Tarzan

for Tarzan and the Golden Lion Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in one of the Congolian rainforests by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first appeared in the novel Tarzan of the Apes (magazine publication 1912, book publication 1914), and subsequently in 23 sequels, several books by Burroughs and other authors, and innumerable works in other media, both authorized and unauthorized.

for Tarzan and the Golden Lion]] Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in one of the Congolian rainforests by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first appeared in the novel Tarzan of the Apes (magazine publication 1912, book publication 1914), and subsequently in 23 sequels, several books by Burroughs and other authors, and innumerable works in other media, both authorized and unauthorized.

Jane

As an 18-year-old, Tarzan meets a young American woman from Baltimore, Maryland named Jane Porter. She, her father, and others of their party are marooned on the same coastal jungle area where Tarzan's human parents were 20 years earlier. When Jane returns to Maryland, Tarzan leaves the jungle in search of her, his one true love. In The Return of Tarzan, Tarzan and Jane marry. In later books, he lives with her for a time in England. They have one son, Jack, who takes the ape name Korak (the Killer). Tarzan is contemptuous of what he sees as the hypocrisy of civilization, so Jane and he return to sub-Saharan Africa, making their home on an extensive estate in British East Africa that becomes a base for Tarzan's later adventures. As revealed in Tarzan's Quest, Tarzan, Jane, Tarzan's monkey friend Nkima, and their allies gained some of the Kavuru's pills that grant immortality to their consumer.

Physical abilities

.]] Tarzan's jungle upbringing gives him abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans. These include climbing, clinging, and leaping as well as any great ape. He uses branches, swings from vines to travel at great speed, and can use his feet like hands (he prefers going barefoot because he relies on the flexibility of bare feet), a skill acquired among the anthropoid apes. Tarzan has exceptional strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, and swimming skills. He uses his abilities and power to wrestle dangerous animals like apes, gorillas, leopards, lions, pythons, and crocodiles. There are situations where he has even fought larger creatures like rhinos, tigers, sharks, giant seahorses, and dinosaurs in the Pellucidar era. Tarzan is also a skilled tracker who uses his sharp hearing and sense of smell to follow prey and avoid predators.

Unauthorized works

After Burroughs's death, a number of writers produced new Tarzan stories. In some instances, the estate managed to prevent publication of such works. The most notable example in the United States was a series of five novels by the pseudonymous "Barton Werper" that appeared 1964¹–65 by Gold Star Books (part of Charlton Comics). As a result of legal action by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., they were taken off the market. Similar series appeared in other countries, notably Argentina, Israel, and some Arab countries.

Modern fiction

In 1972, science-fiction author Philip José Farmer wrote Tarzan Alive, a biography of Tarzan using the frame device that he was a real person. In Farmer's fictional universe, Tarzan, along with Doc Savage and Sherlock Holmes, are the cornerstones of the Wold Newton family. Farmer wrote two novels, Hadon of Ancient Opar and Flight to Opar, set in the distant past and giving further knowledge of the antecedents of the lost city of Opar, which plays an important role in the Tarzan books. In addition, Farmer's A Feast Unknown, and its two sequels Lord of the Trees and The Mad Goblin, are pastiches of the Tarzan and Doc Savage stories, with the premise that they tell the story of the real characters upon which the fictional characters are based. A Feast Unknown is somewhat infamous among Tarzan and Doc Savage fans for its graphic violence and sexual content.

