Robin Hood and resistance: the spatial ethics of “felaushyp” in A Lytell Gest of Robyn Hode

Abstract

In this article, I argue that the greenwood in the early ballad A Lytell Gest of Robyn Hode constructs a unique subjectivity that can inform contemporary forms of resistance. In contrast to the greenwood, the “civilized,” urban spaces found in the text are populated by corrupt individuals serving corrupt institutions. Robin Hood’s actions in both smooth and striated spaces serve as the spatial foundations for an ethics of socio-political action. Emphasizing the concepts of solidarity or felaushyp, I show how Robin Hood embodies a form of ethics derived from the category of the “outlaw” and serve the wider community. In the end, this article utilizes the late medieval text of A Lytell Gest of Robyn Hode to explore the spatial and ethical construction of resistance to oppressive and striated authority.