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meganbmooreThese are the 1st, 3rd, and 43rd of the original Nancy Drew Mysteries. A few years back, two “best of” collections were released for Nancy Drew. My mother, I have recently discovered, still has the volumes she had when I was 7, and has been getting the ones she didn’t have. I plan to reread them until I run out of burn out. (They take a little under two hours each to read, which may result in some serious padding for 2010’s books. But I digress.) So far, they hold up pretty well, though I hasten to add that they’re holding up well for a 29-year-old who first read them between roughly the ages of 7 and 14, and then had her ideas of the character and series altered by those awful Nancy Drew Files books in the 90s. (All boyfriend and annoying angst and flash, too little running around mysterious houses. I will not be rereading them.) I can’t begin to speculate on how they’d read to an adult reading them for the first time today. The plots are somewhat average and my adult self can tell that there are different ghostwriters behind the books, but there’s also something absurdly addictive to them. I had to restrain myself from picking up the other “best of” book when I finished this one.
Reading Nancy Drew, it’s easier to see why the books remain so popular (and pretty consistently in print for 80 years, in some cases). Nancy is responsible-she’s always helping people, runs errands for her father, helps her housekeeper/surrogate mother with chores, etc.-but she has no responsibilities-she’s graduated high school, doesn’t go to college, and doesn’t have a job. She’s smart, clever and aggressive, and while she may get kidnapped, she can also get herself free. If she’s getting rescued, it’s usually only because she helped the rescuer in some way, and she has a knack for finding adventure anywhere. She also, significantly for a teenaged girl, has the respect and admiration of her father (who, in turn, has the respect of the local community) who sets few boundaries on her life, respects and is respected by (typically male) authority and, in the editions I’m reading, faces almost no overt sexism.
In all three books, Nancy is also drawn into the mystery by her desire to help another woman. In one book, she meets two older women raising their grandniece who had been promised a share in a friend’s will, only to be left out in favor of unpleasant relatives. In another, she meets a recently orphaned young woman whose guardian may be robbing her, and in the last, she travels to France to solve the mystery of a woman’s nightmares that may have originated in her childhood. While helping men enters into the equation, it only does so after she’s committed herself to “saving” another woman from a danger of injustice that results from a man. (Note that there are over 50 more books. This may not be an eternal theme.)
She also, rather notably, is always driving. I was reading a scene in The Secret of the Old Clock and thinking that something about it was “off,” and then I realized that, in most versions of similar scenes, the heroine would be driven to the location by the police, safely protected. In the first two books, which are set in or near her hometown, River Heights, Nancy drives everywhere. When she’s going somewhere with the police, she leads in her car, or follows them in her car. If she and her father go somewhere, she drives. The Secret of the Old Clock actually opens with Nancy driving, which I find rather significant, given how prominently male heroes tend to be introduced driving their cars. Often, the hero’s car is almost as central as the hero himself. For example, look at Supernatural, where Dean’s Impala is almost a third main character. I can’t help but think that, in 1930, beginning a book with the female lead literally driving into an adventure was bordering on revolutionary.
The Mystery of the 99 Steps, which was written over 30 years after the first two, is set primarily in France, and as such, Nancy doesn’t drive much. Significantly, it’s barely mentioned how they travelled (by taxi, BTW) and the driver is never mentioned, whereas the other two books always mentioned the driver. Said driver being Nancy. And, of course, when a driver finally is mentioned, it’s Nancy. It’s also notable that this is the only time in the three books that Nancy has to prove herself to authority, being removed from her normal surroundings, which reminds me of Emma Woodhouse, and how she’s never left her hometown because it’s where she’s free and powerful, but her power and standing are very centric to her home, and all that will change for her if she’s somewhere else.
The editions I’m reading are the “updated” editions from the late 80s and early 90s. They were rewritten, as I understand it, to reduce racist comments (given reference to one character in The Mystery of the 99 Steps, that may have saved me a lot of cringing), keep them updated for younger readers (nothing like stumbling across an electric razor in a story originally written and pretty much still set in 1930) and to make Nancy “softer” and more “feminine.” The last of which, naturally, makes me sigh. Hopefully, some of the books I read will be the originals, so I can properly compare.
For the most part, Nancy seems to be written to be the female counterpart to the scads and scads of young male heroes on adventures, though I have to (re)read more to really think on that. I’m also wondering if Nancy qualifies as a “good girl” or as a “bad girl.” By our contemporary standards, of course, she’s very much a “good girl,” but I suspect that wasn’t nearly as true in 1930.
And now, the covers! Because the covers have changed over the years, and I have Comments about them. Ok, mostly the covers for other books, but anyway…
This is the 1930 cover of The Secret of the Old Clock. Nancy is clearly sneaking, but is in the middle of action.
This is the 1959 cover. Less action, but still in the middle of doing doing. Also, her face cracks me up.
And the 1987 cover. Paused in action to fearfully look around. One of the more iconic Nancy Drew images, but a much less assertive and driven image than the other two.
The 1930 cover to The Bungalow Mystery. Nancy has (presumably) been creative in dragging over the crate and is actively investigating.
The 1960 cover. Nancy was presumably investigating a few moment ago, but now she's hiding behind a couch and looking scared and shocked. I declare this to be a Fail!Cover.
The 1988 cover. Back to investigating, but hiding a distance from her target.
The only cover of The Mystery of the 99 Steps, from 1966. This is all I have to say:
VALIANT KNIGHT NANCY: Fear not, George! I shall save you from the vile miscreant!
FAIR MAIDEN GEORGE: Nancy! I totally see a secret passage!
VALIANT KNIGHT NANCY: I shall investigate once I have severely thrashed the scoundrel!
