Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-250) and index.
Contents:
Learning to be an angel: religion and reading for nineteenth-century American girls -- Angels in the house: Christian womanhood and community power in postbellum girls' series -- A revolution in series production: Edward Stratemeyer and the commodification of series books -- Communities of friends: series heroines as consumers, 1901-1930 -- Two miles forward, one mile back: gender battles during the Great War -- Running the gamut and the gauntlet: World War I series as a catalyst for change in the cultural landscape of American girlhood -- Taking advantage of new markets: Ruth Fielding as a motion picture screenwriter, producer, and executive -- Conclusion: Nancy Drew and a new era -- Appendix: Series books in order of publication.
Summary:
"Alternating chapters of historical background and literary analysis, this study argues that postbellum series books inspired young women by illustrating the ways in which girls could participate in social change. The book adds to the existing scholarship on girls' culture by tracing the shifting social ideologies of girlhood throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries"--Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.