Fans of Robert E. Howard know the timeless appeal of his greatest creation, Conan the Barbarian. As David Smith puts it, Conan is “the natural man, ourselves begun again, reborn in a world as we secretly know our own world to be beneath its layers of hypocrisy and pretense.”
In my latest guest post at the DMR Books blog, I examine the parallels between recurring themes in the Conan stories and the works of dramatist and science writer Robert Ardrey.
In African Genesis and subsequent books, Ardrey examines the anthropological evidence for what “the natural man” actually is, as opposed to the myths we are told, or worse, tell ourselves. Ardrey’s works provide a deeper understanding of Howard’s tales celebrating the heroic, enduring qualities that make us human.
M.C. Tuggle, Writer 
Very interesting comparisons. I haven’t read much of either’s works, but based on your article, it strikes me that these two authors align with Cormac McCarthy’s dark vision of humanity (e.g., violence and war constantly bubble just under the surface of human intercourse and interaction. For example, the “war is God” sentiment in Blood Meridian). Or, as the Rolling Stones put it “War, children, it’s just a shot away.”
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I’d rather face the truth than blind myself with comforting myths.
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Absolutely!
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In my mind I find The Natural Human through bodily experience. When we feel good and when we feel bad; when we act well and we act badly (and everything in between), that is when we must listen with both body and mind and find answers.
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Elizabeth,
That’s something we’ve lost in the blur of modern life.
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