Here is my initial script for my semester project. This is really only the introductory piece. My plan is to go into the history of series books starting with the Rollo books probably and working my way up, touching on each series briefly. I would like to spend a little bit of time discussing the Stratemeyer Syndicate and how Stratemeyer used the formula outline with ghost writers. I look forward to receiving your feedback!
Margaret
A Look at Series Books
Donna Parker was my childhood hero. Other kids my age had different heroes, heroes like the Hardy Boys. Girls were hooked on Nancy Drew. But I was never really the Nancy Drew type. Donna Parker was my favorite. There were fewer Donna Parker books than Nancy Drews, but that was okay with me. I stuck with her anyway – and read every last one of them. When I finished reading the Donna Parker books, I moved on to the Cherry Ames series, starting with Cherry Ames, Student Nurse. Those didn’t quench my thirst for series books, so I chose another series with the help of my grandmother. Mommy Kate led me to a series written much earlier by a woman named Mazo de la Roche. The series was known as the Jalna series and contained 16 books starting with Building of Jalna. I had easy access to these books each summer when I got to spend a week with Mommy Kate at her home in Clarksville. Since she worked at the Red River County Library there in Clarksville, I spent much time among the books there working my way through de la Roche’s series.
As an adult, I re-lived my love of series books, moving again through the stage of unconscious delight, first with Sue Grafton’s alphabet mysteries and then with Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series. The Kathy Reichs series drew me in next. Once I finish this degree, I can get back to reading those series books!
I see my students reading series books, too. Some of them like the Bluford High books while others prefer to read Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events. Sometimes I have to fight the urge to push them to read something else. But then I stop and think again about the stage of unconscious delight. It’s not so much what they are reading sometimes as it is THAT they are reading. Then I decide that it’s fine with me as long as they’re reading.
4 comments:
I like the personal tie-in to series books and I think it will balance the Stratemeyer stuff well. I am wondering if you need to explain "unconscious delight" a little to make it clearer. I am also wondering what made Donna Parker the books for you instead of Nancy Drew - what did you find appealing about her? I loved the Bobbsey Twins and Ramona :)
Thanks, Dawn. I think you're right about the unconscious delight stage needing an explanation. I didn't really think about that when I wrote this part. I guess it's just become ingrained in my own head from both taking the children's literature class and teaching it. I'm glad you pointed it out. As for what made Donna Parker books the ones I liked, I'll really have to think about that. It might be more that I didn't like Nancy Drew than that I did like Donna Parker. That will be something for me to ponder before I revise that portion. I appreciate your feedback!
Margaret
Margaret,
Thank you for the comments on my script. I struggle with finding my writing voice because I wind up forcing an unnatural academic tone to make it seem factual. I will continue to work on your suggestions!!!
Margaret-
I really enjoyed the way you moved from the personal to the professional in this script. It makes sense why you would be interested in doing a project on this since you have so much invested in it. I also liked how you used a lot of the verbiage that we've learned in classes- unconscious delight, Syndicate -- because it really demonstrates your knowledge of the subject, as well as the richness the topic has to offer. As for me, I never got into the series books...I never connected with the stories.
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