Bandit Territories

Book excerpt: While everyone is familiar with the legend of Robin Hood, few can speak as knowledgably about other British outlaws and their traditions. Uncovering a popular history that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, Bandit Territories takes as its main subject English, Welsh, and Scottish outlaws and considers their traditions in light of their unique landscapes, cultural histories, and adaptations into ballet, theatre, film and children's literature. Introducing figures such as Little John and William Wallace--the character portrayed by Mel Gibson in Braveheart--this volume explores the figure of the bandit, who lives between civil society and the wilderness, and offers an engaging portrait of his iconic masculinity and nationalist propaganda.