FAIR MAIDEN GEORGE: I'm going to get kidnapped, aren't I?
Conclusion: 1930's cover are awesome, others are a bit mixed.
Reading Nancy Drew, it’s easier to see why the books remain so popular (and pretty consistently in print for 80 years, in some cases). Nancy is responsible-she’s always helping people, runs errands for her father, helps her housekeeper/surrogate mother with chores, etc.-but she has no responsibilities-she’s graduated high school, doesn’t go to college, and doesn’t have a job. She’s smart, clever and aggressive, and while she may get kidnapped, she can also get herself free. If she’s getting rescued, it’s usually only because she helped the rescuer in some way, and she has a knack for finding adventure anywhere. She also, significantly for a teenaged girl, has the respect and admiration of her father (who, in turn, has the respect of the local community) who sets few boundaries on her life, respects and is respected by (typically male) authority and, in the editions I’m reading, faces almost no overt sexism.
In all three books, Nancy is also drawn into the mystery by her desire to help another woman. In one book, she meets two older women raising their grandniece who had been promised a share in a friend’s will, only to be left out in favor of unpleasant relatives. In another, she meets a recently orphaned young woman whose guardian may be robbing her, and in the last, she travels to France to solve the mystery of a woman’s nightmares that may have originated in her childhood. While helping men enters into the equation, it only does so after she’s committed herself to “saving” another woman from a danger of injustice that results from a man. (Note that there are over 50 more books. This may not be an eternal theme.)
She also, rather notably, is always driving. I was reading a scene in The Secret of the Old Clock and thinking that something about it was “off,” and then I realized that, in most versions of similar scenes, the heroine would be driven to the location by the police, safely protected. In the first two books, which are set in or near her hometown, River Heights, Nancy drives everywhere. When she’s going somewhere with the police, she leads in her car, or follows them in her car. If she and her father go somewhere, she drives. The Secret of the Old Clock actually opens with Nancy driving, which I find rather significant, given how prominently male heroes tend to be introduced driving their cars. Often, the hero’s car is almost as central as the hero himself. For example, look at Supernatural, where Dean’s Impala is almost a third main character. I can’t help but think that, in 1930, beginning a book with the female lead literally driving into an adventure was bordering on revolutionary.
The Mystery of the 99 Steps, which was written over 30 years after the first two, is set primarily in France, and as such, Nancy doesn’t drive much. Significantly, it’s barely mentioned how they travelled (by taxi, BTW) and the driver is never mentioned, whereas the other two books always mentioned the driver. Said driver being Nancy. And, of course, when a driver finally is mentioned, it’s Nancy. It’s also notable that this is the only time in the three books that Nancy has to prove herself to authority, being removed from her normal surroundings, which reminds me of Emma Woodhouse, and how she’s never left her hometown because it’s where she’s free and powerful, but her power and standing are very centric to her home, and all that will change for her if she’s somewhere else.
The editions I’m reading are the “updated” editions from the late 80s and early 90s. They were rewritten, as I understand it, to reduce racist comments (given reference to one character in The Mystery of the 99 Steps, that may have saved me a lot of cringing), keep them updated for younger readers (nothing like stumbling across an electric razor in a story originally written and pretty much still set in 1930) and to make Nancy “softer” and more “feminine.” The last of which, naturally, makes me sigh. Hopefully, some of the books I read will be the originals, so I can properly compare.
For the most part, Nancy seems to be written to be the female counterpart to the scads and scads of young male heroes on adventures, though I have to (re)read more to really think on that. I’m also wondering if Nancy qualifies as a “good girl” or as a “bad girl.” By our contemporary standards, of course, she’s very much a “good girl,” but I suspect that wasn’t nearly as true in 1930.
And now, the covers! Because the covers have changed over the years, and I have Comments about them. Ok, mostly the covers for other books, but anyway…
This is the 1930 cover of The Secret of the Old Clock. Nancy is clearly sneaking, but is in the middle of action.
This is the 1959 cover. Less action, but still in the middle of doing doing. Also, her face cracks me up.
And the 1987 cover. Paused in action to fearfully look around. One of the more iconic Nancy Drew images, but a much less assertive and driven image than the other two.
The 1930 cover to The Bungalow Mystery. Nancy has (presumably) been creative in dragging over the crate and is actively investigating.
The 1960 cover. Nancy was presumably investigating a few moment ago, but now she's hiding behind a couch and looking scared and shocked. I declare this to be a Fail!Cover.
The 1988 cover. Back to investigating, but hiding a distance from her target.
The only cover of The Mystery of the 99 Steps, from 1966. This is all I have to say:
VALIANT KNIGHT NANCY: Fear not, George! I shall save you from the vile miscreant!
FAIR MAIDEN GEORGE: Nancy! I totally see a secret passage!
VALIANT KNIGHT NANCY: I shall investigate once I have severely thrashed the scoundrel!
FAIR MAIDEN GEORGE: I'm going to get kidnapped, aren't I?
Conclusion: 1930's cover are awesome, others are a bit mixed.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-05 05:01 am (UTC)I think there are still a bunch in the trunk in our living room and the rest are probably out in the garage, so maybe I'll go pull them out tomorrow.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-05 05:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-05 05:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-05 11:53 pm (UTC)That's a really interesting point about Nancy driving. And really, it makes me love her even more.
I also really liked George, too; it was so cool to me that she was a girl with a boy's name.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-06 02:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-06 02:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-06 02:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-06 02:46 am (UTC)...Y'know, as we've been having this discussion, I've been realizing that the woman protagonist named George in one of my original fiction novels totally and completely could be called a Mary Sue. So I am guilty on all counts, and I don't care. XD