In the original texts, Tarzan is a figure of supreme competence, mastering the jungle and eventually re-entering British society. However, Burroughs’ work is also inextricably linked to the colonialist ideologies of the era. The literary Tarzan often affirmed the superiority of Anglo-Saxon lineage, even when raised by apes. These themes laid the groundwork for the character's initial popularity but would later require significant recontextualization in modern media to remain palatable to contemporary audiences.
Throughout the 1910s to 1940s, Burroughs wrote two dozen sequels, creating a dense expanded universe. Tarzan fought lost cities (Opar), dinosaurs, Nazis, and even traveled to a hollow earth (Pellucidar). These books established several tropes: TARZAN XXX.3gp