Classics Retold: Reoccuring themes in Robin Hood

the Classics Retold project hosted by Alison @ The Cheap Reader, Alyssa @ Books Take You Places, Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy, Wendy @ Excellent Library, Brittany @ Book Addict's Guide. Alison @ The Cheap Reader came up with this idea after project Fairy Tale was such a huge hit. She tweaked the challenge a bit to include classic books and their adaptations. 

Day 3 Question:  What were some Reoccuring Themes from your classic?


Many of the novels and movies I watched had the same concept of who Robin Hood was. Robin Hood was a bold outlaw that robbed from the rich to give to the poor. He never got caught and he had a group of followers.

Robin Hood was always very courageous and willing to do what it takes to help the people of Nottingham.

Little John was a woodsmen that met Robin and he was also very brave.

While Will Scarlet was Robin Hood's Right Hand Man. He was always by Robin Hood's side and ready to fight.

Friar Tuck was in a lot of ways the same also. He was the one that offered guidance and didn't like violence.

Maid Marian was not in all versions of the story, but she was most often the girl who needed to be rescued.

Robin Hood lived in Sherwood Forest and provided for the people of Nottingham. The people of Nottingham relied on Robin Hood and loved him for his effort.

Thanks for joining me in Classic Retold

Rachael

Movie Review: Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991) (spoilers included)

the Classics Retold project hosted by Alison @ The Cheap Reader, Alyssa @ Books Take You Places, Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy, Wendy @ Excellent Library, Brittany @ Book Addict's Guide. Alison @ The Cheap Reader came up with this idea after project Fairy Tale was such a huge hit. She tweaked the challenge a bit to include classic books and their adaptations. 

 Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991)

*Spoilers Ahead Opinion in the last paragraph if you don't want spoilers*

Kevin Costner plays Robin Hood in Robbin Hood Prince of Thieves. As I said to my sister you can't go wrong with Kevin Costner. I respect Kevin Costner as an actor. Morgan Freeman plays Robin Hood's right hand man Azeem. Those are the main A list actors of this movie. Or at the least the actors I knew.

Robin Hood Prince of Thieves follows the tale of Robin Hood very closely. Robin of Locksley comes back to his home land to find the people starving for food and the sheriff robbing them blind while King Richard is away. Robin goes to Sherwood forest where he is attacked by no other than John Little. Him and his band had set up camp there and they were not about to let the sheriff take that away from them. After the initial meeting the whole camp accepted Robin Hood with open arms. 

The main characters of the novel were present in the movie such as John Little, Will Scarlet, and Frair Tuck. Maid Marian was again my favorite. She had a past with Robin and she was willing to risk her life to see Robin Hood. 

The community loved Robin Hood. He robbed from the rich to give to the poor and the poor were so grateful for the extra money to buy food. These people didn't have much and Robin kept the hope alive.

The whole last hour of the movie was awesome. It was like a big long intense fight scene I loved it. The sheriff felt Robin was an extreme threat to him and had a bounty on his head, but it never worked because the community members loved Robin and wouldn't kill him for money they would probably never see. The sheriff was a coward when it came to the fight scene. He stayed on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest while his men fought and died. The sheriff's men destroyed Robin's village and took many of the men as prisoner's including Will Scarlet and John Little's son. 

Will Scarlet was a traitor and told the sheriff he would kill Robin for his freedom and the bounty. He was released from jail. He went back to Sherwood forest to tell Robin that all 10 of his men were to be hanged after the sheriff's wedding to Maid Marian. Robin asked him if he told him this news just so he could get close to him and kill him. Robin asked Will if he betrayed him in another life. Will preceded to tell Robin how he is his brother and how he hates Robin for spiting up his parents. 

Robin devises a plan to save all his men from dying including John Little's son. They only had 7 people left in their village. The fight scene was intense as it seemed at all times that somebody was going to die. 

After all his men were saved Robin went to save Maid Marian which was another intense fight until the sheriff died. Azeem fills his prophecy by saving Robin Hood life at the last minute. 

The movie had the happy ending I wished for with the novel. Maid Marian and Robin Hood were married. King Richard came back and thanked Robin Hood for looking over his kingdom. 

I really loved Robin Hood Prince of Thieves although it was a very long movie. I think Kevin Costner did a great job as Robin Hood. I also enjoyed John Little's character and Friar Tuck's. I also think the actress that played Maid Marian did an amazing job. This movie followed along with the basic elements of Robin Hood really great and I enjoyed the movie as a whole. 

