Tarzan grows up in the jungle because the sailors on his parents’ ship mutiny and maroon them there. Two decades later, the sailors on his cousin’s ship ALSO mutiny and maroon him and Jane in the exact same area where Tarzan happens to live
He’s raised by apes after his parents die because one of them who’s been carrying around her own dead baby is moved by the maternal spirit to drop its corpse in Tarzan’s crib and pick up the human baby instead
Tarzan teaches himself how to read and write fluent English by reading his parents’ old books
He later leaves Jane and co. really passive-aggressive notes telling them that he’s Tarzan and they better not touch his stuff
Tarzan also rescues them from various jungle troubles in person, but he can’t communicate with them because he can’t speak/understand spoken English
Jane and her friends spend their entire time in the jungle thinking that there are TWO DIFFERENT people who keep saving them: their reclusive host who leaves them salty messages and signs his name Tarzan of the Apes and then that other guy who lives with the apes
Literally they never put two and two together until Tarzan tracks them down in America and tells them he was Tarzan all along
Which he does in French
Because back in the jungle he rescued a French guy who taught him how to speak that language
So Tarzan can read and write English but speaks only French by the time he leaves the jungle
Jane goes back to America while Tarzan is off helping his French friend, and he follows her all the way home just to arrive the day before she’s gonna marry a rich guy to cover her father’s debts. It’s literally one of those Taylor Swift STOP THE WEDDING tropes, but with this weirdly buff ape man yelling in French instead
Jane’s father has debts because he borrowed a ton of money to charter a ship and follow a pirate treasure map he found, which, logical. We’ve all been there
The sailors on that ship are the ones who mutiny and maroon Jane earlier on, after finding the treasure and deciding they want to keep it for themselves
But Tarzan sees them rebury the chest and he digs it up and takes it with him to America to find Jane. The sailors are later very confused when they go back and find the treasure missing
Meanwhile Tarzan’s friend keeps trying to convince him that he’s the son of those two adult skeletons in his cabin, but Tarzan is all like, nah, I’m pretty sure that baby ape skeleton in the crib was theirs.
Oh also yeah, Tarzan totally just left all three skeletons lying around until his human friends showed up and were like, boy, you’re nasty
Also Tarzan needs a lot of convincing to believe that his ape foster mom wasn’t his birth mother
Like an absurd amount of convincing, really
His friend finally proves it by dragging Tarzan to a fingerprint expert in Europe to compare his prints to the baby ones that his dad fortuitously recorded in his journal just before he died.
The fingerprint proof means he’s actually the heir to his family’s title and wealth instead of his cousin, but he decides not to tell Jane about it
Because after Tarzan interrupts her wedding plans and gives her the pirate treasure (so that she doesn’t have to marry the rich guy), she turns down Tarzan’s own proposal and agrees to marry his cousin instead
And he’s like, alright, and leaves
Truly one of the great love stories of our time
I think she does change her mind and marry him in one of the sequels, but there are literally over two dozen of those that by all accounts are even weirder than this one and I just honestly don’t think I’m ready
This is accurate and that book was amazing 10/10 recommend every time Burroughs was a real weirdo and it was so much better than the movie please read his nonsense
I read this book and I can attest to the accuracy of the above statements.
But I feel the need to add that Edgar Rice Burroughs was a salty mofo! He threw such shade, what a dude.
Ok so here’s the story; he was working as a pencil sharpener wholesalemen for seven years (I know, startlingly mundane) when his wife had their second kid in 1909, he was bored beyond occupation and had copious spare time and began reading pulp-fiction magazines. In 1929, he recalled thinking that
“…if people were paid for writing rot such as I read in some of those magazines, that I could write stories just as rotten. As a matter of fact, although I had never written a story, I knew absolutely that I could write stories just as entertaining and probably a whole lot more so than any I chanced to read in those magazines.”
So what I’m telling you here is, this guy read something went this is TRASH, i could write better trash, in fact I WILL.
An inspiration to us all.
