fictionfan's review against another edition
5.0
The evolution of the rippling bicep...
Lord Greystoke and his young wife Lady Alice are on their way to take up a new colonial appointment in Africa when the crew of the ship they are on mutiny. The mutineers drop their passengers off on a wild coast, far from civilised habitation, but close to the jungle. For a while they survive, long enough for Lady Alice to bear the son she was already carrying. But when disaster strikes, leaving the baby all alone in the world, he is adopted by a tribe of apes and grows up learning their ways, unaware of his own heritage. However, when he discovers the hut his parents built and all their belongings including their books, he realises he is different from the other apes. And then more white people are marooned in the same place by another bunch of mutineers, and he sees the lovely Jane...
Basically, this is simply a romping adventure story that is as enjoyable now as when it took the reading public’s imagination by storm back in 1912, when it was first published in the pulp magazine The All-Story. There’s something about the way Burroughs tells stories that makes them great fun despite all the many ways he transgresses modern sensibilities. It’s a sort of innocent charm – I feel sure he’d be amazed and appalled if he thought he’d offended anyone. He so truly believes that white Anglo-Saxons are the pinnacle of evolution and that women will forgive any little character flaws (like cannibalism, for example) so long as a man has rippling biceps and the ability to fight apes single-handed.
Evolution was still a relatively new idea when Burroughs was writing this, and many authors were exploring the subject in different ways. Burroughs’ ideas may seem pretty shocking to us now, but they were fairly mainstream at the time. He shows a kind of pyramid of evolution starting with real apes that we would recognise as such. Then there’s the tribe that adopt Tarzan, who are a kind of link between ape and man, with the beginnings of a verbal language and some basic forms of ritual, such as...
Burroughs’ depiction of the ape society is great – he humanises the apes just enough so that we see them as individuals and like or dislike them accordingly, but he ensures that even the “good” ones never stop being wild, brutal beasts. I found them utterly believable as a type of proto-human.
Next on the ladder are the black “savages”, along with Jane’s black maid. Oh dear, this is where you have to keep reminding yourself that it was the times! The maid is the traditional figure of fun – the black mammy who continued to appear in American culture well into the ‘50s, or maybe even later, so poor old Burroughs can’t be condemned too harshly. The savages – well, it’s not so much their savage lifestyle that’s the problem; many writers from Kipling to Conrad via Rider Haggard et al have depicted the indigenous African tribes just as problematically to modern eyes. It’s more the suggestion that they’re actually another link in the evolutionary chain – less intelligent, less resourceful, a lower form of life altogether than the white man.
Tarzan is the zenith of the evolutionary heap. Not only is he a perfect physical specimen of rampant manhood, but he’s so intelligent he actually manages to teach himself to read and write without ever having heard a human speak. But also his prime pedigree as an English aristocrat can’t be hidden for long...
It goes without saying that women aren’t quite so evolved, though obviously white women outrank black women. But frankly, girls, when you have Tarzan looking out for you, how evolved do you need to be?
The racist and sexist aspects are so overblown and unintentional that personally I found them hilarious rather than offensive. And while many aspects of the story are a bit ridiculous if you stop to analyse them too deeply, it’s so full of thrills, excitement, high love and general drama that it swept me along on a tsunami-sized wave of fun. Highly recommended!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Oxford World’s Classics.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Lord Greystoke and his young wife Lady Alice are on their way to take up a new colonial appointment in Africa when the crew of the ship they are on mutiny. The mutineers drop their passengers off on a wild coast, far from civilised habitation, but close to the jungle. For a while they survive, long enough for Lady Alice to bear the son she was already carrying. But when disaster strikes, leaving the baby all alone in the world, he is adopted by a tribe of apes and grows up learning their ways, unaware of his own heritage. However, when he discovers the hut his parents built and all their belongings including their books, he realises he is different from the other apes. And then more white people are marooned in the same place by another bunch of mutineers, and he sees the lovely Jane...