Tarzan in other media

as Tarzan in the film serial Tarzan the Fearless]]

Film

The first Tarzan films were silent pictures adapted from the original Tarzan novels, which appeared within a few years of the character's creation. The first actor to portray the adult Tarzan was Elmo Lincoln in 1918's film Tarzan of the Apes. With the advent of talking pictures, a popular Tarzan film franchise was developed, lasting from the 1930s through the 1960s. Starting with Tarzan the Ape Man in 1932 through twelve films until 1948, the franchise was anchored by former Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller in the title role. Tarzan films from the 1930s on often featured Tarzan's chimpanzee companion Cheeta, his consort Jane (not usually given a last name), and an adopted son, usually known only as "Boy." However, productions by Sy Weintraub from 1959 onward dropped the character of Jane and portrayed Tarzan as a lone adventurer. Later Tarzan films have been occasional and somewhat idiosyncratic. There were also several serials and features that competed with the main franchise, including Tarzan the Fearless (1933) starring Buster Crabbe and The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935) starring Herman Brix. The latter serial was unique for its period in that it was partially filmed on location (Guatemala) and portrayed Tarzan as educated. It was the only Tarzan film project for which Burroughs was personally involved in the production. Weissmuller and his immediate successors were enjoined to portray the ape-man as a noble savage speaking broken English, in marked contrast to the cultured aristocrat of Edgar Rice Burroughs's novels (the pidgin English being more linguistically plausible). With the exception of Burroughs's co-produced The New Adventures of Tarzan, this "me Tarzan, you Jane" characterization of Tarzan persisted until the late 1950s, when Weintraub, having bought the film rights from producer Sol Lesser, produced Tarzan's Greatest Adventure (1959) followed by eight other films and a television series. The Weintraub productions portray a Tarzan that is closer to Burroughs's original concept in the novels: a jungle lord who speaks grammatical English and is well educated and familiar with civilization. Most Tarzan films made before the mid-1950s were black-and-white films shot on studio sets, with stock jungle footage edited in. The Weintraub productions from 1959 on were shot in foreign locations and were in color. More recently, Tarzan, the Ape Man, starring Miles O'Keeffe and Bo Derek, was released in 1981¹. Tony Goldwyn voiced Tarzan in Disney's animated film of the same name, released in 1999¹ (making it the first major animated motion picture to star the Ape Man) and his ape family were portrayed as gorillas in the film. This version marked a new beginning for the ape man, taking its inspiration equally from Burroughs and the 1984 live-action film Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. Since Greystoke, two additional live-action Tarzan films have been released, 1998¹'s Tarzan and the Lost City and 2016's The Legend of Tarzan, both period pieces that drew inspiration from Edgar Rice Burroughs's writings.

Radio

Tarzan was the hero of two popular radio programs in the United States. The first aired from 1932 to 1936 with James Pierce in the role of Tarzan. The second ran from 1951 to 1953 with Lamont Johnson in the title role. The Tarzan book series was later modernized and parodied in an authorized 2021 golden-age radio styled podcast program entitled The Adventures of Tarzan, produced by the Freshly Squeezed Pulp comedy troupe of Duke University.

Stage

A 1921 Broadway production of Tarzan of The Apes starred Ronald Adair as Tarzan and Ethel Dwyer as Jane Porter. In 1976, Richard O'Brien wrote a musical entitled T. Zee, loosely based on Tarzan but restyled in a rock idiom. Tarzan, a musical stage adaptation of the 1999 animated feature, opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway on May 10, 2006¹, and closed on July 8, 2007. The show, a Disney Theatrical production, was directed and designed by Bob Crowley. The same version of Tarzan that was played at the Richard Rodgers Theatre is being played throughout Europe and has been a huge success in the Netherlands. Tarzan also appeared in the Tarzan Rocks! show at the Theatre in the Wild at Walt Disney World Resort's Disney's Animal Kingdom. Although the show closed in 2006, Tarzan, Jane Porter and Terk remain popular meetable characters at the Disney Parks and Resorts, and can be found in Adventureland, and at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Video games

A computer game with the title Tarzan, licensed from Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc., was produced by Martech in 1986¹ for the Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MSX, and ZX Spectrum. A game under the title Tarzan Goes Ape, with little connection to the franchise, was released in 1991¹ for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum by Codemasters. Disney's Tarzan had seen video games released for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color. Followed by: Disney's Tarzan Untamed for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and GameCube Disney's Tarzan: Return to the Jungle for the Game Boy Advance. The Disney incarnation of Tarzan appears in the PS2 game Kingdom Hearts, with Goldwyn reprising his role from the film. In the first Rayman, a Tarzanesque version of Rayman named Tarayzan appears in the Dream Forest.

