Jane's Classic Literature Corner!

9/7/2025

Greetings! Do not be alarmed...I did not abandon my otaku nature. However, on occasion I do make an effort to read and explore some of the classic books that don't have beautiful girls or robot illustrations in them. What this means in practice is that I'll read....uh... one classic novel every year. Give or take. I feel it is healthy for my mind to do so, and I've enjoyed this non-tradition for a few years now! I'll talk a little bit about a few of my recent favorites, starting with the latest. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Race-, I mean Rice Burroughs.

Tarzan of the Apes (1912 serial, 1914 novel)

I led myself to Tarzan through my recent resurgent interest in comic book collecting and pulp magazines. Tarzan is quite the popular character through most of the early 20th century, and in many ways I think is a kind of proto-superhero - Tarzan was in the American consciousness over twenty years before Superman! Tarzan does basically have powers...he is right along with characters like The Shadow, who I've also taken a liking to in the past. It would be lying by omission if I didn't mention that I do like the Disney film, which I admittedly haven't seen in a long time.

Tarzan, I discovered, was originally a serialized story in "All Story Magazine", a pulp mag like I just mentioned. You wouldn't know it though just by reading. Tarzan doesn't come off as particularly episodic or low-brow in any way. It is fantastic, but the characters, including Tarzan himself, feel grounded in the real world. It's much more engrossing than I originally anticipated!

A warning before we get any further. There are some racist themes in poor taste in this novel. There is a servant of some sorts who pals around with Jane Porter named Esmerelda who exists only for comic relief and...ugh...well, her manner of speech isn't flattering. A major force in the book is the "Native African cannibal savages", which are four words I really feel shouldn't be next to each other. It is also repeatedly suggested that a lot of Tarzan's discovery of his more human side, juxtaposed against the Africans is...uh, basically he's better because he's white. If you know what you're getting into, I think it can be a very enjoyable read, but you are the ultimate judge of that! There's actually a scene towards the end where Tarzan outright says that we shouldn't judge all black people by the actions of one random drunk guy in France. So, uh, it's really not great about things like that, but you see more racist stuff on Facebook half the time. Your mileage may vary!

Now that we've got that out of the way...

I found myself invested quickly, the initial stranding of Tarzan's parents was told with such detail that I actually forgot about the Tarzan thing for a while. Once that gets going, it's violent! Tarzan fights with a knife and he sure knows how to use it. In-between battles with apes and tigers, Tarzan slowly discovers his origin in his father's cabin in a fashion you might be familiar with. I feel the pacing is what's strong here. We know Tarzan's origin, but watching the mystery unfold with himself and all the other characters is something that lasts the entire book. Usually, that kind of thing is boring, but it's very enjoyable here. For much of the book, Jane Porter, Clayton, and company aren't even sure that this wild ape guy is Tarzan.

It must be said of course that in a weird 1910's way, Jane Porter and Tarzan really are very cute as they instantly fall in love. As well, Clayton, who was very much a Disney villain in that film is not quite so here. He's not a great guy, but he's not actively hunting Tarzan either.

Things really take a turn when Tarzan and exemplary gentleman D'Arnot take themselves back to France. This is the last quarter of the book, which for me as a casual Tarzan-ist, was completely new. It actually reminded me of the 1990's George of the Jungle movie, complete with comedy beats! Still, in the event some other future reader doesn't know about how it all unfolds, I'll spare my comments. I greatly enjoyed the ending, myself. There is a teaser for "RETURN OF TARZAN" as well. I've heard the sequels (of which there are over 20!) is when it gets more pulpy, with Tarzan fighting dinosaurs in lost civilizations and stuff. I may check that out, because watching something go off the rails piques my interest.

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (Jules Verne, 1869 serial, 1872 first English release)

Still my personal favorite of the Adventure novels, Leagues thrives on its two male leads. Sadly, no female characters are to be found here, but the dynamic between scientist Pierre Arronax and enigmatic Captain Nemo is outstanding.

When discussing this book, the topic of various English translations comes up. If you want to read the version that I did, you can do so right here, which I believe is an unabridged edition. Tarzan is also available on the same site, by the way!

