Boy Detectives: Essays on the Hardy Boys and Others

221 Pages·2010·0.94 MB·English

by  Michael G. Cornelius

The Boy Detectives
ALSO BY
MICHAEL G. CORNELIUS
Nancy Drew and Her Sister Sleuths:
Essays on the Fiction of Girl Detectives
(McFarland, 2008)
The Boy Detectives
Essays on the Hardy Boys
and Others
Edited by
MICHAEL G. CORNELIUS
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSONLINECATALOGDATA
The boy detectives : essays on the Hardy Boys and others / edited
by Michael G. Cornelius.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-6033-5
softcover : 50# alkaline paper
1. Stratemeyer, Edward, 1862–1930—Characters—Hardy
Boys. 2. Detective and mystery stories, American—History
and criticism. 3. Boy detectives in literature. 4. Hardy Boys
(fictitious characters) 5. Hardy Boys (Fictitious characters)—
Adaptations. 6. Children’s stories, American—History and
criticism. 7. Young adult fiction, American—History and
criticism.
PS374.D4B69 2010 2010020982
British Library cataloguing data are available
©2010 Michael G. Cornelius. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover image ©2010 PIctures Now
Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
I’d like to dedicate this book, as all things are, to Joe.
And to all the boy sleuths, both in this book
and reading it now: this one’s for you.
In memory of Hilda Jackson.
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: The Nomenclature of Boy Sleuths
MICHAEL G. CORNELIUS 1
1. A Hardy Boys’ Identity Narrative and The Tower Treasure
LARRY T. SHILLOCK 19
2. Hardy Camaraderie: Boy Sleuthing and Male Community
in the Hardy Boys Mysteries
C. M. GILL 35
3. Terminal Immaterial: The Uncertain Subject of the Hardy
Boys Airport Mysteries
CHRISTOPHER SCHABERG 51
4. Strategies of Adaptation: The Hardy Boys on Television
BRIAN TAVES 62
5. Natural Detective Work: Ideas About Nature in the Early
Tom Swift Books
ELIZABETH D. BLUM 86
6. Tim Murphy: Superhero Without a Cape
FRED ERISMAN 108
7. Adventures and Affect: The Character of the Boy Detective
and Orphan in Astrid Lindgren’s Rasmus and the Tramp
CHARLOTTE BEYER 120
8. The Power of Three: Alfred Hitchcock’s Three Investigators
Series
ALAN PICKRELL 132
vii
viii Contents
9. Clashing Genres: (No) Sex and (No) Violence in the
Christopher Cool, TEEN Agent Series
MICHAEL G. CORNELIUS 143
10. “The Perfect Hero for His Age”: Christopher Boone and the
Role of Logic in the Boy Detective Narrative
NICOLA ALLEN 167
11. Has the World Outgrown the Classic Boy Detective?
JOHN FINLAY KERR 180
About the Contributors 199
Index 203
Acknowledgments
This book was completed with the generous support of the Paul Swain
Havens Research Scholars Award. I would like to thank Lorraine Hamilton
Havens and the entire Havens family for their continuing support of the fac-
ulty of Wilson College. I would also like to thank all of the contributors for
their excellent work. Thanks also to Nicole Twigg, Joseph Garcia, Larry
Shillock, and anyone else who had a hand in putting this collection together.
ix