Basically, this is simply a romping adventure story that is as enjoyable now as when it took the reading public’s imagination by storm back in 1912, when it was first published in the pulp magazine The All-Story. There’s something about the way Burroughs tells stories that makes them great fun despite all the many ways he transgresses modern sensibilities. It’s a sort of innocent charm – I feel sure he’d be amazed and appalled if he thought he’d offended anyone. He so truly believes that white Anglo-Saxons are the pinnacle of evolution and that women will forgive any little character flaws (like cannibalism, for example) so long as a man has rippling biceps and the ability to fight apes single-handed.
Evolution was still a relatively new idea when Burroughs was writing this, and many authors were exploring the subject in different ways. Burroughs’ ideas may seem pretty shocking to us now, but they were fairly mainstream at the time. He shows a kind of pyramid of evolution starting with real apes that we would recognise as such. Then there’s the tribe that adopt Tarzan, who are a kind of link between ape and man, with the beginnings of a verbal language and some basic forms of ritual, such as...
….the fierce, mad, intoxicating revel of the Dum-Dum.
From this primitive function has arisen, unquestionably, all the forms and ceremonials of modern church and state, for through all the countless ages, back beyond the last, uttermost ramparts of a dawning humanity our fierce, hairy forebears danced out the rites of the Dum-Dum to the sound of their earthen drums, beneath the bright light of a tropical moon in the depth of a mighty jungle which stands unchanged today as it stood on that long forgotten night in the dim, unthinkable vistas of the long dead past when our first shaggy ancestor swung from a swaying bough and dropped lightly upon the soft turf of the first meeting place.
Burroughs’ depiction of the ape society is great – he humanises the apes just enough so that we see them as individuals and like or dislike them accordingly, but he ensures that even the “good” ones never stop being wild, brutal beasts. I found them utterly believable as a type of proto-human.
Next on the ladder are the black “savages”, along with Jane’s black maid. Oh dear, this is where you have to keep reminding yourself that it was the times! The maid is the traditional figure of fun – the black mammy who continued to appear in American culture well into the ‘50s, or maybe even later, so poor old Burroughs can’t be condemned too harshly. The savages – well, it’s not so much their savage lifestyle that’s the problem; many writers from Kipling to Conrad via Rider Haggard et al have depicted the indigenous African tribes just as problematically to modern eyes. It’s more the suggestion that they’re actually another link in the evolutionary chain – less intelligent, less resourceful, a lower form of life altogether than the white man.
Tarzan is the zenith of the evolutionary heap. Not only is he a perfect physical specimen of rampant manhood, but he’s so intelligent he actually manages to teach himself to read and write without ever having heard a human speak. But also his prime pedigree as an English aristocrat can’t be hidden for long...
...and so he rose, and taking the locket in his hand, stooped gravely like some courtier of old, and pressed his lips upon it where hers had rested.
It was a stately and gallant little compliment performed with the grace and dignity of utter unconsciousness of self. It was the hall-mark of his aristocratic birth, the natural outcropping of many generations of fine breeding, an hereditary instinct of graciousness which a lifetime of uncouth and savage training and environment could not eradicate.
It goes without saying that women aren’t quite so evolved, though obviously white women outrank black women. But frankly, girls, when you have Tarzan looking out for you, how evolved do you need to be?
Jane Porter – her lithe, young form flattened against the trunk of a great tree, her hands tight pressed against her rising and falling bosom, and her eyes wide with mingled horror, fascination, fear, and admiration – watched the primordial ape battle with the primeval man for possession of a woman – for her.
As the great muscles of the man’s back and shoulders knotted beneath the tension of his efforts, and the huge biceps and forearm held at bay those mighty tusks, the veil of centuries of civilization and culture was swept from the blurred vision of the Baltimore girl.
The racist and sexist aspects are so overblown and unintentional that personally I found them hilarious rather than offensive. And while many aspects of the story are a bit ridiculous if you stop to analyse them too deeply, it’s so full of thrills, excitement, high love and general drama that it swept me along on a tsunami-sized wave of fun. Highly recommended!
He did what no red-blooded man needs lessons in doing. He took his woman in his arms and smothered her upturned, panting lips with kisses.
For a moment Jane Porter lay there with half-closed eyes. For a moment – the first in her young life – she knew the meaning of love.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Oxford World’s Classics.
