The Return of Tarzan

This was quite the romantic adventure story. It was clear that Burroughs was a man of the late 1800s. Humanist, science over religion, with the rosy idea that there could be a "super" man bred and trained. White, of course, but excelling in all areas of "manliness" Super strong, savage, but civilized with a code of honor, intelligent, leader of all he encounters. The women were there to teach the niceties of civilization to the savage. That, and faint whenever they had a chance. To be fair, Jane Porter went through Hell before she actually fainted. Several times. The color of skin did not seem as important as the actual facial features. Sigh.

Anyway, aside from all the negatives, it is a ripping good tale. I was trying to think how it show more could be written without the offensive parts, and of course some of the more obvious bits could easily be changed. I stumbled though on the idea of the white man raised by apes as the superior man in the jungle. Could he be replaced by a native of Africa? That would defeat the marvel of survival and the conquering of character over circumstances. Or would it? I ended by thinking it is best to leave this story as is, like a fairy tale, and move on with other great stories of today written with the understanding that greatness is in many peoples, in many forms, around the world.

Here's a stumper. Would I give this book to a child to read today? Probably only if we read it aloud together and discussed the objectionable bits, why they are there, the background of them, and how we see things differently today. show less

About 25 years ago, I decided to revisit the real turning point in my life as a reader, the point at which I became a voracious reader. I decided to re-read the Tarzan books I'd devoured as a teenager, to see if they still held up. I re-read the first book, Tarzan of the Apes, about an orphaned boy who grew up among the great apes, and was delighted to see that whatever maturity I had gained hadn't cost me the joy I'd experienced in that first book of the long series. For some reason, though, I didn't get around to the next book until now.

The Return of Tarzan was actually the first Tarzan book I ever read. It was a bit mystifying at the time, because it's a sequel that picks up where the first book ended, which means that it starts out show more in Paris where Tarzan goes by the name of Jean C. Tarzan and sips absinthe and wears white tie and is involved in intrigue with a Russian countess. Not exactly what I was expecting for my first experience with the Lord of the Jungle. (The book doesn't even get to the jungle until more than half way through.) As a result, this was always my least favorite Tarzan book as a kid, though it still compelled me to give probably the most breathless and persuasive book report ever heard at Thomas J. Rusk Junior High School.

Burrough's Tarzan books are just plain wonderful adventures. I don't read stuff like that much anymore, but re-reading The Return of Tarzan makes me realize that I still hunger for it a little. The books are dated, but only (primarily) in the style of language and in a paternalistic racial viewpoint. Burroughs makes far too much use of coincidence (in the first two books, no fewer than four shipwrecks strand passengers on one five-mile stretch of African coast, and the passengers of all the wrecks are intricately connected with one another). But nevertheless, what Burroughs captures is the absolute essence of adventure viewed through a near-Victorian worldview. I don't recommend starting the Tarzan novels with The Return of Tarzan, as I did, but it's hard for me to imagine a boy of 13 not still being caught by the magic of these tales. And I don't think it will be 25 years before I revisit the next in the series. show less

Tarzan is simply a white SuperCaptainCoolMan. That's all there is to it. With sinewy arms of steel forged in the leafy shadows of the darkest jungles--you get the picture. The silliest theme in the book is Tarzan's de-evolution from a gentleman in Paris to the ape-man rampaging through the jungle with his primate brethren. The not-so-subtle social Darwinism featured in all the Tarzan books is annoying if you can't get past the stupid ideas of previous generations--maybe in 75 years people will be put off by the murky postmodernism of the early 21st century. Burroughs was still way ahead of his time in his ability to create a predictable comic book hero about whom he could churn out multiple titles. Of course, that whole genre depends show more heavily on remarkable coincidences. I'm still bewildered about how most of the characters in this book end up at Tarzan's boyhood cabin on the west coast of Africa at some point or another when I can't even find the closest Target without a GPS. I'm still giving the improbable plot four stars because it's fun to read, with shipwrecks, political scandals, militant pygmies covered in bling, diabolical villains, and gentle ladies throughout (although Tarzan only wants to be "bully chums" with the non-European females he meets, even if he does call Arabs "white men"). Despite his embarrassing habit of being randomly heroic, I think Tarzan would be a good friend to play video games with--not any complex board games though, he's not evolved enough for that. show less

