-Poul Anderson, The Peregrine (New York, 1978), CHAPTER XVI, p. 142.
Such considerations did not deter ERB. For fictive purposes, it was necessary that his hero, John Carter, should defend an eligible princess threatened by monstrous aliens. Consequently, Barsoom turned out to be inhabited both by the incomparable Dejah Thoris and by green, hairless, tusked, six-limbed, twelve-foot Tharks and Warhoons, as in this excellent authentic book cover image.
When Anderson's hero David Falkayn sees Ikranankan natives pursuing a young woman, she, of course, turns out to be descended from stranded Terrestrials. Thus, Anderson's prose narrative parodies pulp cover images while avoiding ERBian absurdities.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And we something similar in Stirling's two Lords of Creation books: THE SKY PEOPLE and IN THE COURTS OF THE CRIMSON KINGS. These books were affectionate homages to ERB's scienitfantasy stories. AND avoided the absurdities of the kinds we see in Burroughs' Barsoom books.
Ad astra! Sean
I think "parodied" is too harsh a term. "Updated" would probably be better.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Yes, "parody" is too harsh a word. Almost certainly, Anderson too was fond of Burroughs stories, never mind their flaws! Did you and PA ever discuss the works of ERB?
Ad astra! Sean
Yes, we did -- in the context of a conversation on why R.E. Howard was better at Conan stories than de Camp, although de Camp was technically a better writer.
Poul classed Burroughs and Howard as "natural storytellers", masters of headlong total commitment, which de Camp's civilized and highly intellectual irony couldn't duplicate; they both -believed- in what they were writing, at some level.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
A "sense of wonder," ability to create a "willing suspension of disbelief," "natural storyteller," all these and others would seem to fit writers like Burroughs and Howard. Esp., in this case ERB, whose works appealed more to me than did those of Howard.
Ad astra! Sean
Post a Comment