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hikari1993's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
celise_winter's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like I've been waiting for a book like this my entire life, and here it was all this time, published long before I was even born.
Is the light cast upon race and gender in this novel wrong and inappropriate? Most definitely. However, I read this book ignoring these things, not out of ignorance as the word would imply, but with an acceptance of the flaws, and deciding instead to fall in love with the adventure and the horrible violence of Tarzan's growing up in the jungle. I didn't read this looking for a realistic survival study on apes and men either.
I was not expecting the gritty and gruesome nature of the story, as my only experience of Tarzan prior to reading this novel is with the Disney animated movie version. There is no child-friendly telling of Tarzan winning the love of the great ape Kerchak and Jane teaching him how to read, or Tarzan gallivanting around with his ape buddy Terk and the elephant Tantor. This adventure is much more primal than that, and so fucking beautiful I couldn't finish it without crying. Others will find this much more flawed than I have, I'm sure, but it's been a long time since I've loved reading and this book has brought me out of that slump.
Sidenote: Margot Robbie and Alexander Skarsdård will be starring in next year's Tarzan adaptation, based off of one of the sequels in this book series. That's my dream cast for any movie so I'm super excited, and hoping that they keep to the darker nature of the novels.
Is the light cast upon race and gender in this novel wrong and inappropriate? Most definitely. However, I read this book ignoring these things, not out of ignorance as the word would imply, but with an acceptance of the flaws, and deciding instead to fall in love with the adventure and the horrible violence of Tarzan's growing up in the jungle. I didn't read this looking for a realistic survival study on apes and men either.
I was not expecting the gritty and gruesome nature of the story, as my only experience of Tarzan prior to reading this novel is with the Disney animated movie version. There is no child-friendly telling of Tarzan winning the love of the great ape Kerchak and Jane teaching him how to read, or Tarzan gallivanting around with his ape buddy Terk
Spoiler
Terkoz is actually an antagonist hereSidenote: Margot Robbie and Alexander Skarsdård will be starring in next year's Tarzan adaptation, based off of one of the sequels in this book series. That's my dream cast for any movie so I'm super excited, and hoping that they keep to the darker nature of the novels.
joaniemaloney's review against another edition
3.0
Most if not all of what I know about Tarzan comes from the Disney adaptation; the Phil Collins soundtrack runs through my head whenever I think of that movie. So I picked this up out of curiousity to compare the two, and for a quick read.
Well, it went by fast. And there are quite a few obvious differences, as is usually the case when Disney adapts any story. Kala is close to what I remember, but I think I was being too optimistic when I expected the same for Kerchak and his relationships with the rest of the tribe. Damn it, Disney. Oof, there are a number of cringe-worthy moments in this original which given the time period makes a lot more sense but still makes the reader quite uncomfortable. It's too blatant to ignore, even with context.
That said, Edgar Rice Burroughs is a fine storyteller with how he spins it all. This book had such a strong start from the doomed fates of Lord and Lady Greystoke to the childhood of Tarzan that I couldn't put it down, even though I knew what was going to happen. I mean, we all do. There's quite a bit of violence to keep you on your toes, plenty of adventure and survival, more violence, and a bit of necessary romance. Oh, and this desire for knowledge, which as unbelievable as it was that Tarzan taught himself to read English before learning to speak it, which I enjoyed reading about. Apparently I can't get enough of reading about people reading.
I have a hard time choosing between Tarzan reading or the mystical descriptions of his chiseled features and strength and manliness from the point of view of the others as my favourite bits in the book. It's an infallible mix for entertainment.
Well, it went by fast. And there are quite a few obvious differences, as is usually the case when Disney adapts any story. Kala is close to what I remember, but I think I was being too optimistic when I expected the same for Kerchak and his relationships with the rest of the tribe. Damn it, Disney. Oof, there are a number of cringe-worthy moments in this original which given the time period makes a lot more sense but still makes the reader quite uncomfortable. It's too blatant to ignore, even with context.
