Thomas Love Peacock, Maid Marian

James Mulvihill (University of Alberta)
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Maid Marian

(1822), like the work that followed it,

The Misfortunes of Elphin

(1829), represents a new emphasis, if not a new direction for Peacock. Published in the decade following Peacock’s first three novels, they differ from the latter in their historical settings, twelfth-century England in the case of

Maid Marian

and eighth-century Wales in the case of

Misfortunes

. If they are set in the past, however, and dispense with the dialogic format of the novels of talk in favor of narrative, these works retain Peacock’s satiric focus—hence their designation as “satiric romances.” Their historical settings notwithstanding, however, they are as topical as Peacock’s other satires.

Appearing the same decade as Sir Walter Scott’s medieval novels, Maid Marian exploits the popular

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Citation: Mulvihill, James. "Maid Marian". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 January 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=9868, accessed 19 March 2024.]

9868 Maid Marian 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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