Tarzan loves English literature and hates people, particularly those in his department at the university. For this reason, he only eats lunch with students. However, doubt and suffering still dog him; his students send him poorly written papers and pursue him sexually, and his absent gallbladder gives him unending urinary grief. This tendency toward isolation infuriates the head of his department. Never mind the fact that he teaches well and publishes sometimes; he just wants to see the man. Tarzan has been in a bad mood lately, and he often exacts vengeance on his students' papers and surveys about department policy. He only spends time with Jane, his girlfriend, who cheers him up, despite the ostracism and disgust he receives from people in the city where she lives. They love each other very much, perhaps because of their mutual misanthropy. His students never fail to cause him angst. He eschews grades, but his comments verge on cruelty. Through literature, he escapes. With Jane, he philosophizes himself into a playful corner. To his department head, he causes unending befuddlement.