Thanks for reading

Rachael 

Classics Retold: Project Disney: Disney's Robin Hood (1973)

Classics Retold  is a project hosted by Alison @ The Cheap Reader, Alyssa @ Books Take You Places, Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy, Wendy @ Excellent Library, and Brittany @ Book Addict’s Guide.

Hosted by Picture Me Reading

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I grew up on Disney's Robin Hood and mostly all Disney movies so when it came to Classics Retold I knew I would need to review Disney's Robin Hood which came out in 1973. 

The biggest difference between old Disney and new Disney is the long intro's. Robin Hood was part of old

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Disney so all the credits are at the beginning. 

I thought I would have a different opinion of Disney's Robin Hood after reading the classic novel. I think the novel only helped me like the movie more. 

The biggest change Disney made to Robin Hood's classic tale is all the characters became animals. Allan a Dale is a rooster. Maid Marian and Robin Hood were foxes. Little John is a bear who was based after Baloo from the Jungle Book both voiced by Phil Harris. King Richard and Prince John are lions. This made it really hard when I first began the novel to imagine Robin Hood as a person and his merry band also. The character development in the film and the novel are both top notch. 

I don't think the novel properly stressed how poor the people of Nottingham really are. It explained that Robin Hood robbed the rich to feed the poor, but I didn't feel like there was any poor people in the novel. In the film we can clearly see that the

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Sheriff of Nottingham is robbing everybody dry as mothers are trying to feed their children. The Sheriff of Nottingham has so mercy even when Otto, the dog, has a broken leg. I think that real compassion I had for the characters of this film was missing in the Classic novel. 

The film also gave Prince John a big part of the movie. In the novel King Richard was ruling. Prince John was only mentioned a couple times. The film made Prince John the bad ruler whereas the novel made King Richard. Prince John was a weak character to say the least. He wasn't able to take constant criticism and would just suck his thumb and call for his mom. 

I think Disney was pretty accurate in Robin's disguises and how nobody recognizes him in his disguises. It always made my mouth hang open while reading the novel that he would have long conversations with people. Then only after Robin rob them of their money would he reveal himself. It was the same for the Disney movie. The sheriff believed anything Robin put on and would have never guessed it to be him. Although it did create a bit more drama for Little John to discover Robin at the beginning of the movie. 

Disney was also pretty accurate when it came to Friar Tuck. You see in the novel Friar Tuck joined Robin's

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band and helped him in that way. In the film Friar Tuck was Robin's delivery person. My favorite scene with Friar Tuck is when he rings the church bell saying it will keep their hopes alive before the evil Sheriff comes in and steals their money. 

There is music in the novel. Howard Pyle incorporated age old ballads. Disney went for a more cheery tune and incorporated different songs for the film. My favorite has to be Not in Nottingham that Allan a Dale sings in prison. It really sets the seen of how sad their life is. It also helps that it is raining. 

In the novel Robin Hood goes to jail and nobody is able to rescue him. In the film all the towns people goes to jail and Robin Hood almost dies saving them. I think the film really captured the essence of Robin Hood where he was willing to do anything to help people. The novel presents a bleak ending for Robin Hood. 

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As I said in my novel review I was disappointed that Maid Marian wasn't in Howard Pyle's novel. The film gives me the sanctification of the romance I'm looking for. I always fall in love with Maid Marian especially the part where she is talking to the children. I always enjoy Lady Cluck's tough character also. 

I love the scene where Robin brings Maid Marian back to Sherwood forest and the music in that scene. 

Disney changes the ending from Howard Pyle's novel and I'm glad that they did. At the end of the novel there is no hope left and this ending leaves lots of hope for Robin and Maid Marian. 

Disney made Robin Hood a lot lighter. The novel had a lot of Robin and Little John fighting people and the movie had little

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of that. Overall Disney adapted Howard Pyle's novel into a novel for families. 

As an adaptation Robin Hood doesn't stay very true to the novel. In my personal opinion Disney made Robin Hood a film to enjoy and I personally have loved Disney's Robin Hood all my life. Disney's Robin Hood came out 7 years after Walt Disney died. Although he was gone he had a hand in some of Robin Hood's earliest character developments and story boards. Robin Hood was one of the last Disney films that Walt Disney ever worked on. 

Robin Hood also has an alternate ending that you can watch here. This ending is a lot closer to the novel's version, but is a lot darker which is why it was removed from the Disney movie. 

Thanks

Rachael

I do not own any of the pictures. I love to look at fanart and I love to share, but if you do not want your picture featured leave me a comment or shoot me an email and I will get it taken off. 

