Medieval Women in Popular Cinema; the case of Maid Marian

Abstract

The thesis investigates the representation of medieval women in popular Anglo-American cinema through assessing Maid Marian's role in Robin Hood adaptations ranging from the 1938 till 2010 with its comparative focus on the 1938 film "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and the 2010 "Robin Hood" film. These texts are also compared with earlier literary texts, ranging from 1598 till 1889, featuring Marian's character. Conclusion: the modern popular representations of her character are remarkably conservative and are mainly focused on pleasing the dominant conservative culture of its time. The films even show more conservative elements than some of the 18th and 19th century texts.