The Fact/Fiction Dichotomy in Adam Thorpe’s Historical Novel ’Hodd’

Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,3, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, language: English, abstract: This term paper analyses Adam Thorpes Hodd, a historical novel published in 2009, a supposedly Latin translation of an allegedly lost Middle English manuscript that fundamentally changes the image of Robin Hood. Adam Thorpe uses different techniques to achieve authenticity with his novel, but there are also traits neglecting the reliability of his narration. First these techniques and their function will be analysed and then the focus will shift to Linda Hutcheons postmodernist genre of historiographic metafiction which redefined the use of historical material in fiction and the meaning of literature for history in the 1960s questioning whether Hodd is a novel which uses historiographic metafiction. The last part will sum up the findings and embed the topic in a broader context.