Whatever Happened to the Girl (Sleuth) Next Door?

What Ever Happened to the Girl (Sleuth) Next Door?

 

I’m sure you remember Nancy Drew? The much celebrated Girl Sleuth has been one of America’s most enduring heroines of juvenile fiction for over eighty years. She has been the star of theatrical films, multiple television series, and a popular line of computer games.  When I asked if you remembered Nancy Drew, the expected answer was really not a mystery at all.  Everyone remembers the “Titian haired teen detective from River Heights.” A more precise question might be which Nancy Drew do you remember? Nancy Drew has changed over the years although she certainly doesn’t look “eighty-something!”  The original Nancy was a Feminist icon who inspired young readers of both genders with the then radical idea that women could do anything men could do …and they might just do it better! She was independent and had no hesitancy in speaking her mind. She was a keen observer of the world around her and she was not afraid to speak up if she saw something that offended her sense of right and wrong.  She was a role model and her adventures motivated young readers to the extent that some of them eventually grew up to become pioneers in their respective fields.  Women like Hillary Clinton, Diane Sawyer, and Gloria Steinem fondly recalled how the brainy and beautiful sleuth had thrilled and inspired them to aspire to academic and professional success. The description of the literary detective and her influence sounds uniformly positive until you consider how she changed after here initial appearances.

Nancy Drew’s stories were written by ghost writers who used the corporate pseudonym of Caroline Keene. The problem was cracks in Nancy’s picture-perfect porcelain façade began to appear when the owners of the character decided they wanted her depiction to change from the manner in which she was first described.  The spunky Nancy was largely the creation of Mildred Benson but as a staff writer she had little control over the character when her employers decided to tame the Girl Sleuth in more ways than one. New writers were hired and changes became all too apparent. Readers didn’t need a magnifying glass to see how their heroine had changed! A more conservative view began to dominate the fictional world Nancy inhabited. She was abruptly changed to conform to a well-mannered young lady who deferred to all adults and never had a negative word to say or even to think about anyone she encountered.  She continued to risk her life in the pursuit of justice but she did so in white gloves and kitten heels.  The Nancy Drew of the 1959 revisions was a shadow of her original self when it came to attitude and appearance.

By the seventies economic demands and publishing trends led to more changes. Nancy Drew began to appear in shorter paperbacks that were simultaneously aimed at the teen romance audience while also being simplifier in terms of plot and vocabulary to appeal to less demanding readers. The cover art changed as well and Nancy was depicted as a younger girl with a much more provocative demeanor.

In recent years, Nancy’s strange evolution has continued in several different ways. There are books aimed at the youngest readers in which she is a child sleuth who deals with innocuous and bland mysteries. She also appears in more traditional form in graphic novels that draw upon the popularity of Japanese Manga art. Finally, in early 2013 the first books in the new Nancy Drew Diaries series appeared. The new books combine first person narrations with cutting edge technology and a slightly flawed and more realistic Nancy; however, the plots again lack the depth found in the original books.

It seems obvious that no matter how she is viewed by her ever changing creators and no matter what may be found in her “clues” closet; Nancy Drew continues to appeal to a wide audience in a variety of formats.  She’s not going away and for that countless readers are grateful!

 

 

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Women’s History Month: Sappho!

 

It is fitting that any celebration of women’s history reaches back into antiquity to honor Sappho. Sappho was one of the most celebrated poets of the ancient world and her influence is still felt today in spite of the fact that much of her work has not survived.  She was born around 630 BC and the range of her knowledge and the settings she described in her poems suggest she came from an aristocratic family and had three brothers.  She was born in Mytilene on the island of Lesbos.  Her family had ties to political leaders and regional strife led to her exile to Sicily.   It is believed that she died around 570 BC.

She wrote  over 10,000 lines of lyric poetry; however, only 650 of them have survived to the present.  While some  historians suggested her works were destroyed because of concerns about their subject matter, others believe a lack of demand prevented most of them from being transcribed on to more easily preserved parchment after her death. She wrote poems about love and family and her style was marked by wit, word play, and an immediacy that conveyed emotion and urgency.  She was admired by Alexandrian scholars and a critical edition of some of her works was compiled in the 3rd century BC.  She died in 570 BC.  Tennyson and Housman admired her works and were influenced by her style of writing.

 

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A tale as new as this YA novel!

