Tarzan

Tarzan
Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · source
Name	Tarzan
First	"Tarzan of the Apes" (novel)
Creator	Edgar Rice Burroughs
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Occupation	Adventurer
Nationality	American

Tarzan is a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs who first appeared in the novel "Tarzan of the Apes". Originating in early 20th-century pulp magazine serialization and later in book form, the character became central to a multimedia franchise spanning novel, film, television, radio, comic strip, stage play, and video game incarnations. Tarzan's narratives intersect with themes in Victorian literature, American literature, colonialism, evolution, and popular culture while engaging with contemporaneous figures such as Rudyard Kipling, H. Rider Haggard, Arthur Conan Doyle, Joseph Conrad, and institutions like Argosy (magazine) and All-Story Magazine.

Creation and Publication

Edgar Rice Burroughs conceived the character during the period of the Spanish–American War aftermath and wrote the first story for All-Story Magazine in 1912, later published as "Tarzan of the Apes" by A. C. McClurg in 1914; contemporaries in pulp fiction included Sax Rohmer, Zane Grey, Richard Connell, and O. Henry. Subsequent sequels and short stories appeared in publishers and periodicals such as Blue Book Magazine, The Argosy, and Munsey's Magazine, and were later compiled by houses including Grosset & Dunlap, Ballantine Books, and Del Rey Books. Burroughs managed the character through his own enterprise, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., coordinating rights with studios like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, RKO Radio Pictures, and Walt Disney Pictures across decades. The franchise's publication history intersects with legal disputes involving firms such as United Artists and Goldwyn Pictures and with international translations mediated by publishers like Penguin Books and HarperCollins.

Character Biography

Born John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke, in the late 19th century to aristocratic parents linked to British peerage and imperial travel, the character is orphaned in West Africa and reared by an ape tribe led by a female ape named Kala; the backstory evokes themes from explorers like David Livingstone, Henry Morton Stanley, and accounts of African exploration. Raised amid flora and fauna that parallel observations by naturalists such as Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Carl Linnaeus, the character masters physical skills and animal communication, later encountering figures from European colonial administration, American explorers, and titles like Jane Porter, who appears from an American expeditionary party influenced by narratives akin to H. Rider Haggard's heroines. Throughout sequels Tarzan interacts with political entities such as fictional African kingdoms and contested territories reminiscent of incidents involving King Leopold II's Congo Free State and diplomatic episodes like the Scramble for Africa.

Literary Analysis and Themes

Scholars situate the character within debates involving imperialism, race relations, primitivism, and nativism as articulated alongside writers such as Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling; critics from schools including New Historicism, postcolonialism, and cultural studies analyze the texts in relation to events like the Anglo-Zulu War and the ideological currents of Social Darwinism. The novels deploy motifs resonant with romanticism and realism and are examined in comparison with the moral inquiries of Thomas Hobbes, the philosophical anthropology of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and evolutionary theory debates involving Herbert Spencer. Literary criticism frequently references theorists and institutions such as Edward Said, Homi K. Bhabha, Theodore Adorno, Columbia University Press, and journals like Modern Fiction Studies to interrogate representation, gender dynamics linked to characters like Jane Porter, and the depiction of sovereignty and law in extraterritorial settings reminiscent of the Berlin Conference deliberations.

Adaptations (Film, Television, Radio, Comics, Stage, Video Games)

Film adaptations began with silent-era productions by studios including Nestor Film Company and continued through signature portrayals by actors such as Elmo Lincoln, Johnny Weissmuller, Lex Barker, Gordon Scott, and Christopher Lambert under studios like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, RKO, and Warner Bros.; major producers and directors involved include Sol Lesser, Zoltan Korda, John Guillermin, Disney's live-action and animated divisions, and Joel Schumacher. Television versions were produced by networks such as NBC and ABC, with series starring Ron Ely and later adaptations tied to companies like ITC Entertainment and broadcasters including BBC Television and Cartoon Network. Radio dramatizations aired on networks including NBC Red Network and Mutual Broadcasting System featuring voice actors associated with programs like Theater of the Air. Comic-strip and comic-book incarnations appeared in syndicates and publishers including Newspaper Enterprise Association, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Dark Horse Comics, with artists and writers contemporary to Joe Kubert, Burne Hogarth, and Bob Lubbers. Stage adaptations were mounted in venues ranging from Broadway houses to touring companies, produced by impresarios akin to Florenz Ziegfeld-style theatrical entrepreneurship. Video game adaptations were released on platforms from Atari and Nintendo consoles to PlayStation and Xbox, developed by studios with ties to franchises such as Tomb Raider and licensed by holders including Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc..

Cultural Impact and Legacy

The character influenced subsequent adventure archetypes in American popular culture, impacted creators such as Helena Blavatsky-era occultists via sensational fiction, and shaped visual iconography used by companies like Pudd’nhead Wilson-era illustrators and poster artists at Norman Rockwell-adjacent studios; Tarzan's motifs appear in works by filmmakers John Ford, Howard Hawks, and George Lucas and in novels by Philip José Farmer and Michael Crichton. The franchise has been central to debates in institutions including UNESCO and museums like the British Museum over representation, and it informs academic syllabi at universities such as Oxford University, Harvard University, and Stanford University. Cultural references extend to advertising campaigns by corporations like Ford Motor Company and Coca-Cola, to musical compositions performed at venues like Carnegie Hall, and to legal and licensing precedents adjudicated in courts including the United States District Court and appellate decisions shaping intellectual property practice. The character remains a subject in exhibitions, critical retrospectives, and popular media studies addressing adaptation, reception, and the ongoing reassessment of imperial-era narratives.

Category:Fictional characters