I feel inspired to throw in my favorite factoid about Edgar Rice Burroughs: He intended to publish John Carter of Mars under the pseudonym “Normal Bean” but then some typesetter was like “oops looks like he made a typo here better fix that” (because it would be so easy for your fingers to slip when writing “Edgar Rice Burroughs” and have it turn out as “Normal Bean”).
not a long shot, actually! perhaps the most well-known and also the most explicit, at least of what i’ve read, is sheridan le fanu’s carmilla, which is 19th century lesbian vampire fiction.
other novels are charlotte bronte’s shirley and villette (charlotte herself was not straight and it Shows), henry james’ the bostonians (there’s a boston marriage between two ladies, and henry wasn’t straight either),
elizabeth gaskell’s the grey woman (less pronounced but it’s got two women living alone together and one of the women poses as the other’s husband), and george moore’s drama in muslin (i haven’t read it yet but it got banned from circulation in libraries right after it was published for being too lesbian).
and if you’re interested at all in short stories at all, you might want to check out the anthology two friends and other nineteenth century american lesbian stories.
I work in a public library and there are times a book comes through circulation that is so awesome I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before.
Last week I came across this lovely children’s picture book called Why Johnny Doesn’t Flap: NT is OK! by Clay Morton, Gail Morton, and illustrated by Alex Merry. (Pardon the library barcode covering part of the title here.)
[Pictures of the front and back covers of the picture book. The back cover summary says: “My friend Johnny is different from me. We have fun together, but sometimes he acts pretty strangely. He is never exactly on time, he can;t seem to strict to a routine, he stares right into your eyes, and he often says puzzling things. Johnny is neurotypical. I like Johnny and I think being NT is OK.”]
The fact that I was seeing the term “NT” on the cover of a children’s book was enough to pique my interest. Upon further inspection, I discovered that the book is really quite lovely!
[Two page spread reads: “We have a lot of fun together, but sometimes he acts pretty strangely. Mom says it is because he is NT, or neurotypical. He doesn’t have autism, so his brain works differently from mine, but that’s OK.”]
It flips the typical “little Timmy has a special friend” narrative on its head. Instead, the narrator is an autistic boy who has an NT friend who he sometimes struggles to understand.
[Two page spread reads: It can be pretty interesting being friends with a kid who is NT. He has a lot of quirks that can be very frustrating until you get used to them. Mom says that everyone’s brain is different and different isn’t always wrong.”]
The book uses simple terms to describe a perspective not usually seen in any literature, let alone lit intended for children.
[Two page spread reads: “When something exciting happens, Johnny doesn’t respond like you would expect. He doesn’t flap his arms or jump up and down. He just moves the sides of his mouth up and slightly widens his eyes. Maybe he doesn’t know much about how to express emotions.”]
I think ultimately this flipping of the narrative is more effective in getting the message across that kids with autism are just like everyone else but with unique needs.
[Two page spread reads: “Johnny never has a meltdown when disasters happen, like a fire drill or art class being canceled. He is afraid of what people might think. It seems like he is bottling his feelings up, but he just has his own way of dealing with things, and that’s OK.”]
And this book is something autistic kids don’t usually have– it’s a book from their perspective! And it’s a non-offensive, matter-of-fact perspective, which is all the rarer.
[Two pages spread reads: “When he talks to you, Johnny looks directly into your eyes, which can make you pretty uncomfortable. He doesn’t mean any harm, though. That’s just the way he is, and that’s OK.”]
It talks about things that autistic people experience and can relate to.
[Page reads: “I like Johnny. I think that being NT is OK.”]
I’m reading this queer anthology and the first story is a fairytale about a queer Latina girl whose anger was so fierce it literally poisoned the rich white men who unfairly captured the transgender soldier she was in love with and my heart is literally bursting I’m going to cry
the second story is about two queer girls who leave their husbands-to-be at the altar and flee together on a boat to become pirates IM FUCKING SCREAMING THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF GAY CONTENT I SIGNED UP FOR
okay this is the anthology and it’s entirely written by queer authors and inspired by the stories of real queer teens in history and it’s the most wholesome and epic thing I’ve read in a long while
Hey all! I finished my gay/lesbian fairy tale!! Please read it and let me know what you think. I hope it reminds you all that women loving women is beautiful and magical. Here’s the link !! please let me know if it doesn’t work for you, but i think it should.
A few trigger warnings before we get started: there is mention of a parent’s death, mention of suicide and murder, imprisonment, and just general violence and blood. If you have any further questions about content, feel free to ask me about it! I’ll let you know exactly what you can expect from the story. I just don’t want to spoil it here.
