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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
It was so lovely to read the original, after growing up on many translations.
This is one long back-story leading to the rest of the series. It's an interesting read (especially in conjunction with the Barsoom books) to get an idea of Burroughs' philosophies. In the end, though, you really need to read more to get the flavor. This one is almost all exposition.
This book was so funny and it wasn't trying to be. It is an adventure story so that makes it fun to read but Tarzan is too perfect to be real. It is fun to look at the book in a historical perspective (it was written in 1912) and see how the author viewed women and men and all the gender roles that implies. And there is an interesting argument implied in the book about hereditary and its affect on human nature. Because of Tarzan's parentage, he is a noble, intelligent and curious man who just happened to be raised by apes. His environment had no impact upon his inherent heritage. A little silly perhaps, but I do like the idea of inherent worth. Interesting read, nonetheless.
I read this book because my husband wanted to read it and it was one of the books we read together in the car while carpooling to work each day. Despite the racism and sexism that I put off to characteristics of the time in which it was written, it was actually a fairly well-written story. At the end we found ourselves not wanting to stop reading. It was a page-turner (or I guess in Kindle terms it was a screen-advancer). ;-) I will admit it was a fun read.
Not everyones cup of tea but I enjoyed it. It had a good pace to it while having little to no dull parts. Cringed qt the psychological ideas and how it wasnt very scientific accurate but still good enough to finish. 100% not the same as Disneys version ha ha
I enjoyed this book for the most part; it reads for what it is, a Victorian potboiler, a silly and at times offensive action lark featuring the man who has become a pop culture icon of sorts, a joke and a genre. Much like Stoker's Dracula, I suspect the plot and premise of Tarzan is one many think they're familiar with but may not actually know -- myself being one. In fact, after waiting around for Shere Khan to show up, I realized I was conflating this book with Kipling's The Jungle Book.
Burroughs opens the novel with some unnamed narrator telling us a story someone told him, which, I'll be honest, is one of my least favorite 'old timey' devices for setting up a story. Thankfully, Burroughs drops it quickly in favor of just telling the story directly, which is this: An English couple -- the Greystokes -- are abandoned by their murderous crew en route to a posting in Africa. Lord Greystoke, despite being an English peer with no wilderness survival training, manages to create an astounding little bungalow hideaway for himself and his now-pregnant wife. Then they die dramatically, leaving their infant heir to be raised by apes. Tarzan, as he's named, thrives among the apes, and through some improbable circumstances, teaches himself to read, and shoot with a bow and arrow, etc. When Tarzan is in his 20s, Professor and Jane Porter are stranded on the very same beach Tarzan's parents were, with Tarzan's cousin, the new Lord Greystoke. There's a dramatic meeting of the savage white man, lots of amazement, more racism, Tarzan's acquisition of the English language, is he/isn't he heir to the Greystoke fortune, budding romance, and transatlantic travel. It's an excess of ridiculous circumstances and over-the-top encounters, written plainly, and is entertaining -- to a point.
Whatever is fun about Tarzan's story was, however, negated by the racism in this novel. Regardless of whether it was 'appropriate for the time', Burroughs has people of color in this novel be evil, baseless, cowardly, and flat caricatures. It was discomforting for me, and to ignore it or accept it felt gross. I mean, Tarzan's preferred choice for killing African tribesman was by way of a dropped noose -- which read too much like a lynching every time he then strung them up on a tree. How do you ignore that? I couldn't.
The Introduction by Thomas Mallon is kind of a throwaway; in it, he sounds a bit like a family friend setting you up on a blind date ('He's awkward around women, and can be a bit weird on race; he chews with his mouth open; but he's really well-meaning and...') and so, when you complain that your date is awkward around women and is weird on race and chews with his mouth open, etc. he can simply say, 'Well, I warned you.' So...
I wouldn't have picked this up were it not for my keen interest in Robin Maxwell's upcoming Jane, in which she takes on Tarzan's love interest, Jane Porter. While I suspect Maxwell's novel doesn't depend on a reading of Burroughs', I figured it couldn't hurt.
All that said, this book ends very clearly with a sequel in the works, and I'm a leeeeeetle bit curious. (Just like I'm a teeeeeeeeeeeeeny tiny bit curious to read the sequel to She. Curious and apprehensive.)
