Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by
Edgar Rice BurroughsEdgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
, the first in a series of books about the title character
TarzanTarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by fictional great apes, who later returns to civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
. It was first published in the
pulp magazinePulp magazines were inexpensive fiction magazines. They were widely published from 1896 through the 1950s. The term pulp fiction can also refer to mass market paperbacks since the 1950s....
All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. So popular was the character that Burroughs continued the series into the 1940s with two dozen sequels.
The novel tells the story of John Clayton, born in the western coastal
jungleA jungle is usually a dense forest in a hot climate, such as a tropical rainforest. The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which refers to uncultivated land, among other meanings. The term is prevalent in many languages of the Indian subcontinent and particularly Urdu and Hindi...
s of equatorial
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
to a marooned couple from
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, John and Alice (Rutherford) Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke.
Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by
Edgar Rice BurroughsEdgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
, the first in a series of books about the title character
TarzanTarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by fictional great apes, who later returns to civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
. It was first published in the
pulp magazinePulp magazines were inexpensive fiction magazines. They were widely published from 1896 through the 1950s. The term pulp fiction can also refer to mass market paperbacks since the 1950s....
All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. So popular was the character that Burroughs continued the series into the 1940s with two dozen sequels.
Plot summary
The novel tells the story of John Clayton, born in the western coastal
jungleA jungle is usually a dense forest in a hot climate, such as a tropical rainforest. The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which refers to uncultivated land, among other meanings. The term is prevalent in many languages of the Indian subcontinent and particularly Urdu and Hindi...
s of equatorial
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
to a marooned couple from
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, John and Alice (Rutherford) Clayton, Lord and Lady Greystoke. Adopted as an infant by the she-ape
KalaKala is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in the Walt Disney-produced animated movie Tarzan based on it....
after his parents died (his father is killed by the savage king ape
KerchakKerchak is a fictional ape character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's original Tarzan novel, Tarzan of the Apes, and in the Walt Disney-produced animated movie Tarzan based on it.-History:...
), Clayton is named "Tarzan" ("White Skin" in the
ape languageMangani is the name of a fictional species of great apes in the Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, as well as the invented language used by these apes. In the invented language, "Mangani" is the word by which the apes refer to their own kind...
) and raised in ignorance of his human heritage.
Feeling alienated from his peers due to their physical differences, he discovers his true parents' cabin, where he first learns of others like himself in their books, with which he eventually teaches himself to read.
On his return from one visit to the cabin, he is attacked by a huge gorilla which he manages to kill with his father's knife, although he is terribly wounded in the struggle. As he grows up, Tarzan becomes a skilled hunter, gradually arousing the jealousy of Kerchak, the ape leader.
Later, a tribe of black Africans settles in the area, and Kala is killed by one of its hunters. Avenging himself on the killer, Tarzan begins an antagonistic relationship with the tribe, raiding its village for weapons and practicing cruel pranks on them. They, in turn, regard him as an evil spirit and attempt to placate him.
The twelve short stories Burroughs wrote later and collected as
Jungle Tales of TarzanJungle Tales of Tarzan is a collection of twelve loosely-connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series about the title character Tarzan...
occur in the period immediately following the arrival of the natives, the killing of Kala, and Tarzan's vengeance.
Finally Tarzan has amassed so much credit among the apes of the tribe that the envious Kerchak at last attacks him. In the ensuing battle Tarzan kills Kerchak and takes his place as "king" of the apes.
Subsequently, a new party of whites is marooned on the coast, including
Jane PorterJane Porter is a major character in Edgar Rice Burroughs's series of Tarzan novels, and in adaptations of the saga to other media, particularly film.- In the novels :...
, the first white woman Tarzan has ever seen. Tarzan's cousin, William Cecil Clayton, unwitting usurper of the ape man's ancestral English estate, is also among the party. Tarzan spies on the newcomers, aids them, and saves Jane from the perils of the jungle. Absent when they are rescued, he is introduced further into the mysteries of civilization by French Naval Officer Paul D'Arnot, whom he saves from the natives. D'Arnot teaches Tarzan French and how to behave among white men, as well as serving as his guide to the nearest colonial outposts.
Ultimately, Tarzan travels to Jane's native
Baltimore, MarylandBaltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding...
only to find that she is now in the woods of
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
. Tarzan finally meets Jane in Wisconsin where they renew their acquaintance and he learns the bitter news that she has become engaged to William Clayton. Meanwhile, clues from his parents' cabin have enabled D'Arnot to prove Tarzan's true identity. Instead of claiming his inheritance, Tarzan chooses rather to conceal and renounce his heritage for the sake of Jane's happiness.
Film adaptations
Burroughs' novel has been the basis of several movies. The first two were the silent films
Tarzan of the ApesTarzan of the Apes is a silent, black and white action adventure film directed by Scott Sidney starring Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, George B. French and Gordon Griffith. The movie was the first Tarzan movie ever made, and is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' original novel Tarzan of the Apes...
(1918) and
The Romance of TarzanThe Romance of Tarzan is a silent, black and white action adventure film directed by Wilfred Lucas starring Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, Thomas Jefferson and Cleo Madison. The movie was the second Tarzan movie ever made, and is based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' original novel Tarzan of the Apes...
(1918), both starring
Elmo LincolnElmo Lincoln was an American film actor.Born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt, the barrel-chested actor is best known in his silent movie role as the first Tarzan in 1918's Tarzan of the Apes...
as Tarzan, based on the first and second parts of the novel, respectively. The next and most famous adaptation was
Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), starring
Johnny WeissmullerJohnny Weissmuller was an Austro-Hungarian-born American swimmer and actor who was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records...
