Paige is a lifelong bookworm. Read on to see why one should join her at the library to uncover the mystery of why Nancy Drew is so beloved.
What’s up with your Nancy Drew event at Washington Memorial Library in August?
These are three one-hour presentations to explore the world of Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and other iconic juvenile mystery series launched in the mid-20th century. It’s a nostalgic look back at the evolution of early adolescent reading experiences. I like to think of these books as a part of American pop culture.
Who do you think might be interested in this (somewhat arcane) subject?
Hopefully, everyone of every generation — Baby Boomers, Millennials, Gen-Xers, and on down — who have read these books or just want to know more about them. As a Baby Boomer myself, I realize most women my age have a personal story to tell about discovering Nancy Drew and her many adventures in their youth.
Studies show that reading books is generational. If your mother or grandmother read to you when you were young, you are more likely to read yourself and to pass on the love of reading to your own children and so forth. Today, Nancy Drew is being published in a new, readable series of editions for most all ages. She’s definitely here to stay.
What do you think is her enduring appeal?
Nancy Drew is the embodiment of the strong, American female spirit who is compassionate, but tenacious, in her determination to solve the mystery at hand. The Hardy Boys (they are brothers) represent goodness, generosity, and strength. They are the ultimate “good guys” who win the day in their every adventure.
What more do our readers need to know?
The original Nancy Drew series was launched in the early 1930s, so she is now around 96 years old! The story behind her creation is intriguing in itself. Through the decades, books have been rewritten/revised in terms of writing style, character descriptions, fashion sense, social changes, and modern lifestyles. You can almost pinpoint a woman’s age by the Nancy editions she grew up with — such as the “blue tweed” editions, the “yellow spine picture cover” editions, and the newer, modern Nancys for younger readers in paperback, which are still popular today.
I’d like to report that the Nancy Drew books were flawless, but unfortunately, I can’t. There is a prejudicial tone in the early volumes that should be addressed, which I will do in this lecture series.
Despite that controversy, one Nancy Drew author, Betsy DeCaprio, cites the psychologist Carl Jung and his theories on book characters embarking on a “hero’s journey” like that of Odysseus, Jason of the Argonauts, and Indiana Jones. DeCaprio believes Nancy Drew and the Hardys easily fit that pattern, too, and I wholeheartedly agree. There exists some visceral appeal to Nancy Drew’s indomitable spirit that some of us are continually drawn to.
When did you first recognize the virtues of Nancy Drew?
I have loved Nancy since I was eight years old! Around 1989-1990 one summer I was teaching children’s creative classes at the now-defunct YWCA in Downtown Macon. I taught writing, the medieval world of knights and damsels, and a Shakespeare class (with a young Carrie Preston — Macon’s own “Elsbeth” — who was then a high school student). I also came up with this idea to present a fun class for kids about my old friend Nancy Drew.
The Saturday morning that we opened the doors for registration, the lines to get into the Nancy Drew class were down the street and filled with mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and children. So many people came, we had to turn some away and present another class! Some years later, I directed a play at Theatre Macon featuring the Hardy Boys, and it sold out immediately, with a waiting list. So that just proves the point I made earlier — there exists an undeniable, spellbinding appeal to these classics. Hardcore fans even hold annual ND conventions. This year it’s in St. Louis in October with a theme based on the Nancy Drew mystery, Message in the Hollow Oak, #12 in the original “canon.”
What else do you read?
I am actually a non-fiction aficionado. In other words, a snobbish, nerdy reader in Nancy Drew disguise.
Paige Henson will present a free, three-part series for readers of all ages to discuss Nancy Drew and friends on August 10, 17, and 24 from 5:30–6:30 p.m. on the second floor of Washington Memorial Library in Macon.