Tarzan of the Apes (1912), by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, features an orphan character.

John Clayton II is abandoned in the jungle in 1888 after his parents die. The baby is adopted by a widow-ape and is named “Tarzan” meaning “White Skin”.

Tarzan has multiple adventures, becomes a skilled hunter and, having found his human parents’ cabin, teaches himself to read English.

When Tarzan is 21 years of age when he meets Jane Porter after her group is marooned on the coast.

The popularity of Burroughs’ book led to him writing a series of sequels which reportedly sold more than 25 million copies internationally.

The first film adaptation of Tarzan of the Apes was in 1918, and the most recent (The Legend of Tarzan) in 2016.

There have also been a number of adaptations in comic form.