Identity by Design: The Corporate Construction of Teen Romance Novels

Building on Radway's work, I will examine, first, the industry trends that have led to new versions of the Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley Twins series novels. Second, I will explore how the shift from mystery genre to romance genre in the early 1980s redefined the character of the Nancy Drew novels. And, finally, I will compare the representation of college life in the newest in the series, Nancy Drew on Campus and Sweet Valley University, with the experience of real young women finishing their first year of college. These books suggest that dating and social alienation are the central plot in the day-to-day lives of college women, while interviews with freshmen girls at a midwestern state college indicate that their experiences are much more complex and multidimensional. (49)

Pecora is, in my opinion, a little over-anxious about some things: "One can only be concerned when teen reading shifts from jewel thefts to murder and stalking" (63). In addition, Pecora appears to desire a very high and detailed level of realism in fiction: "Students at Wilder University and Sweet Valley University, unlike the students at Ohio University, do not worry about the mundane tasks of life" (70) such as food-shopping and doing the laundry.