Dian the Beautiful and me
Just before I went on hiatus, I mentioned that I planned to re-read Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic At the Earth’s Core for the first time since high school. Well, I did, while curled up in a wicker chair on the lanai of our rented house in Kaua’i, and I had one hell of a great time. After more than 30 years, I’d forgotten most of the story. But what I did remember was Dian the Beautiful, Pellucidar’s more primitive, but nonetheless gorgeous, version of Barsoom’s Dejah Thoris. Dian, in addition to Burroughs’ mastery of world-creation, made the utter nonsense of a hollow earth irrelevant. What a terrific story. I’m sure I’ll be re-reading ERB’s sequel, Pellucidar, in the next few weeks.
Anyway, upon my return last Sunday night, I found two wonderful speculations on hollow-earth theory from Roderick Long attached to my farewell-for-now post. Take a look.
posted by Wally Conger @ 4:32 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Having purchased and read all of ERB's works by the time I was 12 I must say that those Frazetta covers and ERB's writings defined my sense of what a woman was supposed to look like. No skinny chicks for me, nossir! I haven't broken out my collection in years and, like you I might have to do it. Heaven knows there's so little out here worth reading any more. Thank goodness Claire, Turtledove and the few others!
You're right, Michael...Frazetta still rules! I've thought about who should play Burroughs women like Dejah Thoris and Dian in movies. (Caroline Munro portrayed a very nice Dian back in the 1960s.) The best I can come up with right now is Catherine Zeta-Jones. Whadya think?
Catherine Zeta Jones, most certainly!
Very few women have the curves anymore to pull it off. Liv Tyler if they make her eat a burger or two. Salma Hayek, I still remember that bar scene in From Dusk Til Dawn. Whooof!
The numbers of women who could play the roll is very small and probably growing smaller everyday given the penchant for binge dieting in Hollywood. You might actually have to get someone from Bollywood.
Caroline Munro was good as Dian in a "MST3K candidate" movie. Catherine Zeta Jones would make a good Dian now.
Welcome back.
Dian was wonderful, but my favorite Pellucidarian, and Burroughs, female has always been Stellara. My tribute:
http://stellarainspiration.blogspot.com/
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