Classics Retold: Book Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen (no spoilers)

the Classics Retold project hosted by Alison @ The Cheap Reader, Alyssa @ Books Take You Places, Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy, Wendy @ Excellent Library, Brittany @ Book Addict's Guide. Alison @ The Cheap Reader came up with this idea after project Fairy Tale was such a huge hit. She tweaked the challenge a bit to include classic books and their adaptations. 

Book: Scarlet
Author: A.C. Gaughen
Publication: February 2012
Source: Local Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
Summary (From Goodreads):

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. 

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

 It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

My Thoughts:

Scarlet is a retelling of the classic tale Robin Hood. The main character Scarlet is a twist of the character Will Scarlet in the classic tale. Scarlet in this story is still Robin Hood right hand, but in this tale Scarlet is a girl. That was A.C. Gaughen's big change to Robin Hood's story.

Scarlet was a fiesty, tough, and insecure main character. She had a shattered past that we got clues about throughout the novel. All her secrets led to how she joined Robin Hood's merry band. Robin Hood was called Rob most of the novel. He acted tough, but was a very caring person. He cared about his band and he cared about the people of Nottingham. John Little was a bit soft in this novel. He was willing to fight for Scarlet, but at the end of the day wasn't afraid to confess his feelings for Scarlet. Much the miller's son was the last main character. Much had just one arm, but he was determined to do what he could.

A.C. Gaughen kept many elements from the original tale including Robin and his band robbing from the rich to give to the poor. That was a part I missed in the original novel is I don't think they stressed enough how much the people of Nottingham where really hurting where we got the full extend of their hurt in Scarlet. There was also lots of fight scenes and blood shed during Scarlet.

I do have to admit there was a point where I was ready to give up Scarlet. I didn't think I would be able to finish this novel. I don't know if the author made the mistakes on purpose or if she just had a poor editior, but there were so many grammar mistakes in this novel. I'm not a grammar nazi. It takes a lot for me to see a grammar mistake. When I could point out a bunch on every single page there is a problem. At one point the grammar mistakes were really getting to me and I thought about just giving Scarlet up. I also have to admit that I'm glad I finished Scarlet because the ending was amazing. This novel has five star potential if it was edited better. At the beginning of this book I was thinking it was a two star book. As I went along it redeemed itself. Scarlet still has much more potential than was brought forth in this novel.

I liked Scarlet better than the original novel. I ended up really enjoying Scarlet despite the many grammar errors. Robin Hood is a tale that has been told over and over again. I enjoyed A.C. Gaughen's twist on the tale. I suggest that you go read Scarlet if you like the tale of Robin Hood. I don't suggest you read Scarlet if you can't take a lot of grammar errors. The ending made this novel worth my time, but I still think this novel could have been better.

Classics Retold: Book Review: Robin Hood by Howard Pyle (no spoilers)

the Classics Retold project hosted by Alison @ The Cheap Reader, Alyssa @ Books Take You Places, Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy, Wendy @ Excellent Library, Brittany @ Book Addict's Guide. Alison @ The Cheap Reader came up with this idea after project Fairy Tale was such a huge hit. She tweaked the challenge a bit to include classic books and their adaptations. 

Book:  The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Author: Howard Pyle
Publication: 1883
Source: Digital Library/ Project Glutenberg
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Summary (From Goodreads):

He stole from the rich and gave to the poor, and in so doing became an undying symbol of virtue. But most important, Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men offer young readers more than enough adventure and thrills to keep them turning the pages. Who could resist the arrows flying, danger lurking, and medieval intrigue?

My Thoughts:

I'm sad to say I did not enjoy The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood as much as I had hoped for. I think part of the reason is because of the Disney movie I have watched many times. I had other problems with the story as well. This novel took me many weeks to read because it was such a slow moving tale.

This book was published in 1883 and it showed through the writing style. The English was very old English and many words we don't use anymore. The writing was still beautiful and I see why it is a classic. I thought the preface was magnificent and I have to admit I read it more than once. I was intrigued in the opening chapters of Robin Hood, but then it went downhill from there.

I have to admit I had a hard time imagining Robin and Little John as men when I was so used to them being a fox and a bear. Eventually they came to be the men clad in Lincoln Green they were supposed to be. The opening chapters of Robin Hood explain why he is an outlaw and his meeting of Little John. Then it goes on for more than half of the novel to explain how Robin formed his merry band. That is where I felt the chapters got very repetitive and came to be the same concept with the person having a different name. I felt myself getting bored and struggling to read the novel. I pushed through. Around pg 119 I checked out the audio book from the library. I was within 100 pages of finishing, but I was struggling to keep going.

