Tarzan of the Apes

It is necessary to get past the awkward dialogue, especially toward the beginning of the book, and the ridiculously offensive character of Jane's black maid, who spends most of the book in a faint. And there are a few more silly things along the way--but, nevertheless, the narrative, especially the growing infatuation of Tarzan with Jane, will grab you and hold you to the satisfying conclusion. I have only read Burroughs' science fiction before--and that was many years ago, but I'm glad I finally picked up Tarzan. For the most part, Burroughs does his best to give his far-fetched story the semblance of believability, such as his explanations of how Tarzan, orphaned as an infant, learns on his own how to read English--but not speak it. The characters are memorable, too, though they are hardly complex. I will definitely continue reading the series--especially since Burroughs ends this one on a cliffhanger! ( )

I read this for book club. That being said, and having never read Burroughs before, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. ( )

I bought this awhile back with the intention of listening to it for my Classic Boys Adventures book salon. It is narrated by B.J. Harrison who puts out the fabulous The Classic Tales podcast. I continue to be amazed at the lengthy set ups that are in these classic adventure stories and find myself wondering if kids today have the patience for them. Anyway, this wasn't quite what I expected, more of a Treasure Island shipwreck tale than Tarzan living in jungle, but enjoyable once you get over the extremely imperialist viewpoint. My only real complaint was that the ending felt rushed and left the reader completely hanging! ( )

Three stars you say? Are you nuts? If it were strictly on the originality and influence of the work, I'd give it a 5, however, I found the first Tarzan book to be rather over-written, over-formal, Burroughs hadn't learned to let it all hang out yet (not surprising for a writer getting published for the first or second time.)

Also have as Grosset & Dunlap hc ed. ( )

Here's a case of a book being pretty much overwhelmed by its own success in popular culture. From Johnny Weissmuller to "Me Tarzan, you Jane" to being Disney-fied, everyone knows the story of Tarzan. Or at least, some version of it. The thing about reading the book is that you might find out the version you know didn't come from the book. I'll admit I'm not too familiar with the various adaptations of the story, but I didn't quite expect what I got.

Lord Greystoke and his young, pregnant wife are marooned on the coast of Africa after a mutiny on board the ship on which they were traveling. They make a reasonably comfortable life for themselves on the isolated beach, just outside the beginning of a deep jungle. The baby is born, and when by the time he's just over a year old, both his parents are dead and he's been stolen by an ape who is grieving for her own lost baby. The rest of the book has to do with Tarzan's place as an outsider with the tribe of apes, and his experiences with native tribes and eventually, the first white people he sees.

Burroughs' writing is serviceable, and the plot will keep you going even in the midst of completely unbelievable coincidences and other developments - that stretch of beach is apparently the happening place for maroonings, for example, and Tarzan is a super-genius who can teach himself to read without ever having been introduced to the concept of a written language. The racism, sexism, classism and support for imperialism that reflect his time are a little hard to swallow for the modern reader. Jane, as a woman, "was created to be protected." Tarzan isn't disturbed by the natives' cannibalism until their potential victim is a white man. Tarzan instinctively reacts to Jane's courtesies in kind as "the hall-mark of his aristocratic birth, the natural outcropping of many generations of fine breeding." Jane's black servant is a malaprop-spouting, eye-rolling, fainting-at-the-drop-of-a-hat stereotype. Even with those caveats, it's worth reading just to know where the story really began.

Recommended for: fans of swashbucklers and adventure, anyone who can hear the Tarzan yell in their head (which must be everyone), people who don't mind occasionally shaking a fist at the attitudes in the book.

Quote: "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." ( )