The Ghost of Another Forgotten Lady: A Defense of Nancy Drew and the Woman She’s Always Been

Tags

books, classic, commentary, ghost, modernized, Nancy Drew, original, revised, Riverdale, The CW

Although courageous, the girl never was recklessly so, for, left motherless at an early age, she had developed amazing judgement. This quality was recognized and respected by the girl’s many friends and classmates at River Heights.

Who is Nancy Drew?

Or perhaps the real question I want to address today is what is Nancy Drew? Today’s discussion is about what type of person Nancy Drew was meant to be.

There’s a new Nancy Drew series in the works at the CW Network. In fact, it will premiere in about a week’s time on October 9th. A lot of people are excited, many are skeptical, and while both sides are making valid points, there are a few thoughts that I would like to share about it all. And although this is my starting point, the television show is really just a side note of what will be the central point of this post.

The Case of the Politically Correct Makeover: How “Updating” Classic Heroines Insults Real Women

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Anne of Green Gables, heroine, Jessica Jones, Nancy Drew, reboot, updated

A friend shared this article with me yesterday, and I have to admit, it upset me. A lot. So please, take a few minutes to read it, and then come back. http://flavorwire.com/555722/what-do-nancy-drew-and-anne-of-green-gables-have-to-offer-the-age-of-peak-tv/

I am not a feminist. Not by a long shot. In fact, in many ways I’m about as anti-feminist as a female can get. Now, “feminism” can have different meanings to different people, granted. But today, that word has become synonymous with a certain image and set of ideals that, quite frankly, I detest.

I have no desire to live in a world where all men are considered chauvinist pigs, and women who don’t want to act as men do are considered “old fashioned”, “out of touch”, and “repressed”.

I don’t believe that a woman who wants a husband and children is any less of a “real woman” than one who chooses to go to medical school and is happy being married to her career. Now, I do believe that there are certain jobs that women are NOT best suited for and shouldn’t do, the same as I believe that there are certain jobs that MEN are not best suited for and shouldn’t do.

I also believe that it’s wrong to hire a person just to fill some sort of stupid PC quota. If it’s not right to hire a woman just because she’s nice to look at, then it should also be unacceptable to hire a woman simply because society says that if you don’t hire ‘x’ number of women, then you’re somehow discriminating against them. Hiring a woman or man based on what society feels promotes “equality” rather than competency, qualifications and ability, is not equality, and it benefits no one. Saying “You’re hired because you’re a woman and we need more women in the work force” is no different than hiring the prettiest girl at an interview because she’s easy on the eyes.

This brings me to the aforementioned article. “What Do Nancy Drew and ‘Anne of Green Gables’ Have to Offer the Age of Peak TV?” Nothing good, if the information in this article is correct.

The Secret of the Titian-Haired Sleuth

Tags

books, Carolyn Keene, Edward Stratemeyer, Nancy Drew, Nancy Drew 85th Anniversary

Ask any little girl (or big girl for that matter!) what literary heroine had titian hair and drove a blue roadster, and we’ll all answer immediately — Nancy Drew.

I can still remember the first time I drove full speed into the town of River Heights, USA. I was in the fifth grade, and standing on a chair in my school library, and I chose which Nancy Drew book to begin with based on two things: The title and the cover image.

The school library had a little less than half of Nancy’s original 56 titles, but the beauty of this series is that you can pick up any book, at any time. Reading them out of order, you won’t miss anything in terms of continuity. Each book stands alone on its own two feet. Only the main character relationships and a few random references to past mysteries carry over from book to book.

At the time, I was no stranger to mysteries. I’d been vicariously sleuthing with Scooby and the gang since I was a wee lass. My mom had the entire Nancy Drew series when she was young (sadly lost in a flooded basement when she was a teen), and she encouraged me to start reading them. And like any really good thing, once you start, you just can’t stop. But seriously, who would want to?