This article originally appeared in British
Weekly.
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The Black Arrow…Classic Swashbuckling Story SANTA MONICA, CA (British Weekly) 02/04/08 - Set during the War of the Roses, The Black Arrow tells the story of Dick Shelton, a boy who becomes a follower of a Robin Hood-like character known as the Black Arrow. The War of the Roses was a series of civil wars fought between 1455 and 1489 over the throne of England. The symbol of the two royal houses was the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York. The consequence was the collapse of the Plantagenet dynasty, replaced by Tudor rulers. |
The Black Arrow is the least well known of Robert Louis Stevenson’s adventure novels. Dick Shelton becomes a knight, finds out who killed his father, and saves lady Joanna Sedley. The War of the Roses plays a minor part in the story. The serialization was printed as a novel for the first time in 1888. Dick has adventures, makes friends and finds his love. Treasure Island and The Black Arrow were both first serialized in the children’s magazine Young Folks. The Black Arrow was released under the subtitle of "A Tale of Tunstall Forest" in 1883. Stevenson wrote Kidnapped in 1886.
For anyone who has read Robin Hood, the similarities are clear as soon as you start reading. To help you with the words that may not make sense, there’s a wonderful glossary at the end. On the whole the book works, so don’t give up! You get the rhythm of the speech, and it gets easier to read.
Stevenson, the book’s own author, was a severe critic of The Black Arrow, referring to it as "tushery". That’s in reference to his use of pidgeon old English dialogue. The Black Arrow is not a very easy read at first, but once you get into it, it really flies by. It’s entertaining, exciting, and intriguing for anyone who enjoys adventure stories. The plot moves quickly, but the dialog slows it down. Fortunately, the characters and description are concise.
The Black Arrow has been made into television and feature films many times. The first was a was a short in 1911. Then in 1948 it was made into a feature. Animated versions were produced in 1973 and in 1988. There was a British TV series from 1972-1975, starring first Robin Langford and then Simon Cuff.
The Black Arrow. Trade paperback 271 pages. Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed. / edition (December 18, 2007). Language: English. ISBN- 978-0-141-44139-9