Quote:
Originally Posted by murg
I think this was the literary mechanism by which ERB 'obtained' the true story of John Carter's adventures on Mars.
|
That framing device was common in adventure fiction at the time.
Placing yourself in the role of storyteller, less common. But Burroughs took it a step further, placing his alter ego as a common link between all his major characters, creating a linked multi-character world where Tarzan, Napier, Carter, Innes, and Gridley all knew of each other and interacted either by correspondence, wireless, or in person. Which is how Tarzan got to visit Pellucidar and Carson, aiming for Mars, ended up on Venus.
Apparently he intended to do other crossovers but either didn't get around to it or couldn't make it work to his satisfaction. Which is too bad because I for one would've enjoyed seeing Tarzan tsk-tsking Napier for his habit of running away from enemy armies.
