The Many Lives of Tarzan

Fans of all ages have been entertained for decades with stories of the mighty Tarzan, but with so many adaptations of the character it may be hard to pinpoint his origins.

Tarzan was created by author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who was also quite known for creating the much loved character John Carter, among others. Tarzan of the Apes, published in 1912, served as the world’s introduction to the character and Burroughs would pen 25 sequels before his death. Countless others would borrow Tarzan to tell his tale, be it authorized or not, making Tarzan one of the most widely recognizable characters in literary fiction.

As the story goes, at the tender age of one Tarzan and his parents, a British lord and lady, were marooned on the Atlantic coast of Africa by mutineers. Tarzan’s mother would perish in the incident, while his father would die at the hands of Kerchak, the leader of the ape tribe who would later adopt the boy. Raised by apes, Tarzan, once known as John Clayton, would lose his connection to humanity until a young woman named Jane Porter would find herself marooned, alongside her father and members of their crew, on the same part of the coast. When Jane left the island Tarzan did as well in search of his love, and the two would eventually marry.

Although the main plot devices and characters remain largely unchanged, the story of Tarzan has seen countless adaptations in the worlds of radio, television, film, novels, and comic books, each adaptation bringing its own unique tone to the timeless tale.

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