SBRL’s  own “Book Belle” Tracey has a new novel for fans of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”  Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly offers fairy tale fans a whole new world of reading excitement!  (Okay, so that’s more of an Aladdin thing but you get the idea!)

 

 

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We couldn’t agree more!

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New NF @ Marion!

Left at the altar?  No worries!  We have some new Non-Fiction titles here at your Marion Library!

NF

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron  Hall

Finding the Blue Sky by Joseph Emet

You are the Universe by Deepak Chopra

Gosnell by Ann McElhinney

Sapiens by Yuval Harari

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Carry On by Lisa Fenn

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Spring Ahead w. Storytime!

One of the surest signs of the arrival of Spring  may be found in the fact that our always busy Miss Tracey is preparing for Summer Reading Programs (while continuing her ” Crafty, Musical, Fun-Filled Spring Storytime Programs.) Wake the kids. Phone the neighbors.  You never know what wonders she’ll  bring to area families! She’s busier than the Energizer Bunny!

 

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Miss Tracey’s Lego Club!

Don’t miss tonight’s meeting of Miss Tracey’s Lego Club at the Marion Library at 6:00! It’s a great opportunity to build your own fun!

 

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Happy Birthday, Brenda Song!

Actress Brenda Song was born on March 27, 1988.  She is best known for her roles in “Wendy Wu : Homecoming Warrior”,  “The Suite Life of Zac and Cody”, and “Pure Genius”.As an avid reader, Brenda proudly posed for an American Library Association READ  poster. We wish her a happy birthday and appreciate her support of America’s libraries.

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Women’s History Month: Eleanor Roosevelt!

 

Eleanor Roosevelt is considered American’s most influential First Lady and  one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable social reformers. She was born on October 11, 1884 to a wealthy New York family. She was the niece of Theodore Roosevelt.  After being educated at home by private tutors she attended Allenswood Academy where is gained a strong sense of social responsibility.  She worked as a volunteer teacher for immigrant  children in Manhattan and became an advocate for safer working conditions as part of the National Consumers’ League.  She married her fifth cousin Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 17, 1095. She became his strongest supporter and political ally as he rose through the ranks of the Democratic Party with  offices in the New York State Senate and a position as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Eleanor became active in the American Red Cross, the Democratic Party, and the League of Women Voters. She also stood by her husband’s side as he battled polio. She was equally active during his time as Governor of New York as during his time as U. S. President from 1933-1945.

She became his eyes and ears and traveled the country during the Great Depression in search of ways to provide the most immediate help to those in need. She wrote a regular newspaper column and turned the office of First Lady from a ceremonial role of hostess to an active and well -respected position with serious duties and significant impact on the country at large and upon her husband’s polices. She championed the causes of civil rights, the right of women to work in industry and defense, benefits for war refugees,  programs to support the arts, and practical relief for the unemployed.  After Franklin’s death in 1945,   she became a delegate to the United Nations and continued her writing. She worked with the NAACP and President Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women.  . Eleanor Roosevelt died on November , 1962.

 

 

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Women’s History Month: Pocahontas!

(Pocahontas in animated and engraved formats)

Pocahontas became a legendary figure whose story was commercialized in books, films, ballets, and other aspects of popular culture; however, the real woman was significant as well although much of her life remains unknown to historians. She was born  around 1596 as Matoaka, the daughter of Powhatan, who was leader of thirty Algonquian speaking Native American groups near Tidewater, Virginia.   She  encountered the Jamestown settlers under circumstances that have been romanticized by some and misunderstood by others. Captain John Smith told the famous story that the young girl saved his life when her people threatened to club him to death.  Some experts believe the events were actually part of a ceremony designed not to harm Smith but to symbolize his “death and rebirth” as an ally of the group. In any case, the legend survived and Pocahontas became famous.  She was taken captive by the English and during this time she married a tobacco planter named John Rolfe in April 1614. She gave birth to their son Thomas in 1615. She joined her husband on a voyage to England where she enjoyed a certain amount of celebrity  as a Native American Christian and a symbol of peace between the colonists and the Native Americans.  She died while in Gravesend, England in 1617.  Pocahontas became the first Native American woman represented on a postage stamp in 1907.  Several communities in the United States were named in her honor as were many schools or public buildings.  She was the heroine of ballets, plays, movies, and even became a Disney Princess in an animated film.  Several U.S. Naval ships were named after her and she remains an admirable symbol of peace and understanding.

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