Sometimes I had to laugh as Robin would walk in public in different clothes than his Lincoln Green and nobody would recognize him until he revealed himself. Sometimes I had to wonder how ignorant the strangers Robin met were to not recognize the bold outlaw.

The most disappointing part of The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood was that Maid Marion was not really a character in this novel. I have always loved the character of Maid Marion and how she fell in love with Robin. She was only mentioned a couple times and her and Robin never did meet. The whole novel I hoped she would be introduced, but she never really was.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood is overall a light tale. Robin steals from the rich to give to the poor. I wish they focused a bit more on the town of Nottingham. I was disappointed that Robin never interact with the citizens of Nottingham although he was the talk of the whole country. For me that was a big part of the Disney movie, his interaction with the people of Nottingham.

Overall I liked the story, but there was a lot of disappointments that came with The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. Part of my disappoint came with the expectations I had for this novel. I am glad I read this novel so I can say I read the original story of Robin Hood. I liked getting to know the minor characters a bit better through the novel. I think the story is more brought to life through film. I will recommend this novel although my only advice is to lower your expectations and get rid of all the preconceptions you have in your head of the story of Robin Hood. I do have to admit I do enjoy the Disney ending of Robin Hood more than I enjoyed the book. The book has a very dark ending that I wouldn't recommend for small children whereas the Disney movie ends with a hope for the future. Robin Hood is a very old tale with very old writing that will stand the test of time and forever be a classic. Although I didn't overly enjoy this novel does not mean another person will not enjoy The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. I will recommend it.


Thanks for reading


Rachael

Welcome to Classics Retold: Robin Hood

the Classics Retold project hosted by Alison @ The Cheap Reader, Alyssa @ Books Take You Places, Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy, Wendy @ Excellent Library, Brittany @ Book Addict's Guide. Alison @ The Cheap Reader came up with this idea after project Fairy Tale was such a huge hit. She tweaked the challenge a bit to include classic books and their adaptations. 

Welcome to a full month of Robin Hood Themed Posts.

There will be book reviews, movie reviews, a readathon, posts about robin hood, and any other Robin Hood themed posts I can think of happening this month.

Sit back relax and Welcome to Sherwood Forest, the home of Robin Hood.

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Rachael 

Fairy Tale Read-a-thon Wrap Up

I read 184 pages in 7 days which is about 26 pages per day.

Books Finished:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Books Started:

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah


Thanks


Rachael

Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon Sign Up and Goals

Hosted by Tressa's Wishful Endings  and Colorimetry

This Challenge is a wonderful Idea. I'm glad to participate. 

We have two weeks of readathon reading. I'm going to make a goal to read at least 2 books in that period of time. 

Goals:

My goal will be to finish Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah 

If Time Allows to start City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Thanks

Rachael 

Fairy Tale Read-a-thon Progress

Sorry I have been MIA with the updates. I do track my page numbers, but I don't find a whole lot of time to blog during the week. 

Day 1 September 1st

pg 178 to pg 235 in If I Stay by Gayle Forman

pg 0 to pg 3 in Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

Pages Read: 60
Total Pages Read: 60

Books Finished: 1

Day 2 September 2nd

pg 3 to pg 27

Pages Read: 24
Total Pages Read: 84
Books Finished: 1

Day 3 September 3rd

pg 27 to pg 70

Pages Read: 43
Total Pages Read: 127
Books Finished: 1

Day 4 September 4th

pg 70 to pg 82

Pages Read: 12
Total Pages Read: 139
Books Finished: 1

Day 5 September 5th

pg 82 to pg 91

Pages Read: 9
Total Pages Read: 148
Books Finished: 1

Day 6 September 6th

pg 91 to pg 95

Pages Read: 4
Total Pages Read: 152
Books Finished: 1

Day 7 September 7th

pg 95 to pg 127

Pages Read: 32
Total Pages Read: 184
Books Finished: 1

Fairy Tale Read-A-Thon Starting Line

Hosted by Debz Bookshelf

I really really would like to say I'm going to be reading fairy tale retellings for this readathon, but at this point I have no fairy tale retellings sitting in my TBR pile. 

Starting this readathon at pg 178 of If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Start Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

And if I have time start City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

I just joined a new library system as I started college last week. So far it has been very frustrating. It has been hard getting used to their system and their availability of books. I wish I could just stay with my old amazing library system, but I'm unfortunately too far away. If I can get my hands on a fairy tale retelling this week I will read it, but most likely I won't so these are my choices. City of Fallen Angels is a fantasy book. I'm so excited to follow everybody else posts. 

Thanks 

Rachael