Beyond Nancy Drew
U.S. Girls’ Series Fiction in the Twentieth Century
LuElla D'Amico editor Emily Hamilton-Honey editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:15th Jun '24
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This book examines the narratives of series heroines that preceded and followed Nancy Drew, each in relation to their social, historical, and economic environments. Covering heroines including Miss Pickerell, Madge Sterling, and Polly the Powers Model, among others, this book illustrates that the recovery of stolen inheritances during the Great Depression serves different social ends than, for example, fighting Germans on an international stage. This book expands scholarship that tends to focus on Nancy Drew by drawing attention to the stories of some other “lost” heroines of twentieth century U.S. series fiction. Organized by time period, the chapters give insight into the cultural landscape that perpetuated the popularity of these heroines in their respective eras, how these series reflected the experiences of readers across the decades, and their continued impact well into the twenty-first century.
"Beyond Nancy Drew takes its cue from the titular heroine by opening doors that have long been left closed. D'Amico and Hamilton-Honey gather an engaging set of essays that work together to provide a necessary insight into girls' series that have historically been overshadowed by the plucky detective. A valuable asset to scholars and classrooms alike." -- Casey Alane Wilson, Francis Marion University
As both a scholar and a Nancy Drew fan, I had high expectations for this collection and it far exceeded them. The compiled essays provide an incredibly useful mix of new scholarship on acknowledged classics, recovery projects of female-centered series, and emerging avenues for new research within this rich body of texts. Crossing between girls' fiction studies, series fiction studies, gender studies, book/publishing history and material culture, the various essays offered delightful surprises alongside rigorous examination of the primary texts. I walked away from this book with a long list of series to look up and a strong desire to revisit some of my favorite Nancy Drew mysteries! -- Rebekah Fitzsimmons, Carnegie Mellon University
ISBN: 9781666946673
Dimensions: 237mm x 160mm x 22mm
Weight: 562g
284 pages