Lions and Lions oh my. The second book in the legendary Tarzan of the Apes series has some pros and some cons. Let us not forget that Burroughs was a prolific writer of some of the best Pulp Fiction in the history of literature. So with that being said you know you are going to be taken over the top, given plenty of action and a healthy dose of campiness to wash it all down.
Tarzan is pretty much fresh off the boat in this story. He has done what he can to adapt to what may be considered a mockery of civilized life and does his best to understand what makes the white apes think the way they do. He is more than capable of interacting with those of his own ilk, but does not yet understand the laws of society are not as cut and dry as the show more laws of the jungle. He has a huge heart that belongs only to Jane Porter whom he has give up everything for. Renouncing his titles (which she knows nothing about) and returning to the wild.
Burroughs seriously packed a ton of adventure into this short book. He puts his characters through the ringer repeatedly. Tarzan is introduced to many new cultures…some to his liking…others not so much.
Burroughs does lack one or two things in not only this story but other Tarzan stories. His lack of research. It seems like every ten pages Tarzan is killing a Lion. Lions in the jungle (NO) Lions in the Desert (A big NO). Always it seems there is a single lion stalking the night. (Double NO) Lions are not solitary creatures and while there might be one hunting, rest assured there are others hiding somewhere just out of sight. This is excusable because going into these stories you know what they are and the fact they are the PULP of pulp fiction earns Burroughs a pass.
Over the top action. Tarzan swimming across the ocean. Laughable…yes but very readable. Tarzan facing off with a character that is more like W.E. Coyote chasing the roadrunner is humorous. The lengths our Russian friend go to just to get over on Greystoke is comical.
There are a few sincere moments in the story and they work well. The image of Tarzan chilling with a smoke in one hand and a hefty glass of absinthe in the other is comical. show less

1912 The Return of Tarzan
Cover Dick Powell
Cover Photo Ron Ely
Edgar Rice Burroughs #6
Published New Story Magazine 1913

As stated in my reflection of Gods of Mars, it is with the second Tarzan book Return of Tarzan that I feel Burroughs solidified Tarzan’s place in literature. In Tarzan of the Apes, we are introduced to the iconic characters of Tarzan and Jane but at the end they go their separate ways presumably onto divergent life paths. As stated elsewhere it ends as a romantic tragedy.

Return of Tarzan opens up the world of Tarzan as his adventures start out with a more metropolitan flair. Instead of facing the dangers of the jungles of Africa, he faces the dangers of civilization. It is a nice contrast as the lord of the jungle, show more master of the beast is confounded and confused by the intricacies of society in Europe. Having denounced his heritage as Lord Greystoke in the first book, Tarzan shucks it all to return to Africa in service of the French government.

The middle act of the book has Tarzan in the deserts of North Africa nary a tree to climb. Burroughs is stretching his imagination with different scenarios involving Tarzan from ship to Paris to the desert. It is on passage on a ship that Tarzan crosses paths again with Jane Porter and the final act of the story is played out.

In the final act, Burroughs introduces La and the lost city of Opar harkening back to H.Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines. This is ERB continuing the theme from Gods of Mars of lost civilizations but transposing it from Barsoom (Mars) to Earth. I would argue that lost civilizations is one of the greatest plot devices that Burroughs uses effectively. Although towards the end of the Tarzan series of books Africa might have been a little overcrowded with them.

This is the Tarzan book that got me hooked. I read the origin of Tarzan in Tarzan of the Apes with great enjoyment but also knowing at the time I was reading an iconic work. With Return Burroughs lets loose exploring Tarzan’s psyche- what makes him long for the jungle and why that eventually becomes his home. It also has a faster pace of action, another hallmark of ERBs work while not feeling rushed. My advice to a new ERB reader if they were uncertain about Burroughs would be to read Gods of Mars and Return of Tarzan, these are the books where ERB hits his stride as a writer. show less

This book is still jam-packed with Edgar Rice Burroughs signature cliches and still fun. But, the coincidences pile up, and Tarzan is more than a bit dense at times. His chivalry is grotesque. There are ever so many scenes of implied but not actually spelled out attempted rape. Women are sure useful for keeping the plot moving.

