Description:
This collection of essays focuses on the girl sleuth, made famous by Nancy Drew but also characterized by other famous detectives like Cherry Ames, Trixie Belden, Linda Carlton, and even in contemporary media by Veronica Mars and Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter series.
Topics include the disputed origins of Nancy Drew and the Stratemeyer Syndicate; the intertwined relationships between the Syndicate and Nancy Drew's many ghostwriters; the distinct and evolving textual identities of the Cherry Ames series; the adaptation of the traditional archetype by contemporary girl detectives like Veronica Mars, Lulu Dark, and Ingrid Levin-Hill; and the ways in which Harry Potter's Hermione Granger, while a central character in the series, is often at odds with the male-centric, fantasy-genre world of Harry Potter himself.
Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Brief description: Michael G. Cornelius is a professor of English and director of the Master's of Humanities program at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He is an award-winning novelist and the author or editor of numerous scholarly works.
Review Quotes: "an excellent addition...recommended"-Choice; "interesting...thought-provoking...a great choice"-School Library Journal; "an absorbing read"-Feminist Collections; "valuable collection...most of the essays are highly readable and cover fresh ground"-Mystery Scene; "a welcome addition"-Dime Novel Round-Up; "interesting, useful, and sometimes entertaining volume"-Children's Literature Association Quarterly.