I want my work to remain free for the public, but if you’ve read and enjoyed the story and want to contribute financially, consider donating some $$ to my paypal. I am a young lesbian student so anything helps! Thank you and please enjoy the story!!!
I loved this ! I want a movie of it ! Or just more stories of there life ! ❤️
I’m so glad u liked it!! I would love to see it in a move or comic form
why are wlw books so angsty and deep all the time like where is my casual wlw romcom or my fantasy lesbians, space bis and trans princesses like not every wlw has some lost love in some town in the middle of nowhere
I live for posts like this, because there are soooo many good f/f books out there that don’t get the attention they deserve because of the way wlw are marginalized. So!
Here are some recs for casual/feel-good f/f representation! All links are to my reviews.
Promises, Promises – parody of LotR/D&D starring three lesbians on a quest for magical stuff
Everything Leads to You – Hollywood f/f YA about a young set designer who falls for a girl she meets under mysterious circumstances
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet – ensemble-cast “crew of a spaceship” story. Mostly just random adventures, includes a f/f couple who survive the book.
Roller Girl – contemporary f/f romance about trans woman who joins a roller derby team
Not fluffy, but the angst is SFF-stress rather than “living under homophobia/biphobia” stress:
Ascension– queer disabled ladies fighting Big Pharma in space–you wanted space bi’s, come get your space bi’s (actually, if you want more space bi’s also check out the anthology Fierce Family.)
Chameleon Moon – review is of an earlier edition and I hear the new one has even more great representation. Trans woman superhero with two female partners living in a dystopian city that’s on lockdown from the government after everyone develops mutant powers in response to a wonderdrug.
Not Your Sidekick – in the future, what happens when your parents are superheroes but you never developed powers? You intern for the baddie, of course! MC is bi and ends up in a f/f relationship, and the sequel will star her trans bestie.
Hope this helps. Feel free to browse my “lesbian books” tag for more recs (there are bi/pan girls in some of those recs, too.)
I mean, this is basically true – f/f fluff is kinda the cornerstone of my body of writing 😛 (Thanks!)
All I Want For Christmas by Clare Lydon – Fluffy wlw romantic comedy (I know it’s not really in season at the moment but it’s so cute)
Gay Pride and Prejudice by Kate Christie – What it says on the tin. Elizabeth Bennett is a lesbian and the haughty Caroline Bingley is the last woman she could ever be prevailed upon to love.
Heart Trouble by Jae – A doctor gets shocked by a defibrillator while saving a woman’s life in the ER. Now they have a soul bond!
Finding Ms Write by Jae & Jove Belle – Collection of short stories about women who love women and also love books.
The Wind City by Summer Wigmore – Urban fantasy drawing on Maori mythology. Protagonist describes herself as “at least 60% gay” and falls in love with a monster girl.
Sword of the Guardian by Merry Shannon – Bi princess and lesbian bodyguard fall in love.
all i’m saying is if an all-girls school crashed on the island in lord of the flies then they would’ve been off the island in a week
lord of the flies doesnt show the base human condition, it shows the base privileged straight white male condition, incredibly when i point this out people get kind of annoyed
Might I direct you to Beauty Queens by Libba Bray, a YA novel in which a plane full of teen beauty pageant contestants crashes on a deserted island. Instead of descending into violent savagery, the girls are able to work together and become more truly themselves than they could in the patriarchal world outside. They repurpose the tools of beauty into tools of survival (and some of them work to keep up their appearances too, because that’s what makes them feel happy, while others decide they’re done with all the pressure to be a certain sort of beautiful.) They fight against evil corporations. Beauty Queens is enthusiastically feminist. (Never fear, the feminism is intersectional, exploring issues of race and sexuality as well as gender.) Also, this book is HILARIOUS, not to mention surprisingly exciting!
Oh, look at this thing I’m going to add to my reading list.
srsly read Beauty Queens, one of the girls is trans!!!
Oh man I AM EXCITE for Beauty Queens!
