Burroughs and Howard

[InzeladunMaster]

I am struck by some of the similarities in Edgar Rice Burroughs' work and Robert E. Howard's. Burroughs' books often stress the urge to recover primitive freedoms and barbaric wildness. Read Burroughs' John Carter of Mars' statement about himself, "Never have I been much of a ladies' man, being more concerned with fighting and the kindred arts, which have ever seemed to me more befitting a man than mooning over a scented glove four sizes too small for him, or kissing a dead flower that has begun to smell like cabbage." I think he might have gotten along with many of Howard's heroes.

 

[Mark van Dyk]

The Era

I think this sort of writing is indicative of the American mindset at this time in history. Industrialism was beginning to really take hold of the country. Death of the frontier was evident and the death of the savage struggles loomed nearer. Naturally there was a look back, romanticizing, if you will, the tribal, savage, and animalistic struggles. This sort of story has been replaced by plots such as Matrix, Brave New World, and the like, where man basically loses the fight and only one or two individuals who are "awakened" or enlightened, see the gross framework that surrounds them and choose to fight it...

As for savage struggle... unfortunately, it is my experience with reading modern fantasy stories that manly struggles have devolved into mere mimickry of stories gone before... and why? Because man's only struggle these days seems to be finding the perfect cappuccino.

I am struck by some of the similarities in Edgar Rice Burroughs' work and Robert E. Howard's. Burroughs' books often stress the urge to recover primitive freedoms and barbaric wildness. Read Burroughs' John Carter of Mars' statement about himself, "Never have I been much of a ladies' man, being more concerned with fighting and the kindred arts, which have ever seemed to me more befitting a man than mooning over a scented glove four sizes too small for him, or kissing a dead flower that has begun to smell like cabbage." I think he might have gotten along with many of Howard's heroes.