Comics

Tarzan of the Apes was adapted in newspaper-strip form in early 1929, with illustrations by Hal Foster. A full-page Sunday strip began March 15, 1931, by Rex Maxon. Over the years, many artists have drawn the Tarzan comic strip, notably Burne Hogarth, Russ Manning, and Mike Grell. The daily strip began to reprint old dailies after Manning's last daily (#10,308; publ. July 29, 1972). The Sunday strip also turned to reprints . Both strips continue as reprints today in a few newspapers and in Comics Revue magazine. NBM Publishing did a high quality reprint series of the Foster and Hogarth work on Tarzan in a series of hardback and paperback reprints in the 1990s. Tarzan has appeared in many comic books from numerous publishers over the years. The character's earliest comic book appearances were in comic strip reprints published in several titles, such as Sparkler, Tip Top Comics and Single Series. Western Publishing published Tarzan in Dell Comics's Four Color Comics #134 & 161 in 1947¹, before giving him his own series, Tarzan, published through Dell Comics and later Gold Key Comics from January–February 1948 to February 1972; many of these issues adapted Burroughs's novels. DC took over the series in 1972, publishing Tarzan #207–258 from April 1972 to February 1977, including work by Joe Kubert. In 1977, the series moved to Marvel Comics, who restarted the numbering rather than assuming those of the previous publishers. Marvel issued Tarzan #1–29 (as well as three Annuals), from June 1977 to October 1979, mainly by John Buscema. Following the conclusion of the Marvel series the character had no regular comic-book publisher for a number of years. During this period, Blackthorne Comics published Tarzan in 1986, and Malibu Comics published Tarzan comics in 1992. Dark Horse Comics has published various Tarzan series from 1996¹ to the present, including reprints of works from previous publishers like Gold Key and DC, and joint projects with other publishers featuring crossovers with other characters. There have also been a number of different comic book projects from other publishers over the years, in addition to various minor appearances of Tarzan in other comic books. The Japanese manga series Jungle no Ouja Ta-chan (Jungle King Tar-chan) by Tokuhiro Masaya was based loosely on Tarzan. Also, manga "god" Osamu Tezuka created a Tarzan manga in 1948 entitled Tarzan no Himitsu Kichi (Tarzan's Secret Base).

Cultural influence

Popular culture

Tarzan is often used as a nickname to indicate a similarity between a person's characteristics and that of the fictional character. Individuals with an exceptional 'ape-like' ability to climb, cling and leap beyond that of ordinary humans may often receive the nickname 'Tarzan'. Examples are retired American baseball players pitcher Roy Parmelee and outfielder Joe Wallis The Australian ocean rower and bushman Michael 'Tarzan' Fomenko, who lived an unconventional outdoor life, was given the nickname in the 1950s. Comedian Carol Burnett was often prompted by her audiences to perform her trademark Tarzan yell. She explained that it originated in her youth when she and a friend watched a Tarzan movie.

