The Whispering Statue - Critique

Critique

Adult collectors of juvenile series often discuss artwork and plot elements in various fanzines and list serves. The original story introduces the recurring character of Nancy's dog, Togo, who begins as a bull terrier (popular in 1937) but is mentioned as a Fox Terrier or illustrated as a Scottish Terrier in other appearances. The whispering element in the original version is simply Nancy fooling individuals; in a climactic moment, Nancy and Mrs. Conger are swept out to sea inside of a floating house, a somewhat strange and criticized element. In the revision, Nancy and her friends "hide" by kneeling inside three empty picture frames, a somewhat laughable idea. The statue whispers because of special holes drilled in the original that the wind could pass through when positioned in a garden. The artwork on the 1970 cover and interior text illustrations make the statue's resemblance to Nancy undeniable: they both wear their hair in a bobbed flip. Since the statue is a likeness of a long-dead woman, it is anachronistic that the statue sports a hairstyle not popularized until 1960 or later, a point of discussion among critics.

Nancy Drew
The series and novels
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories
1930s
  • The Secret of the Old Clock (1930)
  • The Hidden Staircase (1930)
  • The Bungalow Mystery (1930)
  • The Mystery at Lilac Inn (1931)
  • The Secret at Shadow Ranch (1931)
  • The Secret of Red Gate Farm (1931)
  • The Clue in the Diary (1932)
  • Nancy's Mysterious Letter (1932)
  • The Sign of the Twisted Candles (1933)
  • The Password to Larkspur Lane (1933)
  • The Clue of the Broken Locket (1934)
  • The Message in the Hollow Oak (1935)
  • The Mystery of the Ivory Charm (1936)
  • The Whispering Statue (1937)
  • The Haunted Bridge (1937)
  • The Clue of the Tapping Heels (1939)
1940s
  • The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk (1940)
  • The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion (1941)
  • The Quest of the Missing Map (1942)
  • The Clue in the Jewel Box (1943)
  • The Secret in the Old Attic (1944)
  • The Clue in the Crumbling Wall (1945)
  • The Mystery of the Tolling Bell (1946)
  • The Clue in the Old Album (1947)
  • The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (1948)
  • The Clue of the Leaning Chimney (1949)
1950s
  • The Secret of the Wooden Lady (1950)
  • The Clue of the Black Keys (1951)
  • The Mystery at the Ski Jump (1952)
  • The Clue of the Velvet Mask (1953)
  • The Ringmaster's Secret (1953)
  • The Scarlet Slipper Mystery (1954)
  • The Witch Tree Symbol (1955)
  • The Hidden Window Mystery (1956)
  • The Haunted Showboat (1957)
  • The Secret of the Golden Pavilion (1959)
1960s
  • The Clue in the Old Stagecoach (1960)
  • The Mystery of the Fire Dragon (1961)
  • The Clue of the Dancing Puppet (1962)
  • The Moonstone Castle Mystery (1963)
  • The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (1964)
  • The Phantom of Pine Hill (1965)
  • The Mystery of the 99 Steps (1966)
  • The Clue in the Crossword Cipher (1967)
  • The Spider Sapphire Mystery (1968)
  • The Invisible Intruder (1969)
1970s
  • The Mysterious Mannequin (1970)
  • The Crooked Banister (1971)
  • The Secret of Mirror Bay (1972)
  • The Double Jinx Mystery (1973)
  • Mystery of the Glowing Eye (1974)
  • The Secret of the Forgotten City (1975)
  • The Sky Phantom (1976)
  • The Strange Message in the Parchment (1977)
  • Mystery of Crocodile Island (1978)
  • The Thirteenth Pearl (1979)
  • The Triple Hoax (1979)
1980s
  • The Flying Saucer Mystery (1980)
  • The Secret in the Old Lace (1980)
  • The Greek Symbol Mystery (1980)
  • The Swami's Ring (1981)
  • The Kachina Doll Mystery (1981)
  • The Twin Dilemma (1981)
  • Captive Witness (1981)
  • Race Against Time (1982)
  • The Case of the Rising Stars (1988)
1990s
  • The Treasure in the Royal Tower (1995)
  • The Wedding Day Mystery (1997)
  • The E-mail Mystery (1998)
2000s
  • Werewolf in a Winter Wonderland (2003)
The Nancy Drew Files
  • Secrets Can Kill, etc.
The Nancy Drew Notebooks,
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew
  • The Slumber Party Secret, etc.
  • Sleepover Sleuths, etc.
Nancy Drew On Campus
  • New Lives, New Loves, etc.
Nancy Drew Girl Detective,
Papercutz' Girl Detective graphic novels
  • Without a Trace
  • A Race Against Time, etc.
  • Where's Nancy?, etc.
  • The Demon of River Heights
Hardy Boys crossovers
  • Super Sleuth
  • Be a Detective
  • SuperMysteries
Super Mysteries
Video games
Adventure series
  • Secrets Can Kill (1998)
  • Stay Tuned for Danger (1999)
  • Message in a Haunted Mansion (2000)
  • Treasure in the Royal Tower (2001)
  • The Final Scene (2001)
  • Secret of the Scarlet Hand (2002)
  • Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (2002)
  • The Haunted Carousel (2003)
  • Danger on Deception Island (2003)
  • The Secret of Shadow Ranch (2004)
  • Curse of Blackmoor Manor (2004)
  • Secret of the Old Clock (2005)
  • Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (2005)
  • Danger By Design (2006)
  • The Creature of Kapu Cave (2006)
  • The White Wolf of Icicle Creek (2007)
  • Legend of the Crystal Skull (2007)
  • The Phantom of Venice (2008)
  • The Haunting of Castle Malloy (2008)
  • Ransom of the Seven Ships (2009)
  • Warnings at Waverly Academy (2009)
  • Trail of the Twister (2010)
  • Secrets Can Kill Remastered (2010)
  • Shadow at the Water's Edge (2010)
  • The Captive Curse (2011)
  • Alibi in Ashes (2011)
  • Tomb of the Lost Queen (2012)
  • The Deadly Device (2012)
Dossier series
  • Lights, Camera, Curses (2008)
  • Resorting to Danger (2009)
Other works
  • Nancy Drew (2007 film)
  • The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
  • Supermystery
  • The Nancy Drew Files
  • Girl Detective
Characters
  • Nancy Drew
  • Helen Corning
  • Carson Drew
  • Eloise Drew
  • George Fayne
  • Hannah Gruen
  • Bess Marvin
  • Ned Nickerson
  • Penvellyn
  • Togo
People
  • Edward Stratemeyer
  • Mildred Benson
  • Harriet Adams
  • Walter Karig
  • Susan Wittig Albert
  • Emma Roberts
  • Andrew Fleming
See also
  • Carolyn Keene
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Stratemeyer Syndicate
  • The Hardy Boys
  • The Dana Girls

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