Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

Name: Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar
ISBN: 9787500431275

Edgar Rice BurroughsChina Social Sciences Press2001

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Chapters: 24
Series: The Tarzan Series
ISBN: 9787500431275

Summary

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar is the fifth novel in the Tarzan series, originally published in 1916. The story returns to the period before Tarzan and Jane became parents: with his estate running short of money, Tarzan slips once more into the lost city of Opar deep in the African interior, home to the descendants of Atlantean survivors who worship the Flaming God and whose vaults are piled with gold and gems. Tarzan takes treasure from the jewel vault, but an accident—a falling rock strikes his head—robs him of his memory and returns him to a near-bestial state of instinct, so that even La, the high priestess once obsessed with him, does not recognize him. Meanwhile, a scheming visitor appears at the estate, conspires with Arab raiders, abducts Jane, and burns down the house. The amnesiac Tarzan is trapped between Opar and the jungle, hunted by the sun-worshippers and sentenced to death, while greedy men pass themselves off as "friends" to use him. He must rely on instinct and the remnants of his will to find himself again, rescue his wife, and safeguard the priceless treasure that changes hands again and again. Set on the stage of the savage jungle, the book shows Tarzan subduing lions and leopards and championing the weak against the strong; it has the chases and suspense an adventure novel should have, and it also dramatizes the tug-of-war between "civilized man" and "beast."

Editor's review

在人猿泰山系列中，这一部常被认为是承上启下的关键一环：它把舞台重新拉回神秘的奥帕城，也让泰山第一次真正面对「我是谁」的问题。一次落石造成的失忆，把这位格雷斯托克勋爵打回丛林野兽的本相——他不会说话，不认得妻子，也不认得曾为他痴狂的女祭司拉。作者巴勒斯把「文明」与「野蛮」的对立写成了具体的危机，而不只是姿态。另一条线索同样精彩：当泰山失忆在外，庄园里的阴谋者正步步逼近珍妮，宅邸被焚、妻子被掳，读者由此看到泰山的身世与家业有多么脆弱。书中不缺该系列招牌式的巧合与反转，落难、追逐、宝藏易手轮番上演，节奏明快。中国社会科学出版社 2001 年推出的这个译本属于其精选的七种泰山系列插图本之一，译文通畅，适合作为入门该系列的读物。想认识「丛林之王」为何成为文化符号，这本是相当合适的入口。

Who it's for

A good fit for

喜欢经典冒险小说、失落之城题材的读者
对迪士尼《人猿泰山》等衍生作品感兴趣、想读原著的人
需要情节明快的课外读物的中高年级学生
收藏人猿泰山系列不同中文译本的书友

Not a good fit for

期待严肃文学深度剖析与复杂叙事的成人读者
对丛林狩猎、打斗描写较为敏感的读者
希望从一个译本通读全系列、追求统一版本的人

Reading tips

先读前作《人猿泰山》《泰山归来》等，了解奥帕城与女祭司拉的来历，再来读这本会更顺
把它当冒险故事一口气读完，不必纠结巧合与「机械降神」，这正是通俗小说的趣味所在
注意泰山失忆前后的对照，留意作者如何用细节写「人」与「兽」的界线
读完可对照其他译本，比如《人猿泰山之假面大盗》《奥泊城的珍宝》，比较译名与译笔差异

About the publisher

China Social Sciences Press China · Founded in 1978

China Social Sciences Press focuses on publishing academic works in philosophy and the social sciences, with its books in this catalog centering on politics, finance and economics, and history. Representative titles include William Godwin's Enquiry Concerning Political Justice (2 volumes) and William Petty's Political Arithmetical, as well as The History of the Han Ethnic Group (9 volumes, covering history, culture, and customs) by Xu Jieshun and others. Related works by authors such as Zheng Boren, Qian Yaxu, Wang Hui, Ma Yan, and Xu Guilan are also included. Judging from the available catalog, the press balances translated works in political theory, classics of economic statistics, and multi-volume studies of ethnic history, emphasizing both scholarship and source materials. Owing to limited public information, other publishing features cannot yet be described in detail.

Chapter 1 The Belgian and the Arab
Chapter 2 On the Road to Opar
Chapter 3 The Call of the Jungle
Chapter 4 The Prophecy and Its Fulfillment
Chapter 5 The Altar of the Flaming God
Chapter 6 The Arab Raiders
Chapter 7 In the Jewel Vault of Opar
Chapter 8 Escape from Opar
Chapter 9 The Theft of the Jewels
Chapter 10 Achmet Zek Sees the Jewels
Chapter 11 Tarzan Becomes a Beast Again
Chapter 12 La's Revenge on Tarzan
Chapter 13 Tarzan Sentenced to Death
Chapter 14 The Priestess Is Still a Woman
Chapter 15 Werper Escapes
Chapter 16 Tarzan Again Leader of the Apes
Chapter 17 Jane Clayton's Mortal Danger
Chapter 18 The Battle for the Treasure
Chapter 19 Jane and the Beasts of the Jungle
Chapter 20 Jane Clayton a Captive Again
Chapter 21 Flight Through the Jungle
Chapter 22 Tarzan Regains His Memory
Chapter 23 A Night of Horror
Chapter 24 Homeward Bound

FAQ

这本书在泰山系列里是第几部？

它是人猿泰山系列长篇小说中的第五部，原名 Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar，1916 年首次发表。

没读过前几部能直接看这本吗？

可以，故事相对独立。不过奥帕城、女祭司拉、珍妮等人物来自前作，先读一两部前作，理解会更顺畅。

这本书有几个中文译名？

常见的有《奥帕的珠宝》（中国社会科学出版社，陈志娟译）、《奥泊城的珍宝》（中国青年出版社，毕可生、孙亚英译）和《人猿泰山之假面大盗》（上海文艺出版社，郭锐译）。

这本书适合孩子读吗？

国内有出版社把它归入儿童文学或青少年读物，情节以冒险为主；但原著带有早期作品的狩猎与族群描写，家长可酌情引导。

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Edgar Rice Burroughs Author

Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American writer. Public information is limited, and details such as his birth and death dates and education are unclear. He is known for the Tarzan series and the Barsoom (Mars) series, among other works, and is an important early representative of science fiction and adventure fiction. This site holds 13 of his works, including Tarzan, Tarzan's Son, Tarzan the Terrible, A Princess of Mars, Thuvia, Maid of Mars, People Out of Time, and an Oscar original works collection in seven volumes. These works are often classified as foreign literature, science fiction, and English-language originals. His writing is noted for otherworldly adventure, jungle legend, and fast-paced plotting, with vigorous characters and bold imagination, and has had a lasting influence on later fantasy and science fiction popular culture.