best examples in medieval literature of skillfully arranged and effectively phrased narrative. Finally, it is the only example in English, and perhaps in European literature, of a poem which, while employing the material, the metre, and to some extent the style of the single ballad, shows in its length (456 ballad stanzas), in its combination of originally separate ballads of the hero, and in its obvious aim to give a complete picture of that hero's character and career, a decided approach to the method and style of the epic. The Gest of Robin Hood is, therefore, of great significance, not only as a masterly narrative of a popular mediaeval hero, but also as a contribution to the problem of epic origins and of the relations between ballad and epic….