When I was a kid I imprinted really hard on Baby Island, by Carol Ryrie Brink–about two girls, age 10 and 12, who rescue four babies/toddlers and are shipwrecked with them, and care for them as well as a (male) hermit living on the island. It definitely meant that when reading Lord of the Flies in high school I was acutely aware of the “ugh this is just a book about how boys are assholes, girls would do this so much better” angle.
Baby Island, published in 1937, was, though, probably loosely a part of the very specific genre that Golding was responding to–one in which English schoolchildren, and particularly English schoolboys, were portrayed as resourceful and brave and the pinnacle of human civilization in all circumstances (the Pevensie children becoming kings and queens of Narnia just by showing up being a particularly extreme example). Golding was pushing back against that stereotype with a look at what English schoolboys on their own were really apt to be like; the fact that the book was widely understood (by… white dudes, mostly) as a parable for all of humanity says more about the people reading it than the book itself, I think.
Your professor will not be happy with you if he says the Stanford Prison Experiment shows human nature and you say it shows the nature of white middle class college-aged boys.
Like he will not be happy at all.
For real though. That experiment. Scary shit.
This reminds me of a discussion that I read once which said Lord of the Flies would have turned out a hell of a lot differently if it was a private school of young girls (who are expected to be responsible and selfless instead), or a public school where the children weren’t all from an inherently entitled, emotionally stunted social class (studies have shown that people in lower socioeconomic classes show more compassion for others).
Or that the same premise with children raised in a different culture than the toxic and opressive British Empire and it’s emphasis on social hierarchy and personal wealth and status.
And that what we perceive as the unchangable truth deep inside humanity because of things like Lord of the Flies and the Stanford Prison Experiment, is just the base truths about what happens when you remove any accountabilty controlling one social group with an overwhelming sense of entitlement and an inability to feel compassion.
I will always reblog this.
if anyone is curious to read a book that is ‘lord of the flies’ but with girls, check out Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. It’s a bit silly but so, so good. there as canonical explicitly mentioned lesbian, bi, and trans characters.
A few years ago, I came out to my mom the morning after my senior prom. She was surprised, then quiet, then asked what my real orientation was. I said, “I have no idea, but I like this one girl.” She was a little confused, but she kissed me and said, “As long as she makes you happy.” For the next few weeks, she asked a lot of questions: when did I realize? What was my new girlfriend’s orientation? What was the word for this or that? I WAS happy, right?
Fast forward about two years. My mom sits me down and tells me that she needs my help with her next book. She’s been writing middle-grade girls’ books (like, 9-14 range) since I was eight, and she says she has an idea that she really, really wants to get right. It follows the plot of Romeo and Juliet, she says, and the main character is a twelve-year-old girl realizing she has a crush on another girl when they put on the play for English class.
Fast forward another year to now. STAR-CROSSED is about to come out, and it is absolutely amazing.
My mom has poured her heart and soul into making sure this is a positive thing for kids to read.
I’ve been reading and editing and helping with this book since its first draft and I’ve been, metaphorically and sometimes literally bouncing up and down on my heels, waiting to be able to tell people about it. It’s beyond sweet, and there’s a ton of Shakespeare and humor and goofy preteen drama and twelve-year-old girls flirting and Star Wars jokes and a glossary of Shakespearean insults in the back (yes, really), and it’s just so fun and positive and smart and I want to show it to every kid I know.
This book is for LGBT kids, written by a mom who has asked questions and done her research and tried as hard as she possibly could to make her own queer kid feel safe and loved and valid, and it REALLY shows. Mattie (the cutie on the left) and Gemma (the cutie on the right) are given space to learn about themselves, and ultimately they don’t have to figure themselves out right away or come out to everyone at once or choose a label. They’re kids. It’s okay to still be figuring things out. It’s okay.
Fun facts:
My mom said from the beginning she wanted both girls on the cover to make it clear what the book was about; then when they got the final artwork and Mattie’s hair was short, my mom wrote back and asked the artist to do the hair over to make it as obvious as possible that Mattie is a girl.
When a few people started buzzing about Mattie being the youngest bisexual protagonist they’ve seen, she went back and changed passages to confirm that Mattie likes boys and girls.
When I asked for a happier and less ambiguous ending scene, she set Mattie and Gemma up on a frigging date.
It comes out on March 14, 2017. Please join me in GETTING HYPE FOR STAR-CROSSED ❤
ruby-dear archive 