Burroughs opens the novel with some unnamed narrator telling us a story someone told him, which, I'll be honest, is one of my least favorite 'old timey' devices for setting up a story. Thankfully, Burroughs drops it quickly in favor of just telling the story directly, which is this: An English couple -- the Greystokes -- are abandoned by their murderous crew en route to a posting in Africa. Lord Greystoke, despite being an English peer with no wilderness survival training, manages to create an astounding little bungalow hideaway for himself and his now-pregnant wife. Then they die dramatically, leaving their infant heir to be raised by apes. Tarzan, as he's named, thrives among the apes, and through some improbable circumstances, teaches himself to read, and shoot with a bow and arrow, etc. When Tarzan is in his 20s, Professor and Jane Porter are stranded on the very same beach Tarzan's parents were, with Tarzan's cousin, the new Lord Greystoke. There's a dramatic meeting of the savage white man, lots of amazement, more racism, Tarzan's acquisition of the English language, is he/isn't he heir to the Greystoke fortune, budding romance, and transatlantic travel. It's an excess of ridiculous circumstances and over-the-top encounters, written plainly, and is entertaining -- to a point.
Whatever is fun about Tarzan's story was, however, negated by the racism in this novel. Regardless of whether it was 'appropriate for the time', Burroughs has people of color in this novel be evil, baseless, cowardly, and flat caricatures. It was discomforting for me, and to ignore it or accept it felt gross. I mean, Tarzan's preferred choice for killing African tribesman was by way of a dropped noose -- which read too much like a lynching every time he then strung them up on a tree. How do you ignore that? I couldn't.
The Introduction by Thomas Mallon is kind of a throwaway; in it, he sounds a bit like a family friend setting you up on a blind date ('He's awkward around women, and can be a bit weird on race; he chews with his mouth open; but he's really well-meaning and...') and so, when you complain that your date is awkward around women and is weird on race and chews with his mouth open, etc. he can simply say, 'Well, I warned you.' So...
I wouldn't have picked this up were it not for my keen interest in Robin Maxwell's upcoming Jane, in which she takes on Tarzan's love interest, Jane Porter. While I suspect Maxwell's novel doesn't depend on a reading of Burroughs', I figured it couldn't hurt.
All that said, this book ends very clearly with a sequel in the works, and I'm a leeeeeetle bit curious. (Just like I'm a teeeeeeeeeeeeeny tiny bit curious to read the sequel to She. Curious and apprehensive.)
3.5 stars. This was pretty different than what I thought it was going to be. It definitely isn't the same as I remember the movie being. It was really enjoyable and I am definitely intrigued to start the second one!
This was the first non-picture book I ever read, probably when I was about five years old. In my youth I think I must have read it a half dozen times, and though I haven't opened it in decades, I still remember it fondly. It started me on a journey of pondering about concepts like nobility, honor, loyalty, and so forth. Subsequently, I read many of the other Tarzan novels written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and then most of the Martian Tales series he wrote ("Warlord of Mars," etc.), and numerous other stand alone novels (such as The Outlaw of Torn, another favorite). I would recommend these for any boy interested in fantasy fiction.
Tarzan was born on the shore of a wild jungle after his parents, Lord and Lady Clayton were left there by themselves. They had hopes that one day the English government would come looking for them but that never happened so they built a home for themselves, something that was sturdy and would keep them safe when wild animals tried to attack. This cabin they called home for 2 years, having a son whilst living there.
It did not take long before tragedy fell upon the Clayton’s. Lady Clayton passed away a year or so after her son was born and Lord Clayton fell victim to a wild predator. All that was left was baby Tarzan and he was rescued by the wild ape, Kala, who took him into her arms even though her tribe and husband did not agree with it.
As Tarzan grew he came upon the tiny cabin and within it he started to realize that he was not the ape that he had been raised as but actually a man. He taught himself to read and write English even though he could not speak it nor had never heard it spoken.
One day, some 20 years later, after the original Clayton’s had arrived on the island a new group, this one a group of American’s arrive on the very same shore. This group held Miss Jane Porter, her father Professor Porter as well as Tarzan’s cousin, Cecil Clayton (though he nor the cousin were aware of this fact).
