19th Century… The Man in the Moon 9 Jul 2020 By Stephen Basdeo I once heard it said (in a book somewhere, tho’ I’ve never the time nor the inclination to look up the reference), that if you’re a politician…
19th Century… “The Vision” by Robin Hood (1841) 16 Jul 2019 Everyone of course loves to investigate appearances of the name of Robin Hood in medieval court records. One of these days, it might finally be proven who the “real” Robin…
18th century… Sir Robin William V. Harcourt Hood, M. P. 15 Aug 201815 Aug 2018 By Stephen Basdeo Whenever a politician proposes raising a new tax or cutting a public service, a newspaper columnist will often respond that the proposed changes are ‘Reverse Robin Hood’.…
18th century… Thomas Love Peacock’s “Maid Marian” (1822) 8 Mar 201624 Mar 2020 By Stephen Basdeo In honour of International Women's Day, I discuss Thomas Love Peacock's ground-breaking novel "Maid Marian" (1822). The early nineteenth century was a good time for Robin Hood…
19th Century… “The Railway Robin Hood” (1868) 8 Aug 20158 Aug 2015 ‘Rail fares a rip-off,’ thundered the Daily Mail in an article of December last year. [1] Indeed, there seems to be a constant debate in the United Kingdom these days…
18th century… Greatness vs. Goodness in Henry Fielding’s “Jonathan Wild” (1743) 10 Jul 201510 Jul 2015 I have previously written on this blog about London's first mob boss, Jonathan Wild (1682-1725). He was the Thief Taker General of Britain and Ireland. In the days before the…
