Introduction

This introductory essay offers a brief review recent scholarly examinations of the subject of food and feasting in premodern literature and culture, argues for the critical importance of examining representations of food and feasting in medieval texts generally and outlaw tales specifically, defines the volume's understanding of outlaws and outlawry, contextualizes these through the specific lens of forest law, uses these to inform an initial definition of the outlaw narrative, and concludes with a brief summary of each of the volume's chapters.