Edgar Rice Burroughs Research Paper

Edgar Rice Burroughs Analytical Essay Edgar Rice Burroughs is best known for his series of fantasy novels featuring Tarzan. While this famous series is not science fiction, that does not mean that Edgar Rice Burroughs is not a science fiction author. Burroughs incorporated many elements of sci-fi into his books and short stories, so he can be considered a sci-fi author. The Gods of Mars, The Resurrection of Jimber-Jaw, and The Land That Time Forgotare all stories by Burroughs that incorporate elements of science fiction. The main literary devices that Burroughs used were estrangement, social critique, and novum. These devices are the cornerstones of science fiction. Burroughs would take politics, events, and inventions from his empirical life
Edgar Rice Burroughs was heavily influenced by the time period in which he lived, especially concerning race. He grew up in Chicago, so he wasn’t too heavily influenced by racism from the South, although there are some instances in which racial stereotypes are present. In The Gods of Mars, there are many different races of Barsoomians, each with a different skin color. There are the Holy Therns (white), the Green Men, the Red Men, and the Black Pirates. The Black Pirates are interestingly portrayed by Burroughs in the novel because the main character, John Carter, makes a backhanded racist remark about them, yet they are still glorified: “Only in the colour of their skin did they differ materially from us; that is of the appearance of polished ebony, and odd as it may seem for a Southerner to say it, adds to rather than detracts from their marvelous beauty.” (Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Gods of Mars). Carter admits that he is disgusted by the dark skin of the Black Pirates, yet he still admires their physical appearance. This positive perception of the Black Pirates is a reflection of Burroughs’ own beliefs. He was known as being morally just, and would more often than not portray people of all races and genders
Unlike this story and The Gods of Mars, The Resurrection of Jimber-Jawdidn’t include many female characters. After surviving an airplane crash in Siberia, Pat Morgan and Dr. Stade discovered a prehistoric man perfectly encased in ice. Stade happened to be an expert at unfreezing living things, and he successfully thawed out the ancient man, known as Jimber-Jaw (Jim for short). After awakening from his 50,000 year slumber, Jimwas confused and disoriented. He quickly learned English, but had a hard time comprehending the fact that everyone he knew in his previous life was long dead. Jim kept repeating the name “Lilami,” his wife. His memory of her caused a great deal of depression for him, and Jim was determined to find Lilami. While Lilami did have an emotional toll on the main character of the story, she never interacted or influenced him in any other way. It is hard to even consider her a character in the story because she is only referenced as a fleeting memory. Even with a lack a strong female role, women are still depicted in an inferior manner, but this depiction is viewed with a negative perspective. When men are described maintaining their superiority over women, Burroughs’ writing makes it so that the men appear to be evil or just downright