Tarzan and Pellucidar main series chronology

Tarzan of the Apes, Chapters 1 to 11 (1912) Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1919) "Tarzan's First Love" (1916) "The Capture of Tarzan" (1916) "The Fight for the Balu" (1916) "The God of Tarzan" (1916) "Tarzan and the Black Boy" (1917) "The Witch-Doctor Seeks Vengeance" (1917) "The End of Bukawai" (1917) "The Lion" (1917) "The Nightmare" (1917) "The Battle for Teeka" (1917) "A Jungle Joke" (1917) "Tarzan Rescues the Moon" (1917) Tarzan of the Apes, Chapters 11 to 28 (1912) The Return of Tarzan (1913) The Beasts of Tarzan (1914) (Ebook) (Audiobook) At the Earth's Core (1914) The Son of Tarzan, Chapters 1 to 12 (1915) (Ebook) (Audiobook) Pellucidar (1915) Tarzan and the Forbidden City (1938) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916) (Ebook) (Audiobook) The Son of Tarzan Chapters 13 to 27 (1915) (Ebook) (Audiobook) "The Eternal Lover" (The Eternal Lover AKA "The Eternal Savage" Part 1, Chapters 1 to 13) All-Story Weekly, March 7, 1914 "The Mad King" (The Mad King Part 1, Chapters 1 to 12) All-Story Weekly March 21, 1914 "Sweetheart Primeval" (The Eternal Lover AKA "The Eternal Savage" Part 2, Chapters 14 to 28) All-Story Weekly, Jan.–Feb. 1915 "Barney Custer of Beatrice" (The Mad King Part 2, Chapters 13 to 27) All-Story Weekly, August 1915 Tarzan the Untamed (1920) (Ebook) "Tarzan and the Huns" (also cited as "Part 1: Tarzan the Untamed," 1919) "Tarzan and the Valley of Luna" (also cited as "Part 2: Tarzan the Untamed," 1920) Tarzan the Terrible (1921) (Ebook) (Audiobook) Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1922, 1923) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924) (Ebook) Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins (1963; for younger readers) "The Tarzan Twins" (1927) (Ebook ) "Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins and Jad-Bal-Ja the Golden Lion" (1936) (Ebook ) Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1927, 1928) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Lost Empire (1928) (Ebook ) Tanar of Pellucidar (1929) Tarzan at the Earth's Core (1929) (Ebook) Tarzan the Invincible (1930, 1931) (Ebook) Tarzan Triumphant (1931) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the City of Gold (1932) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Lion Man (1933, 1934) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Leopard Men (1935) (Ebook) Tarzan's Quest (1935, 1936) (Ebook ) Tarzan the Magnificent (1939) (Ebook) "Tarzan and the Magic Men" (1936) Back to the Stone Age (1937) Tarzan and the Elephant Men" (1937–1938) Tarzan and the Champion" (1940) Tarzan and the Jungle Murders" (1940) Tarzan and the Madman (1940) - (first published 1964) Tarzan and the Castaways (1941) (Ebook ) Land of Terror (1944) Tarzan and the Foreign Legion (1947) (Ebook ) Savage Pellucidar (1963) "The Return to Pellucidar" "Men of the Bronze Age" "Tiger Girl" "Savage Pellucidar" Tarzan: the Lost Adventure (c. 1940s; unfinished – 16 chapters, 83 pages; revised and completed by Joe R. Lansdale, 1995)

Bibliography

By Edgar Rice Burroughs

Tarzan of the Apes (1912) The Return of Tarzan (1913) The Beasts of Tarzan (1914) (Ebook) (Audiobook) The Son of Tarzan (1915) (Ebook) (Audiobook) Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (1916) (Ebook) (Audiobook) Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1919) "Tarzan's First Love" (1916) "The Capture of Tarzan" (1916) "The Fight for the Balu" (1916) "The God of Tarzan" (1916) "Tarzan and the Black Boy" (1917) "The Witch-Doctor Seeks Vengeance" (1917) "The End of Bukawai" (1917) "The Lion" (1917) "The Nightmare" (1917) "The Battle for Teeka" (1917) "A Jungle Joke" (1917) "Tarzan Rescues the Moon" (1917) Tarzan the Untamed (1920) (Ebook) "Tarzan and the Huns" (also cited as "Part 1: Tarzan the Untamed," 1919) "Tarzan and the Valley of Luna" (also cited as "Part 2: Tarzan the Untamed," 1920) Tarzan the Terrible (1921) (Ebook) (Audiobook) Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1922, 1923) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Ant Men (1924) (Ebook) Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle (1927, 1928) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Lost Empire (1928) (Ebook ) Tarzan at the Earth's Core (1929) (Ebook) Tarzan the Invincible (1930, 1931) (Ebook) Tarzan Triumphant (1931) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the City of Gold (1932) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Lion Man (1933, 1934) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Leopard Men (1935) (Ebook) Tarzan's Quest (1935, 1936) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Forbidden City (1938) (Ebook ) Tarzan the Magnificent (1939) (Ebook) "Tarzan and the Magic Men" (1936) "Tarzan and the Elephant Men" (1937–1938) Tarzan and the Foreign Legion (1947) (Ebook ) Tarzan and the Madman (1964) Tarzan and the Castaways (1965) "Tarzan and the Castaways" (1941) (Ebook ) "Tarzan and the Champion" (1940) "Tarzan and the Jungle Murders" (1940) Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins (1963, for younger readers) "The Tarzan Twins" (1927) (Ebook ) "Tarzan and the Tarzan Twins and Jad-Bal-Ja the Golden Lion" (1936) (Ebook ) Tarzan: The Lost Adventure (unfinished) (revised and completed by Joe R. Lansdale) (1995)

