The adventures of Conan the Barbarian are not, in their purest form, for children. Created by pulp author Robert E. Howard in 1932, the Cimmerian warrior inhabits a cruel world ruled by those who are handiest with a sword or endowed with the power of sorcery. Though Conan is uncommonly chivalric, he is utterly ruthless in combat — and Howard's battle scenes are described in invigoratingly vicious detail. There are impalements and beheadings and wholesale eviscerations. There are also orgies and elements of bondage. But the presence of wizards and dragons and all kinds of nasty monsters means Conan's tales are catnip for kids.
There have been efforts to tone down the sex and violence of Conan's tales, but they are essential to his appeal. Howard wrote with a boundless fury; he roared and raged as he bashed away at his typewriter. The savagery is the point. If you want sanitized, kid-friendly fantasy,...
There have been efforts to tone down the sex and violence of Conan's tales, but they are essential to his appeal. Howard wrote with a boundless fury; he roared and raged as he bashed away at his typewriter. The savagery is the point. If you want sanitized, kid-friendly fantasy,...
- 1/20/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
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