Tarzan of the Apes

by Burroughs, Edgar Rice

Project Gutenberg Release

Project Gutenberg ID

78

Reading Ease

Reading ease score: 76.5 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Rights: Public domain in the USA.

Summary

"Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs is a novel written during the early 20th century that explores themes of survival, identity, and the clash between civilization and nature. The story centers around John Clayton, Lord Greystoke, and his wife, who find themselves marooned on the African coast when their ship, the "Fuwalda", encounters mutiny. After the tragic events that follow their shipwreck, their newly born son, initially abandoned, is raised in the wild by a tribe of apes, leading to his eventual identity as Tarzan, a unique being straddling two worlds. The opening of the novel sets the stage with a dramatic recounting of John Clayton's assignment to Africa, which quickly spirals into chaos as the ship's crew turns mutinous. The Claytons witness firsthand the brutality aboard and eventually face tragedy as they disappear from the civilized world. As they navigate danger, the narrative foreshadows the birth of their son and the perils that await him. After the shipwreck, the tale shifts focus to Tarzan's remarkable upbringing among the apes, showcasing both his challenges and his growing prowess as he learns to adapt to and survive in the jungle. This mix of adventure, survival, and the primacy of instinct captures the reader's imagination, hinting at the evolution of Tarzan and his unique struggle for identity in a world defined by the feral and the civilized. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Metadata

language_code

en

bookshelf

Category: Novels
Category: American Literature
Category: Adventure
Movie Books
Adventure

locc_code

PS

subject

Africa -- Fiction
Adventure stories
Fantasy fiction
Tarzan (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
British -- Africa -- Fiction
Wild men -- Fiction