The Boy Detectives

Much has been written about the girl sleuth in fiction, a feminist figure embodying all the potential wit and drive of girlhood. Her male counterpart, however, has received much less critical attention despite his popularity in the wider culture. This collection of 11 essays examines the boy detective and his genre from a number of critical perspectives, addressing the issues of these young characters, heirs to the patriarchy yet still concerned with first crushes and soda shop romances. Series explored include the Hardy Boys, Tow Swift, the Three Investigators, Christopher Cool and Tim Murphy, as well as works by Astrid Lindgren, Mark Haddon and Joe Meno.

Michael G. Cornelius is a professor of English and director of the Master’s of Humanities program at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He is an award-winning novelist and the author or editor of numerous scholarly works.

Edited by Michael G. Cornelius
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 220
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6033-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-6198-1
Imprint: McFarland

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
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  & nbsp;   203

• “A favorite model…fascinating insight…intriguing read…a core addition to any literary studies collection”—Midwest Book Review
• “Valuable”—Mystery Scene
• “Highly recommend”—Dime Novel Round-Up