, who went on to star in eleven other Tarzan films. It was remade twice, as
Tarzan, the Ape ManTarzan, the Ape Man is an action adventure film starring Denny Miller as Tarzan, Joanna Barnes as Jane, Cesare Danova, and Robert Douglas. The movie is loosely based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel Tarzan of the Apes, and is a remake of the classic 1932 film of the same name. The movie was...
(1959), featuring Denny Miller, and
Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981), with
Miles O'KeeffeMiles O'Keeffe is a television and movie actor. O'Keeffe got his first big break playing the title role in the 1981 version of Tarzan, the Ape Man....
as Tarzan and
Bo Derek-Early life:Derek was born Mary Cathleen Collins in Long Beach, California. She is of Irish, German, Dutch and Welsh descent. Her father is Paul Collins, a Hobie Cat executive. Her mother is Norma Collins, hairdresser to Ann-Margret. After the parents divorced, Norma Collins married American stunt...
as Jane. Three more movie adaptations have been made to date;
Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the ApesGreystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes is a 1984 British film directed by Hugh Hudson and based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel Tarzan of the Apes...
(1984), a film starring
Christopher LambertChristophe Guy Denis Lambert , known as Christopher Lambert, is an American-born French actor. He is best known for his role as Connor MacLeod, or simply "The Highlander", from the movie and subsequent movie franchise series of the same name...
that is more faithful to the book,
Tarzan of the ApesTarzan of the Apes is an animated musical adventure film produced by Diane Eskenazi and Darcy Wright and written by Mark Young . Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries was used as the score during the opening scenes of the film...
(1999), a direct to video animated film, and
TarzanTarzan is a 1999 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on June 18, 1999. The thirty-seventh film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, it is based on the story Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and is the only major...
(1999), a Disney animated film with
Tony GoldwynAnthony Howard "Tony" Goldwyn is an American actor and director. He portrayed the villain Carl Bruner in Ghost, Kendall Dobbs in Designing Women and the voice of the title character of the Disney animated Tarzan and Kingdom Hearts.-Personal life:Goldwyn was born in Los Angeles, California, the...
as the voice of Tarzan.
A number of Burroughs' other Tarzan novels have also been adapted for the screen, and numerous additional Tarzan films have been made with no connection to his writings other than the character.
Comic adaptations
The book has been adapted into
comicTarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in 23 sequels. The character proved immensely popular and quickly made the jump to other media, first and most notably to comics and film...
form on a number of occasions, both in the original Tarzan
comic stripA comic strip is a sequence of cartoons that tells a story, often humorous, though adventures and soap opera-like dramas are also prevalent. They are written and drawn by a comics artist or cartoonist, and many are published on a recurring basis in newspapers and on the Internet.In the UK and the...
and
comic bookA comic book is a magazine made up of narrative artwork, often accompanied by dialog and often including brief descriptive prose...
s. The strip itself began with
Hal FosterHarold Rudolf Foster was a Canadian-American cartoonist most famous as the creator of the comic strip Prince Valiant.-Biography:...
's adaptation of the story. Notable adaptations into comic book form include those of
Gold Key ComicsGold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands.-History:Gold Key Comics was created in 1962, when Western switched to in-house publishing rather than packaging content for branding and distribution by its business partner, Dell Comics...
in
Tarzan no. 155 (script by
Gaylord DuBoisGaylord McIlvaine Du Bois , or DuBois In his lifetime he wrote well over 3000 comic book stories and comic strips as well as Big Little Books and juvenile adventure...
, art by
Russ ManningRussell Manning was an American comic book artist who created the series Magnus, Robot Fighter and illustrated such newspaper comic strips as Tarzan and Star Wars...
), dated September 1966 (reprinted in no. 178, dated October 1969),
DC ComicsDC Comics is one of the largest and most popular American comic book and related media companies, along with Marvel Comics. It is the publishing division of DC Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. Entertainment...
in
Tarzan nos. 207-210, dated April-July 1972, and
MarvelMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
in
Tarzan Super Special no. 1 (reprinted in
Tarzan of the Apes nos. 1-2, dated July-August 1984). Probably the most prestigious comic version, however, was illustrator and former
Tarzan comic strip artist
Burne HogarthBurne Hogarth was an American cartoonist, illustrator, educator, author and theoretician, best known for his pioneering work on the Tarzan newspaper comic strip and his series of anatomy books.-Biography:...
's 1972 adaptation of the first half of the book into his showcase graphic novel
Tarzan of the Apes. (Hogarth subsequently followed up with another graphic novel
Jungle Tales of Tarzan (1976), which adapted four stories from Burroughs'
identically titled collectionJungle Tales of Tarzan is a collection of twelve loosely-connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, comprising the sixth book in order of publication in his series about the title character Tarzan...
of Tarzan stories).
Copyright
The
copyrightCopyright is a form of intellectual property that gives the author of an original work exclusive right for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution and adaptation, after which time the work is said to enter the public domain...
for this novel has expired in the United States and, thus, now resides in the
public domainThe public domain is a range of abstract materials—commonly referred to as intellectual property—which are not owned or controlled by anyone. The term indicates that these materials are therefore "public property", and available for anyone to use for any purpose...
there. The text is available via
Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain...
.
External links