Overview

Titular series heroine Nancy Drew has taken up most of the scholarly attention surrounding mid-century U.S. girls’ series, and for good reason given her popularity, longevity, and feminist leanings. Since her debut in the 1930s, Nancy has been foiling criminals for nearly a century. However, Nancy and her heroics do not occur in either a publishing or a temporal vacuum. The chapters in this collection examine the narratives of series heroines that preceded and those that 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. While Nancy Drew’s plotlines may have evolved alongside the changing historical context, this book invites readers to critically examine the stories of some of these 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.

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9781666946673

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Reviews

"""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 ""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"

"""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"

Author Information

LuElla D'Amico is associate professor of English and coordinator of the women’s and gender studies program at the University of the Incarnate Word. Emily Hamilton-Honey is associate professor of English and humanities at SUNY Canton.

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