By other authors

Maude Robinson Toombs wrote a novelization of the film serial The Adventures of Tarzan published as a 15-part serial for newspapers in 1921, it was collected and published as a released as a trade-paperback ( ) by ERBville Press in January 2006. Arthur B. Reeve wrote a novelization of the film serial Tarzan the Mighty published as a 15-part serial for newspapers in 1928, it was collected and published as a released as a trade-paperback ( ) by ERBville Press in 2005¹. Barton Werper – these novels by the pseudonymous "Barton Werper" were never authorized by the Burroughs estate, were taken off the market and remaining copies destroyed. Tarzan and the Silver Globe (1964), the novel was rewritten as "Zamba and the Silver Globe" ( ) and published by ERBville Press in October 2014¹. Tarzan and the Cave City (1964) Tarzan and the Snake People (1964) Tarzan and the Abominable Snowmen (1965) Tarzan and the Winged Invaders (1965) Fritz Leiber – the first novel authorized by the Burroughs estate, and numbered as the 25th book in the Tarzan series. Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966) Philip José Farmer (also wrote a novel based on his own fascination with Tarzan, entitled Lord Tyger, and translated the novel Tarzan of the Apes into Esperanto). Tarzan Alive (1972) a fictional biography of Tarzan (here Lord Greystoke), which is one of the two foundational books (along with Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life) of the Wold Newton family. The Adventure of the Peerless Peer (1974) Sherlock Holmes goes to Africa and meets Tarzan. The Dark Heart of Time (1999) this novel was specifically authorized by the Burroughs estate, and references Tarzan by name rather than just by inference. The story is set between Tarzan the Untamed and Tarzan the Terrible. R. A. Salvatore Tarzan: The Epic Adventures (1996) an authorized novel based on the pilot episode of the series of the same name. Stuart J. Byrne (as John Bloodstone) Tarzan on Mars (1955) is a crossover of the Tarzan series and the Barsoom series, John Carter's adventures on Mars. Byrne did not obtain a license to publish the novel, which had unauthorized editions. New Tarzan Publisher Faber and Faber, with the backing of the Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., have updated the series through author Andy Briggs. In 2011, Briggs published the first of the books Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy. In 2012 he published the second book Tarzan: The Jungle Warrior, and in 2013¹, he has published the third book Tarzan: The Savage Lands.

See also

Ape Enkidu Feral child Mowgli Jungle girl - fictional characters, female versions of Tarzan Rima, a jungle girl character who predates Tarzan

References

Further reading

Egan, Sean. 2017. Tarzan: The Biography. London: Askill Publishing. . Wannamaker, Annette, and Michelle Ann Abate, eds. 2012. Global Perspectives on Tarzan: From King of the Jungle to International Icon. 216 pages. (Includes studies by scholars from the United States, Australia, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands, Germany, and France.)

External links

Edgar Rice Burroughs tribute Tarzan eBooks by Project Gutenberg Empire magazine Tarzan centenary feature For an appraisal of Tarzan films in movies vs films section. Works by or about ERB at the HathiTrust

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