I read the first Tarzan novel 6 or 7 years ago and generally enjoyed it. It was a fun and interesting adventure novel with some dated "sexism" and "racism" but with some intriguing insights and contemplation about morality and the nature of what it means to be human. It was filled with wild adventures through the African jungles with exciting surprises and events.

(Minor plot Spoilers in the form of basic synopsis for the next 4 paragraphs)

This second novel started out similar but also wildly different than its predecessor. We find that Jane is engaged but not yet married to William Clayton and that she seems to be continually postponing the marriage for 'some' reason. Dismayed at the loss of Jane, Tarzan travels to Europe. On the boat, show more he stumbles on a dangerous situation and helps both a Count and a Countess but earns the anger of a shady villain. Once in France, Tarzan entrenches himself into the life of a high class citizen. In spite of this new life being opened to him, he bored with wandering the streets, dining at clubs and visiting the theatre. He seeks opportunities to "stretch his legs" in the city and wanders again into troublesome situations where he finds himself torn between the vicious yet simple laws of the jungle and the rigid laws of man and justice.

Eventually, Tarzan's actions and connections earn him the job as an agent to the ministry of war. Essentially he has become a courier and a spy. He travels across the deserts of northern Africa, finding and helping people in various forms of trouble. He still has a very basic sense of right-and-wrong and tries to impose his will with the same impulsive tactics that worked back in the jungle. His strength and speed help him out of many situations but he continues finds himself conflicted between the laws of men and his own moral code. He also encounters villains who, although they are men, fight with sneaky underhanded means that make Tarzan despise them.

Tarzan's adventures in espionage continue to make him more and more disillusioned about the human race and the more he thinks about Jane, the more he decides that there may be nothing worthwhile for him in this new life he's discovered. A coincidental twist of fate gives Tarzan the opportunity to forsake his human world when he finds himself flung overboard and manages to make it to the shore of Africa and find his way into the jungle where he sheds the constraints of humanity and begins life as the ape man once again.

Back in the jungles of Africa, Tarzan has numerous other crazy adventures. Not only does he face off against wild animals but he also comes to the aid of a tribe (the Waziri) of natives being attacked by a group of ivory raiders. Seeking adventure and learning of a city of treasure, Tarzan goes with the Waziri in search of a lost city. Once there, he has other dangerous adventures and chances to use his strength and cunning. Interacting with the Waziri and the inhabitants of the lost city of Opar, he once again questions the nature of humanity. Meanwhile, the author brings in a parallel story of Jane, Clayton and other friends as they take a cruise around Africa only to meet with disaster that shipwrecks them near the jungle. Numerous coincidences occur and Tarzan must choose whether to return to Jane or remain the ape man in the jungle.

(end of minor spoilers)

From a plot standpoint, the novel works a little bit like two novellas strung together. First we have the adventures of Tarzan in France and as an agent for the war ministry in Northern Africa. Then we have the adventures of Tarzan as he returns to the jungles of Africa. The interlude between these two adventures would have served as a sort of cliffhanger had the book truly been split into two but it could make a nice break point for a reader.

However, the two stories work well together and serve as a good exploration of human nature as we see Tarzan struggling to come to grips with the life of civilized man versus the life of the ape man in the jungle. While some of the mindsets are a bit outdated (especially in terms of the role of women and blacks), many of the insights that Tarzan explores are intriguing and relevant today. The main idea that plagues Tarzan is that "civilized" mankind can act with such malice and depravity while uncivilized humans or animals can act with some sense of nobility and propriety. And yet, behind all of these more "noble" concerns about humanity, Tarzan's main reason for wanting to shun the civilized world is because he cannot have the object of his affection, Jane Porter. So in the end, this adventure novel is also a love story and it shows the driving force that love (and other emotions) can be in the actions of man.

Overall I felt like I enjoyed this novel more than the first one but at the same time it's difficult to compare the two because they are quite different in terms of tone and the way the story works out. I really had fun with both of them. I'm still not sure how much farther I'll go through the 24 Tarzan novels, but if they continue with the trend of this second book, it looks like the series will continue with good quality.

****
3.5 out of 5 stars show less