This group, along with a few other Americans, take refugee in Tarzan’s family cabin and it is through a note that they are originally introduce to the savage man. Later on, Tarzan saves every member of the party in some form or another and when he is saving Jane from a member of his own ape tribe is when she falls in love with him. It should be noted that none of this foreign party are aware that this savage, wild man who is constantly saving them is Tarzan of the Apes.
While Tarzan is out rescuing a fellow of the group from the cannibal village in the jungle, Jane and her party leave, believing that something has happened to Tarzan and their lost companion. This is what spurs Tarzan to leave the jungle and travel first to Paris and then on to America when he will fight to be reunited with Jane.
Along the way he is taught French and how to be a proper gentleman though he never loses his roots or the feeling of being free when he’s flying through the jungle. He makes his way all the way to America and once again saves Miss Porter, this time from a fire. It is during this time that he tries to convince her to marry him, but it seems that she has already promised herself to another.
I’m sure that many of us know the Disney version of Tarzan and that was honestly what I was expecting when I opened this book. Or at least I was expecting a version very very close to this. While some of the characters are the same and the main plot is the same that are so many details are are different and that surprised me.
I throughly loved this book though. It took me a while to get through because I wasn’t sure what to expect so I was reading it as a book of the month while still continuing to read others in between. In the beginning I struggled to read more then a chapter a day but last night I realized I only had about 50 pages left and just plowed through the ending.
This story just had so many different aspects that drew in my attention as a reader. I loved every minute of it and while I am not very happy with the ending I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I am incredibly thankful to my best friend for buying this book for me because she knew I would feel guilty doing it myself. Not only does it look great on my shelf but it is genuinely a great and fantastic read. I highly recommend this book to everyone and not only do I now have this gorgeous book but I get to cross another book off of my Club Classics Reading Challenge.
It did not take long before tragedy fell upon the Clayton’s. Lady Clayton passed away a year or so after her son was born and Lord Clayton fell victim to a wild predator. All that was left was baby Tarzan and he was rescued by the wild ape, Kala, who took him into her arms even though her tribe and husband did not agree with it.
As Tarzan grew he came upon the tiny cabin and within it he started to realize that he was not the ape that he had been raised as but actually a man. He taught himself to read and write English even though he could not speak it nor had never heard it spoken.
One day, some 20 years later, after the original Clayton’s had arrived on the island a new group, this one a group of American’s arrive on the very same shore. This group held Miss Jane Porter, her father Professor Porter as well as Tarzan’s cousin, Cecil Clayton (though he nor the cousin were aware of this fact).
This group, along with a few other Americans, take refugee in Tarzan’s family cabin and it is through a note that they are originally introduce to the savage man. Later on, Tarzan saves every member of the party in some form or another and when he is saving Jane from a member of his own ape tribe is when she falls in love with him. It should be noted that none of this foreign party are aware that this savage, wild man who is constantly saving them is Tarzan of the Apes.
While Tarzan is out rescuing a fellow of the group from the cannibal village in the jungle, Jane and her party leave, believing that something has happened to Tarzan and their lost companion. This is what spurs Tarzan to leave the jungle and travel first to Paris and then on to America when he will fight to be reunited with Jane.
Along the way he is taught French and how to be a proper gentleman though he never loses his roots or the feeling of being free when he’s flying through the jungle. He makes his way all the way to America and once again saves Miss Porter, this time from a fire. It is during this time that he tries to convince her to marry him, but it seems that she has already promised herself to another.
I’m sure that many of us know the Disney version of Tarzan and that was honestly what I was expecting when I opened this book. Or at least I was expecting a version very very close to this. While some of the characters are the same and the main plot is the same that are so many details are are different and that surprised me.
I throughly loved this book though. It took me a while to get through because I wasn’t sure what to expect so I was reading it as a book of the month while still continuing to read others in between. In the beginning I struggled to read more then a chapter a day but last night I realized I only had about 50 pages left and just plowed through the ending.
This story just had so many different aspects that drew in my attention as a reader. I loved every minute of it and while I am not very happy with the ending I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I am incredibly thankful to my best friend for buying this book for me because she knew I would feel guilty doing it myself. Not only does it look great on my shelf but it is genuinely a great and fantastic read. I highly recommend this book to everyone and not only do I now have this gorgeous book but I get to cross another book off of my Club Classics Reading Challenge.