The Stratemeyer Syndicated created the highly successful Nancy Drew Series in 1930. One article claims, “…as oil had Rockefeller, literature had its Stratemeyer” (Watson). Large volumes of books were published as Stratemeyer wrote plots and hired aspiring writers to complete them. Questions were raised regarding the books, as they were created in an “assembly line manner” (Soderbergh, 865). This series is the most successful series that Stratemeyer produced, with sales over 80 million copies, and today they continue to sell over 2 million books annually (Watson). There were critics of the series who felt it created an unrealistic world for young adults and the lack of complexity in the novels was problematic for educators (Soderbergh,865). These books painted a unique world, outside of the American reality of the depression era. An example of the success was seen in 1933, Macy’s sold six thousand copies of the novels during Christmas (Husman, 2).
Edward Stratemeyer’s first published the Nancy Drew Series in 1930. After his death, his daughters kept the series alive. Harriet Stratemeyer Adams penned the series under the name of Carolyn Keene (Sengupta, 491). When Harriet and her sister controlled the Syndicate, they widened the series and changed details of their father’s work. For example, Nancy was made more ‘human like’ with slang in her language. In 1959, they removed racial and ethnic stereotypes. When Simon & Schuster acquired the series in the mid-1980s, the stories differed with plots like weight loss and fitness (Chamberlain, 3). Over time Nancy herself changed as she became less independent. This change was mirrored in American society–in the 1930’s women had more independence than in the 1950’s when men came back from the war and began to insert themselves back into women’s lives. Men regained control of the content that was being published and the books reflected this loss of female independence (Husman, 3).
The sisters longed for the lifestyle that Nancy lived but had been out of reach because of the time of their upbringing (Sengupta, 492). Nancy Drew’s legacy represented an image of defiance of the gender norms during the 1930’s because she was independent. Nancy was well educated and allowed adventures that regular girls were not. Interestingly though, the series readership was made up of both young females and males (Jones, 315).
Nancy Drew was described as:
“Clever, capable, popular, athletic, unusually pretty, friendly, attractive, skillful, kind, modest, good, brave, poised, keen-minded…” and amazingly, “normal” (Jones, 1).
Nancy also had skills like “…. ride horses bareback, sight read music, use Morse code, translate Chaucer, dance a ballet; skate a waltz; shoot straight; act; draw; and play bagpipes, golf, and piano” (Chamberlain, 4). These made Nancy an excellent role model for young girls because they were often depicted in male characters (Lundin,124). Ellen Brown claims that Nancy Drew was a role model because she had the qualities of a fairytale, in a modern setting as she never aged and lived in affluence. Moreover, Nancy was smart and could solve problems, making her likeable and she advocated the importance of relying on other females. As Brown says “…when Nancy needed someone to confide in, rely on, she turned to her female friends…” (Brown, 7). The cultural reference of Nancy Drew can been seen in generations of women. For Hope Burwell, Nancy epitomized another chance at lost innocence, she saw herself in Nancy Drew and she passed the books down many years later. The series has endured in North American culture because of the paradox it represents. Nancy is both “independent and domestic” (Chamberlain, 5). This is important for young girls who long for independence, but also for protection. This paradox offers a safe haven for young girls (Chamberlain, 5).
Although Nancy Drew did have an impact on young women, some question whether it was positive–as much as Nancy Drew did empower young girls she set others back. One article explains that the early novels included stereotypes of ethnic groups as the novels had “negro language” (Jones, 711). There was classism in the novels as Nancy and her friends disassociated with lower classes (Zacharias, 1030). Others have claimed, “Nancy’s freedom is an illusion” (Brown, 8). The example of her driving a convertible illustrates this: Nancy drives what is seen as a road to freedom but this occurs only because of her father’s wealth and influence.
Works Cited
- Amy Boesky. “Solving the Crime of Modernity: Nancy Drew in 1930.” Studies in the Novel 42.1 (2010): 185-201. Project MUSE. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
- Brown, Ellen. “In Search Of Nancy Drew, The Snow Queen, And Room Nineteen: Cruising For Feminine Discourse.” Frontiers 13.2 (1993): 1-25. Gender Studies Database. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
- Burwell, Hope E. “Nancy Drew, Girl Detective, Nascent Feminist, And Family Therapist.” English Journal 84.4 (1995): 51-53. Gender Studies Database. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
- Chamberlain, Kathleen. “The Secrets of Nancy Drew: Having Their Cake and Eating It Too.” The Lion and the Unicorn 18.1 (1994): 1-12. Project MUSE. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
- Sengupta, Sreerupa. “Melanie Rehak. Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew And The Women Who Created Her.” Women’s Studies 39.5 (2010): 491-493. Gender Studies Database. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
- Husman, Rebecca Ann. “Altering the most Subversive Fictional Girl Detective: Nancy Drew in the 1930s.” Sarah Lawrence College, 1994. United States — New York: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT). Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
- Jones, James P. “Nancy Drew: WASP Super Girl Of The 1930’S.” Journal Of Popular Culture 6.(1973): 707-717. Gender Studies Database. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
- Lundin, Anne H., 1944-. “Everygirl’s Good Deeds: The Heroics of Nancy Drew.” <u>The Lion and the Unicorn 27.1 (2003): 120-130. Project MUSE. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
- Watson, Bruce. “Tom Swift, Nancy Drew And Pals All Had The Same Dad.” Smithsonian 22.7 (1991): 50. America: History & Life. Web. 5 Mar. 2012.
- Zacharias, Lee. “Nancy Drew, Ballbuster.” The Journal of Popular Culture 9.4 (1976): 1027-038. The Journal of Popular Culture. Web.