Tarzan of the Apes is a novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine The All-Story in October 1912.[1] The story follows Tarzan's adventures, from his childhood being raised by apes in the jungle, to his eventual encounters with other humans and Western society. So popular was the character that Burroughs continued the series into the 1940s with two dozen sequels.[2] For the novel's centennial anniversary, Library of America published a hardcover edition based on the original book with an introduction by Thomas Mallon in April 2012 (ISBN 978-1-59853-164-0). Scholars have noted several important themes in the novel: the impact of heredity on behavior; racial superiority; civilization, especially as Tarzan struggles with his identity as a human; sexuality; and escapism.

バロウズが描いたのは、単なる冒険譚を超えた魂の進化のドラマです。本作の魅力は、野生の猛々しさと血脈に刻まれた高潔さが衝突する点にあります。文字も知らぬ少年が独学で文明を学び、自己を定義し直すプロセスは、人間存在の本質を問う文学的な重厚さを湛えています。 映像版では躍動する肉体美が際立ちますが、原作には映像で捉えきれない思考の深淵が刻まれています。文字を通じてのみ触れられる、彼の文明への冷徹な視線や葛藤は、映像の迫力と対をなす知的興奮を与えてくれます。両者を味わうことで、野生の王者の背後にある、孤独で誇り高き人間の真実が鮮烈に浮かび上がるでしょう。