Nancy Drew: Girls’ Literature, Women's Reading Groups, and the Transmission of Literacy

Abstract

This study focused on a women's reading group that organized for the purpose of discussing popular books from the Nancy Drew collection. Audiotapes of discussions, interviews, and questionnaires provided information that led to an in-depth analysis to address two research questions: How did the participants become engaged in the specific genre of Nancy Drew mysteries? and What can be learned from interactions that were part of the group discussions (in a noninstructional setting) that can inform the field of literacy about the processes and values of such discussions for adult participants’ literary engagement? Key findings of the study are that (a) “literacy agents,” such as mothers and aunts, were influential in persuading participants to read Nancy Drew as a child and (b) the discourse patterns of the group, although they were similar in some ways to typical school literature discussions, departed from these patterns at key points. When the participants were collaborative rather than hierarchical in their discussion stances, they constructed unexpected knowledge and expressed divergent views. They also made personal responses, both relevant and tangential to the text, and humorous observations. The implications of these findings for conducting literature discussions in classrooms are explored. © 1997, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.