Nancy Drew

Grab your magnifying glasses and get to work fellow detectives. This week we are unmasking the mystery of America’s favorite female detective, Nancy Drew. Be sure to register for our lecture all about Nancy brought to us by historian Leslie Goddard. We’ve also included some of the essential classic Nancy Drew Mysteries and the computer games by HER Interactive.

History

Let’s start at the beginning. Edward Stratemeyer was a writer of several short stories and his most successful detective dime novels. He founded the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1905 because he wanted to write a variety of stories but he felt that he did not have the time to see his ideas into fruition. The majority of stories were not written by Stratemeyer but through a series of ghost writers. One of the famed ghost writers was Mildred A. Wirt Benson. Benson was hired to write as Alice B. Emerson for the Ruth Fielding series. Stratemeyer was impressed with skills and in 1929 offered her to work on a new series that would be the counterpart to the Hardy Boys. Nancy Drew was to be introduced in 1930 as a way to connect to young women. Known for giving detailed outlines, Stratemeyer gave Benson the plot to the first three Nancy Drew books. Benson is credited with giving Nancy her independent spirit, cleverness and spunk. Her first book with Nancy Drew was The Secret of the Old Clock. As Benson continued to write Nancy Drew books, she was criticized by the Syndicate for not making Nancy sweeter instead of her outspoken behavior.

Publishers Grosset & Dunlap began revising the early books in the late 1950s due to the racial stereotypes depicted in the books.

During the 1950-1970s there were many changes to the stories to reinvent the character. The character lost some of the rebellious nature from the original series run. Another change is Nancy’s attitude to the male figures in her life which led to some critics noting that Nancy was more agreeable than before.

In 1985 the Syndicate was sold to Simon & Schuster. Under Simon & Schuster, they wanted see new mature stories around Nancy and her friends. The popular spin-off was the Nancy Drew Case Files. In this series, Nancy questions her relationship with Ned Nickerson and introduces her to new characters. Some critics thought this new version resembled the original character made by Benson. The publishing house again in 2003 revamped Nancy in the Nancy Drew: Girl Detective. This series was ultimately cancelled in 2012 with Simon & Schuster announcing they would publish four Nancy Drew books a year. The current series is Nancy Drew Diaries.

Criticism

It is important to say that in the original series there are many stereotypes about BIPOC characters. The stories that feature characters of color are often speaking in a mock dialect and are almost always shown as housemaids. In the original 1930 publication, The Secret of the Old Clock, the character of Jedd Tucker is portrayed as an untrustworthy black criminal that Nancy assumed is the culprits or involved. Tucker also speaks in this mock dialect. When the books were revised starting in the 50s, most of the BIPOC characters were removed. This caused criticism saying the series was moving to only show all white characters with little diversity.

In addition, the Drew family are always seen as a part of the upper class. Nancy’s changes during the revamp period made her naïve that she came from wealth. The family was never shown to have been impacted by the Great Depression or during the Second World War. Some critics such as Bobbie Ann Mason believes Nancy’s popularity comes from her class advantages.

Nancy Drew’s Legacy

Since her creation in 1930, Nancy Drew has been a staple in American culture. As of today, her books have sold worldwide over 80 million copies. She has been portrayed in several movies and television shows with the most recent adaptation on the CW. Nancy Drew has also inspired women such as Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush to pursue impactful careers. What many people see in Nancy is a young girl who takes charge and was one of the first strong women in children’s literature. In 1998, HERIntertactive started creating computer games based on some of the books throughout the various series. Nancy has always appealed to young women as a regular person who solves mysteries. Despite the criticism from several authors and figures, Nancy Drew has still found ways to capture the minds of all those who read her.

Essential Nancy Drew Books