Tarzan Alive will be appreciated most by those readers already familiar with Burroughs's Tarzan novels, so reading at least one or two of them is advisable. Discussions can then consider what use Farmer has made of his primary source material in creating his own version of such a well-known figure. Readers should also focus on the ways that Tarzan serves as a vehicle for social criticism, particularly of environmental issues, and how as an Outsider, he is well suited to provide an objective commentary on the follies and cruelties of civilization. Finally, given Jane's importance in Tarzan's life and to the biography's themes, readers might want to question Farmer's apparent decision to leave her undeveloped as a character. How convincing is the supposedly larger-than-life love affair between Tarzan and Jane?

1. Popular culture's superheroes, such as Tarzan and Doc Savage, have generally been ignored by literary critics...