“What would Frank Merriwell do?”: Middle -class readers and the Progressive Era roots of all -American boyhood

Ryan K Anderson, Purdue University

Abstract

Young middle-class Americans of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era used the most popular weekly serial of the day, Tip Top Weekly (1896-1912), featuring the adventures of Frank Merriwell, to influence how the nation defined what manly boyhood looked like. Frank Merriwell took on this role because he spoke to the period's concerns about educating future leaders correctly and by remaining malleable enough to contribute to satisfying Street and Smith's needs, the author Gilbert Patten's [Burt L. Standish] career aspirations, and the readers' desire. How it did so took shape from Street and Smith's attempt to achieve legitimacy in the eyes of its competitors and moralists by way of making useful literature via batch production methods. Gilbert Patten used his role as Burt L. Standish to act as a go-between for the readers and editors; in the process he carved out a career as boyologist for himself and moved beyond merely working as a freelance writer. The readers fit Tip Top into their normal literary activities, saw Frank Merriwell as a consumable commodity that they used to understand the grand changes of their day, and took advantage of Patten and the house's willing ears to affect how people conceived of robust boyhood and its privileges. This interaction imbued Frank Merriwell's adventures and Tip Top Weekly with a particular message: to develop the ability to adapt to a more complex nation, boys needed to combine youth culture, sports, and school life to prepare themselves as leaders. Even after Street and Smith discontinued Tip Top Weekly, its message left a legacy that twentieth century children used to redefine boyhood to fit their needs as time passed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Gabin, Purdue University.

Subject Area

American history|American studies|American literature

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