Meta Description: Join Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle as they explore the surprising connections between Tarzan, the Latin language, and classical rhetoric. Discover how Edgar Rice Burroughs used chiasmus, polarity, and his education in Caesar to create a modern myth.
Introduction: Jungle Sounds in the Vomitorium
Welcome back to the “vomitorium,” listeners! After a lengthy absence—due in part to Dr. Jeff Winkle’s travels through Greece, eating gyros and photographing Eleusis—Episode 117 of the Ad Navseam Podcast returns with a swing.
The show opens not with the usual banter, but with the guttural sounds of the jungle. Why? Because the hosts are venturing into the deep, dark world of early 20th-century pulp fiction to discuss Tarzan of the Apes.
You might ask: Why on earth would a podcast about Greco-Roman civilization talk about Tarzan? The answer, according to Dr. Noe, is simple: “Everything in literature and culture in the West can be related to the classics”.
In this episode, the hosts dismantle the modern criticism of Tarzan as “low-brow” and reveal how Edgar Rice Burroughs’ famous hero is deeply rooted in the Latin language, classical myth, and ancient rhetorical devices.
The Guide: Dr. Jack Holtzmark
To navigate the jungle of literary criticism, the hosts rely on the work of the late Dr. Erling B. “Jack” Holtzmark, a former professor of Classics at the University of Iowa and Dr. Noe’s mentor.
Holtzmark was a brilliant contrarian. A professional classicist who published on Homer and Lucretius, he also wrote the definitive book on this topic: Tarzan and Tradition: Classical Myth in Popular Literature (1981).
Holtzmark argued that while critics like Rudyard Kipling dismissed Burroughs’ work as “derivative and formulaic,” they were missing the point. Burroughs wasn’t writing a modern psychological novel; he was writing an epic in the tradition of Homer and Vergil.
The Grammar of the Jungle: Latin Rhetorical Devices
The core of Holtzmark’s argument—and this episode—is that Burroughs’ writing style is heavily influenced by the structures of the Latin language and Greek rhetoric. While modern critics called his writing “technically inept,” Holtzmark identified sophisticated classical patterns.
Here are three key rhetorical devices Burroughs used, which are staples of classical philology:
1. Polarity (The Greek Men and De)
Polarity is the habit of organizing reality into sets of opposites (A vs. Not A). Dr. Noe explains that this is a hallmark of Greek style, famously used with the particles men (on the one hand) and de (on the other).
Burroughs organizes Tarzan’s world through these polarities:
- Man vs. Ape
- Civilization vs. Jungle
- Dream vs. Reality
- Past vs. Future
For example, when Tarzan’s father receives a commission, Burroughs describes him as “both elated and appalled.” This isn’t just mixed emotions; it is a structural polarization that defines the character’s conflict.
2. Chiasmus (The A-B-B-A Structure)
Chiasmus is an arrangement of words where the second half of a phrase balances the first half in reverse order (A-B-B-A). It is incredibly common in the Latin language (think Cicero or Vergil) but difficult to pull off in English.
Dr. Noe provides a brilliant example from Tarzan:
“Like a thing of bronze, motionless as death, sat (A) Tarzan (B), Sabor (B) past beneath (A).”
Holtzmark notes that this isn’t just a fancy sentence. It creates a tension between the polarities of rest (sat) vs. motion (past) and man (Tarzan) vs. animal (Sabor).
3. Parallelism (A-B-A-B)
The complement to chiasmus is parallelism, where the structure repeats (A-B-A-B). While common in English (e.g., Alexander Pope), Burroughs uses it to create a rhythmic, epic feel to his action scenes.
Example:
“Higher (A) crept (B) the steel forearms… weaker and weaker (A) became (B) the lioness’s efforts.”.
Burroughs’ Classical Education: Why He Writes Like Caesar
Was Edgar Rice Burroughs doing this on purpose? Did he sit down and decide to write a chiasmus?
Dr. Noe argues that it wasn’t necessarily a conscious affectation, but the result of his education. Like many students of his era, Burroughs studied the Latin language for eight years. He read Ovid, Vergil, and—most importantly—the Commentaries of Julius Caesar.
The Virtue of Repetition
Modern English teachers often scold students for repeating the same word twice in a paragraph. However, in Latin and Greek, repetition is a virtue. It provides clarity and structure.
- Caesar: Known for his clear, repetitive, and direct military prose.
- Homer: Famous for “formulaic” epithets and repeated verses.
Critics slammed Burroughs for being “formulaic,” but Holtzmark argues he was simply following the classical models he absorbed during his Latin studies. He wasn’t writing “bad English”; he was writing “good Latin” in English.
Conclusion: A Defense of the Popular
If the criterion for acceptable literature is strict realism, Dr. Noe argues via Holtzmark, then “not only must Homer be discarded, but also much else of the world’s greatest literature”.
Tarzan endures not because it is simple, but because it taps into the ancient, mythic traditions of the West. It uses the “psychological landscape” of the jungle just as Vergil used the landscapes of the Aeneid to comment on human action.
So, the next time you pick up a piece of “pulp fiction,” look closer. You might just find a chiasmus staring back at you.
A Gustatory Parting Shot
No episode of Ad Navseam is complete without a culinary send-off. This week, Dr. Winkle shares wisdom from comedian Jim Gaffigan regarding the “sweet tooth”:
“I love the phrase, ‘I have a sweet tooth.’ I always want to say, ‘You’re ordering it for your tooth?’ That’s interesting because it’s going straight to your butt. I think your butt owes your tooth an explanation.”
Resources for the Latin Learner
- Hackett Publishing: For excellent translations of the classics (including the works Burroughs would have read), use code AN2023 for 20% off at the Hackett Publishing website.
- Ratio Coffee: To get the best brew for your morning study session (use code ANCO for 15% off).
- The Moss Method: Want to learn to read Greek? Dr. Noe is offering 20% off his course at the Moss Method website.
Latin Per Diem: Ready to master the Latin language from the ground up? Check out the Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata course at the Latin Per Diem website.