The novel has an absolutely wonderful introduction. Pierre writes into the newspapers on reports of a sea monster of some kind (I recall it being a giant squid?). Our hero vehemently defends that the position that sea monsters, or giant specimens, could exist, because we simply do not know everything that exists in the ocean. In 1860, certainly not! I just never expected to see a scientist hero take the position towards the fantastic, and have it be the inciting incident for the story. It's extremely cool, and sets things up with a sense of anticipation. This is all the kickoff to get Monsieur Arronax and two of his buddies, a rowdy Canadian fellow, Ned and servant buddy Conseil on the initial quest. How come I don't have a servant? It seems like everyone did back then.

After things go awry, they are rescued by Captain Nemo and his nearly unimaginable submarine, the Nautilus. If I recall, Jules Verne's submarine predates the actual construction of a submarine by a few years, but it might have one of those things that existed conceptually (like da Vinci's drawings, or something). Still, there is great detail in describing how the Nautilus functions, and in a lot of ways is an early, lovable "mecha", in the way that the alien machines in War of the Worlds are.

It's Captain Nemo who I found myself hanging on every word. Coming from an otaku background, he reminded me a lot of another character I love, Captain Harlock. In the 70's Harlock TV show, you don't really know what his deal is right away, and much is the same with Nemo. They are both somewhat loners, isolated from the rest of the world, but still hold on to a sense of camaraderie and justice. While Harlock's backstory is ultimately revealed, Nemo's is not. This makes everything he says and does of interest. Now, being, there are very, very strong hints as to Nemo's origin, but nothing set in absolute stone. Not in this book, anyway, I believe there is a sequel of some kind.

The tension between the deeply curious, scientific Pierre and the mysterious Nemo, in my view, is very homoromantic. I am being 100% serious about that. Nemo wants an observer, someone to confide more personally in, all the while he is both Pierre's hero and jailer. In one scene, Nemo says "What secrets can there be between men who will never leave each other?" That's steamy! I won't forget that quote as long as I live.

There are many memorable scenes, as well as lots of Pierre looking at fish. Feel free to skim a little bit of that, and there is an extended episode where they encounter "savages" that isn't terribly important. But otherwise, I do highly recommend and enjoy this one. I'll have to check out Journey To The Center Of The Earth at some point.

Anne of Green Gables (1908 novel)

Yet another book you can read from Project Gutenberg (though I've presented a very pretty, modern cover here), Anne of Green Gables is probably the single best of the classic books I have read. There are no mecha or knife fights, but a genuinely timeless story about a girl growing up into her own young woman. It sounds simple, and it is. But come on. It's hard not to tear up repeatedly during this, because it is so precious and feels so real.

Anne has been adapted many many times, including more than one anime adaptation (there was one THIS YEAR!), but unlike Tarzan, I'm not particularly familiar with any of them. Anne is an orphan sent to live with the Cuthberts, who originally wanted a boy to help out on the farm. This sets up adorable expectations where Anne's new parents reluctantly-ish raise her and grow to love her company.

I feel one should not mention Anne in any context without her dear friend Diana. Some of the books best moments feature Anne bringing Diana into her her imaginative world and seeing her reactions to things. There is a scene (as I recall, I might be mixing two together) where Diana and Anne imagine fairies by the river, and Anne has to explain what they are. It is delightful. It's not a book that's driven by a conflict or villain. If there's a conflict, it's occasional spats between Anne and her mother, between Anne and societal expectations for women. Sometimes, Anne does bring up a perfectly reasonable question about her behavior and other things. It all works out, of course.

Speaking of women, I did read this book before I became one. While I don't think it had any direct influence on my decisions, the rosy, dreamy girlhood presented here is an enviable childhood indeed. I don't know how well I would have done had I been raised a young lady where and when I was, but one wonders... There is a delightful little episode where Anne says something like "That's the first time anyone has every called me Miss!" Again, waterworks from me. This is the majority of the book. Cute, delightful little episodes as Anne grows up, and Avonlea around here does too.

There is one more thing I would like to share from the book. It's a fair bit of spoiler, because it's so impactful. Anne is an extremely talkative child through most of her youth. As she grows though, this changes. When asked about this by her mother, Anne says "It's nicer to think dear, pretty thoughts and keep them in one's heart, like treasures."

.... that is the quote that will stick with me for a very, very long time.

And so ends Jane's Classic Literature corner, for now! If I go back much further than this in books I've read, it will be really faint memories and vibes. I'd love to hear about some of your favorite books or novels, this is something I'm not exposed to all the time. I would like to do this again, but considering the pace of my reading...be patient!~

- Jane