Stephen Thomas Knight
Encyclopedia
Stephen Thomas Knight MA (Oxon.) PhD (Sydney). F.A.H.A., F.E.A. (born 21 September 1940) currently holds the position of Distinguished Research Professor at Cardiff University
in the School of English, Communications and Philosophy. His areas of expertise include English literature, Medieval literature, Cultural studies, Crime fiction, Robin Hood
and Australian matters. He has published a large number of books that have addressed these issues, and is best known in the public sphere for his contributions to modern-day debate on the legend of Robin Hood, King Arthur
, and on medieval cultural studies.
Knight's most recent work Merlin: Knowledge and Power through the Ages is a mythic biography of the Celtic-British mythic figure of Arthurian legend.
. He graduated from the University of Oxford
in 1962, having specialised in Medieval English Literature. He was appointed Teaching Fellow at the University of Sydney
in 1963 and lecturer in English in 1964. In 1968-69 he was lecturer in English at the Australian National University
. He returned to the University of Sydney in 1970 where he was successively Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor. In 1987 he was appointed Robert Wallace Professor of English at the University of Melbourne
. In 1992 Knight returned to England to take up a chair at the De Montfort University
at Leicester. In 1994, he took up a position at Cardiff University as Professor of English. He is currently a Distinguished Research Professor, having also held the position of Head of the School of English, Philosophy and Mass Communications at Cardiff for a period.
Most of Knight's scholarly writings have been in the area of medieval English literature, and he has written extensively on Robin Hood and Arthurian legend in particular. Knight has also had a long interest in crime fiction. Between 1989 and 1992 he edited four anthologies of Australian crime stories.
We may never know for sure whether or not Robin Hood was a real historical figure. Knight draws from Wyntoun, Bower
and other medieval writers to suggest the view that Robin Hood existed in the same way as King Arthur, Herne the Hunter
, the devil
, the saints, etc. These figures are enduring forces in our culture, and thus can be said to exist. But other scholars want a more definitive answer.
The question of Robin Hood's existence may never have a definitive answer. The Robin Hood legend has now taken on a life of its own, influenced by other outlaws like William Wallace
. In fact, "The resemblance between Robin Hood and William Wallace is striking: both are provoked to outlawry by legal violence, both go disguised as a potter, and both command substantial numbers of well-disciplined men."
"To study Robin Hood," as Knight explains, "is to study over five hundred years of the development of modern concepts of heroism, art, politics, and the self. It is an exciting and enthralling domain of study, that can in itself become a guide to the changing patterns and dynamics of society and culture over an enormous period."
Robin Hood is a constant presence in our history and literature, even as we change his name and appearance. Archetypal
in form, he can represent Nature, a Folk-Hero, and a Trickster (although these elements of his character often intertwine and coalesce into what could be named the Robin Hood archetypal figure). He's been portrayed as an elf-figure, but he emerged with many more faces and character types, with a multiplicity of forms.
Knight argues that Merlin in all his guises represents a conflict basic to Western societies-the clash between knowledge and power. While the Merlin story varies over time, the underlying structural tension remains the same whether it takes the form of bard versus lord, magician versus monarch, scientist versus capitalist, or academic versus politician. As Knight sees it, Merlin embodies the contentious duality inherent to organized societies. In tracing the applied meanings of knowledge in a range of social contexts, Knight reveals the four main stages of the Merlin myth: Wisdom (early Celtic British), Advice (medieval European), Cleverness (early modern English), and Education (worldwide since the nineteenth century).
programme In Our Time
, discussing Robin Hood
, Merlin
, and the legend of the Fisher King
, as well as on the 2006 BBC television production World of Robin Hood, with Jonathan Ross
.
He received considerable attention across the world in 1999 for research of his relating to gender roles in the Robin Hood legend, which the media took to be evidence that Robin Hood was gay.
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
in the School of English, Communications and Philosophy. His areas of expertise include English literature, Medieval literature, Cultural studies, Crime fiction, Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
and Australian matters. He has published a large number of books that have addressed these issues, and is best known in the public sphere for his contributions to modern-day debate on the legend of Robin Hood, King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, and on medieval cultural studies.
Knight's most recent work Merlin: Knowledge and Power through the Ages is a mythic biography of the Celtic-British mythic figure of Arthurian legend.
Biography
Knight was educated at Bournemouth Grammar School and at Jesus College, OxfordJesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
. He graduated from the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1962, having specialised in Medieval English Literature. He was appointed Teaching Fellow at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in 1963 and lecturer in English in 1964. In 1968-69 he was lecturer in English at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
. He returned to the University of Sydney in 1970 where he was successively Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor. In 1987 he was appointed Robert Wallace Professor of English at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. In 1992 Knight returned to England to take up a chair at the De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
at Leicester. In 1994, he took up a position at Cardiff University as Professor of English. He is currently a Distinguished Research Professor, having also held the position of Head of the School of English, Philosophy and Mass Communications at Cardiff for a period.
Most of Knight's scholarly writings have been in the area of medieval English literature, and he has written extensively on Robin Hood and Arthurian legend in particular. Knight has also had a long interest in crime fiction. Between 1989 and 1992 he edited four anthologies of Australian crime stories.
Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography
In this mythic biography, Stephen Knight traces the origins of the legend, providing invaluable insights into why Robin Hood is still such an essential and evolving legend in our culture and literature. Here, Knight presents many of the truths and fallacies of Robin Hood, as he explores our conceptions and representations of the legend.We may never know for sure whether or not Robin Hood was a real historical figure. Knight draws from Wyntoun, Bower
Bower
Bower may refer to:* a folly built by the Bowerbird to attract mates; see wiktionary:bower.* a dwelling or lean-to shelter, also known as an arbor* an anchor carried at the bow of a ship* Bower Manuscript, a Sanskrit manuscript...
and other medieval writers to suggest the view that Robin Hood existed in the same way as King Arthur, Herne the Hunter
Herne the Hunter
In English folklore, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. His appearance is notable in the fact that he has antlers upon his head....
, the devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, the saints, etc. These figures are enduring forces in our culture, and thus can be said to exist. But other scholars want a more definitive answer.
The question of Robin Hood's existence may never have a definitive answer. The Robin Hood legend has now taken on a life of its own, influenced by other outlaws like William Wallace
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....
. In fact, "The resemblance between Robin Hood and William Wallace is striking: both are provoked to outlawry by legal violence, both go disguised as a potter, and both command substantial numbers of well-disciplined men."
"To study Robin Hood," as Knight explains, "is to study over five hundred years of the development of modern concepts of heroism, art, politics, and the self. It is an exciting and enthralling domain of study, that can in itself become a guide to the changing patterns and dynamics of society and culture over an enormous period."
Robin Hood is a constant presence in our history and literature, even as we change his name and appearance. Archetypal
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
in form, he can represent Nature, a Folk-Hero, and a Trickster (although these elements of his character often intertwine and coalesce into what could be named the Robin Hood archetypal figure). He's been portrayed as an elf-figure, but he emerged with many more faces and character types, with a multiplicity of forms.
Merlin: Knowledge and Power through the Ages
Stephen Knight traces the myth of Merlin back to its earliest roots in the early Welsh figure of Myrddin. He then follows Merlin as he is imagined and reimagined through centuries of literature and art, beginning with Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose immensely popular History of the Kings of Britain (1138) transmitted the story of Merlin to Europe at large. He covers French and German as well as Anglophone elements of the myth and brings the story up to the present with discussions of a globalized Merlin who finds his way into popular literature, film, television, and New Age philosophy.Knight argues that Merlin in all his guises represents a conflict basic to Western societies-the clash between knowledge and power. While the Merlin story varies over time, the underlying structural tension remains the same whether it takes the form of bard versus lord, magician versus monarch, scientist versus capitalist, or academic versus politician. As Knight sees it, Merlin embodies the contentious duality inherent to organized societies. In tracing the applied meanings of knowledge in a range of social contexts, Knight reveals the four main stages of the Merlin myth: Wisdom (early Celtic British), Advice (medieval European), Cleverness (early modern English), and Education (worldwide since the nineteenth century).
Media
Knight has appeared in the media numerous times, including on the BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme In Our Time
In Our Time (BBC Radio 4)
In Our Time is a live BBC radio discussion series exploring the history of ideas, presented by Melvyn Bragg since 15 October 1998.. It is one of BBC radio's most successful discussion programmes, acknowledged to have "transformed the landscape for serious ideas at peak listening time"...
, discussing Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
, Merlin
Merlin
Merlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
, and the legend of the Fisher King
Fisher King
The Fisher King, or the Wounded King, figures in Arthurian legend as the latest in a line charged with keeping the Holy Grail. Versions of his story vary widely, but he is always wounded in the legs or groin, and incapable of moving on his own...
, as well as on the 2006 BBC television production World of Robin Hood, with Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross
Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...
.
He received considerable attention across the world in 1999 for research of his relating to gender roles in the Robin Hood legend, which the media took to be evidence that Robin Hood was gay.
Select Bibliography
- Knight, Stephen (1973) The Poetry of the Canterbury Tales. Sydney : Angus and Robertson.
- Knight, Stephen (1980) Form and Ideology in Crime Fiction. London : Macmillan.
- Knight, Stephen (1983) Arthurian Literature and Society. London : Macmillan.
- Knight, Stephen (1986) Geoffrey Chaucer. Oxford : Blackwell.
- Knight, Stephen (1990) The Selling of the Australian Mind: From First Fleet to Third Mercedes. Melbourne : William Heinemann Australia.
- Knight, Stephen (1994) Robin Hood: A Complete Study of the English Outlaw. Oxford : Blackwell.
- Knight, Stephen (1994) Freedom Was Compulsory. Melbourne : Minerva.
- Knight, Stephen (1997) Continent of Mystery: A Thematic History of Australian Crime Fiction. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press.
- Knight, Stephen & Gustav Klaus (Eds) (1998) The Art of Murder. Stauffenburg Verlag.
- Knight, Stephen (Ed) (1998) Robin Hood: The Forresters Manuscript. Cambridge : D.S. Brewer.
- Knight, Stephen & Gustav Klaus (Eds) (2000) British Industrial Fictions. Cardiff : University of Wales Press.
- Knight, Stephen (2003) Robin Hood: a Mythic Biography. Ithaca and London : Cornell University Press.
- Knight, Stephen (2004) A Hundred Years of Fiction: Writing Wales in English. Ithaca and Cardiff : University of Wales Press.
- Knight, Stephen (2004) Crime Fiction, 1800-2000: Detection, Death, Diversity. London : Palgrave Macmillan.
- Knight, Stephen (2009) Merlin: Knowledge and Power through the Ages. Ithaca : Cornell University Press.
Related works
- Evans, Fulton & Matthews (Eds.) (2006) Medieval Cultural Studies: Essays in Honour of Stephen Knight. Cardiff : University of Wales Press.