That said, Edgar Rice Burroughs is a fine storyteller with how he spins it all. This book had such a strong start from the doomed fates of Lord and Lady Greystoke to the childhood of Tarzan that I couldn't put it down, even though I knew what was going to happen. I mean, we all do. There's quite a bit of violence to keep you on your toes, plenty of adventure and survival, more violence, and a bit of necessary romance. Oh, and this desire for knowledge, which as unbelievable as it was that Tarzan taught himself to read English before learning to speak it, which I enjoyed reading about. Apparently I can't get enough of reading about people reading.
I have a hard time choosing between Tarzan reading or the mystical descriptions of his chiseled features and strength and manliness from the point of view of the others as my favourite bits in the book. It's an infallible mix for entertainment.
hellotherefromlaura's review
4.0
The ending is such a cliff hanger!
I really liked the book. It was not what I expected based on watching the movies growing up. I will definitely read the entire series to see what happens next!
I really liked the book. It was not what I expected based on watching the movies growing up. I will definitely read the entire series to see what happens next!
lauribooks's review against another edition
5.0
Me ha gustado muchísimo.
No se parece casi nada a la película de Disney, cogieron los conceptos clave del libro y elaboraron su propia historia y su propio final.
Me gusta mucho la figura de Tarzán en el libro, es un hombre creado entre bestias que ha sabido coger lo mejor de ambas especies. Es muy fuerte, ágil y valiente, capaz de matar a cualquier animal que le amenace con pocas herramientas. Y, a la vez, es inteligente y estratega. Es capaz de aprender a escribir y leer él solo y puede aprender a hablar un idioma bastante rápido. Pero, sobre todo, me gusta lo que representa. Al final demuestra ser todo un caballero, que salva a personas de forma completamente altruista, las cuida y les entrega todo lo que necesiten sin esperar nada a cambio. Y ese gran gesto del final... me ha partido un poco el corazón, pero al final solo refuerza la humanidad y la bondad que hay en este hombre, capaz de anteponer la felicidad de cualquiera a la suya. Me parece un personaje muy bueno y me quedo con eso.
Los demás personajes, Jane incluida, son secundarios. Este libro habla de las aventuras de Tarzán, su vida, sus hazañas, sus enamoramientos y desengaños, y los demás personajes tienen algo de peso en la historia y en la vida de Tarzán, pero no los llegamos a conocer tanto como a él.
Me ha fascinado esta historia y se la recomiendo a todo el mundo (niños no, igual se quedan un poquito traumatizados con algunas escenas...)
No se parece casi nada a la película de Disney, cogieron los conceptos clave del libro y elaboraron su propia historia y su propio final.
Me gusta mucho la figura de Tarzán en el libro, es un hombre creado entre bestias que ha sabido coger lo mejor de ambas especies. Es muy fuerte, ágil y valiente, capaz de matar a cualquier animal que le amenace con pocas herramientas. Y, a la vez, es inteligente y estratega. Es capaz de aprender a escribir y leer él solo y puede aprender a hablar un idioma bastante rápido. Pero, sobre todo, me gusta lo que representa. Al final demuestra ser todo un caballero, que salva a personas de forma completamente altruista, las cuida y les entrega todo lo que necesiten sin esperar nada a cambio. Y ese gran gesto del final... me ha partido un poco el corazón, pero al final solo refuerza la humanidad y la bondad que hay en este hombre, capaz de anteponer la felicidad de cualquiera a la suya. Me parece un personaje muy bueno y me quedo con eso.
Los demás personajes, Jane incluida, son secundarios. Este libro habla de las aventuras de Tarzán, su vida, sus hazañas, sus enamoramientos y desengaños, y los demás personajes tienen algo de peso en la historia y en la vida de Tarzán, pero no los llegamos a conocer tanto como a él.
Me ha fascinado esta historia y se la recomiendo a todo el mundo (niños no, igual se quedan un poquito traumatizados con algunas escenas...)
altruest's review
5.0
Making my way through the first 8 Tarzan books. The first was great! Very exciting.
eeclayton's review against another edition
3.0
You'll need plenty of suspension of disbelief, but it's a surprisingly well written and entertaining little book.