A Soirée for Curious Minds - Lecture #2

Dear John (Love, Robin Hood): A Breakup Letter to a King from Posterity

A Soirée for Curious Minds

A series of evenings full of insight, conversation, and connection!

Brought to you in partnership by:

Glendon College, York University & The Rosedale Centre

Dear John (Love, Robin Hood): A Breakup Letter to a King from Posterity

- Prof. Igor Djordjevic

For anyone who grew up in the shadow of 20th- and 21st-century filmic (and other pop-cultural) representations of King John, ranging from Disney’s thumb-sucking maneless lion wearing a crown two sizes too big for his head to the myriad evil portraits of the greedy king waging financial war and oppressing a poor commonalty defended by Robin Hood and Maid Marian, it must be puzzling to discover that there was a time when King John could have been taken as anything other than a caricature of political ineptitude, avarice, and boundless ambition. Indeed, to know that in the 16th century political polemicists as well as the very first historical dramas in English, including Shakespeare’s, considered John as a heroic protagonist and political model for English Protestant monarchs in their fight against the papacy should seem surreal. Yet, that is the truth.

One may well wonder what happened to this monarch in such an important way as to irredeemably disfigure his historical portrait forever in the public imagination. John’s problem appears to be that unlike other kings figuring in Shakespearean drama, he ceased to be merely a “historical” figure in the popular imagination. Historical figures are useful in purely historical narrative—such as the chronicle plays of the Tudor era—or in political discourse that critiques the present by seeking parallels with the past—as many do today by frequently invoking Hitler, Churchill, or Chamberlain. But a purely historical figure has a limited shelf-life if he does not become part of the popular imagination. John’s ultimate curse was that he crossed into the popular imagination when his path intersected with a beloved figure of legend, the perennial swashbuckling darling of Hollywood: Robin Hood.

The meeting of the two characters in literature had an irreversible effect on the cultural understanding and future memory of both. But their meeting was neither accidental nor due to clandestine socio-political forces of the type some scholars like to find behind virtually any text. As Professor Djordjevic’s talk will reveal, John’s fall in cultural memory became irredeemable as the largely unintended result of the work of seven years, by three men who all knew each other and who all read a significant passage in a little-known book, while a fourth man’s money helped move the story from page to stage. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Program:

A Soirée for Curious Minds brings the richness of university-level thinking directly into the community. Designed for inquisitive spirits, the series offers a rare opportunity to engage with exceptional scholars in an intimate, welcoming setting.

Each evening begins with doors opening early, inviting neighbours and friends to gather in our art gallery. Enjoy a glass of wine or sparkling water while a live pianist fills the room with a captivating soundtrack – the perfect prelude to an evening of ideas.

What follows is a thoughtfully curated academic experience, led by esteemed professors from Glendon College, York University, whose teaching and research span literature, psychology, cultural studies, and contemporary political thought.

The series explores big ideas across time and disciplines, from Shakespearean history and the psychology of memory to cultural mythologies and modern populism, offering intellectual depth without pretense. It’s an invitation to learn, be inspired, and to savor conversations that linger, echoing the brilliance of the ideas shared.

Igor Djordjevic is a Professor of Early Modern Literature at Glendon College, York University. He is the author of three books [Holinshed’s Nation: Ideals, Memory, and Practical Policy in the Chronicles (2010); King John [Mis]remembered: the Dunmow Chronicle, the Lord Admiral’s Men, and the Formation of Cultural Memory (2015); Remembering, Replaying, and Rereading Henry VIII: The Courtier’s Henry (2025)] as well as numerous articles in scholarly journals. His research interests are in the history of reading and the relationship between historical writing in the early modern period and cultural memory down to the present.