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The Marjorie Dean High School Series #1
Marjorie Dean, High School Freshman
"What am I going to do without you, Marjorie? " Mary Raymond's blue eyes looked suspiciously misty as she solemnly regarded her chum.
"What am I going to do without you, you mean, " corrected Marjorie Dean, with a wistful smile. "Please, please don't let's talk of it. I simply can't bear it."
"What am I going to do without you, you mean, " corrected Marjorie Dean, with a wistful smile. "Please, please don't let's talk of it. I simply can't bear it."
249 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1917
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 17, 2013
Marjorie Dean is a wholesome girl who likes wholesome fun and forms her own opinions of people and is not one of those wicked girls who hurts other people, and because goodness always prevails, Marjorie's inherent goodness will always allow her to come out on top.
In reality, Marjorie is one of those drippy people (you know the type) who follow all the rules and always do the right thing no matter how idiotic it makes them seem. It's a good thing that Marjorie is alive during 1917, because in this day and age people like her would be taken advantage of quickly, and the mean girls that she would have to face would rip her to pieces.
And in reality, this is the kind of story that could be told today. It's very much a high school story of a girl finding her place in the world. Much like the Sweet Valley High series (or Gossip Girl, or any other high school series), the main character is the kind of stand-up individual who will always face up to the mean girl, even when she doesn't have any place in the fight. Yes, it makes her obnoxious, but it's also one of the best ways to learn about the viewpoints of people in 1917, because that's what this is - it's not a classic book, just because it's old (I'd never heard of it until I stumbled across it on Project Gutenberg), but it's the type of pop culture sensation that people would have read and then forgotten about later on, after we became more cynical and figured out that we had other things to deal with.
And so while Marjorie feels like it's her duty, as a rich person, to take care of the poor (because otherwise they can't help herself), and to stand up against people being bullied (because they need protected), the real fun is going on behind the scenes with the minor characters, who manage to be quite subversive despite Marjorie's martyr complex.
There's Jerry (short for Geraldine) who likes to dress as a boy and will likely grow up to be a butch lesbian; the Crane, a high school boy who prefers dancing with other boys and who openly states his dislike of girls and who will grow up to be a fey homosexual; and the Stevens family, a gypsy-like patchwork of a family who demonstrate that the family you choose is often times much better than the family you're born into. This was the most fascinating part of the novel, for me, seeing how these characters were treated rather matter-of-factly, and could almost take place in any time period.
And that's the biggest triumph and the biggest flaw of this book. It's a story that can be and has been repeated. It's essentially a story about a teenage girl for teenaged girls in which the author attempts to teach them proper womanly behavior to grow up to be paragons of virtue who will always judge one another fairly (though Marjorie herself makes several snap judgements that are never commented upon). The characters are ones we've seen before - you can name countless high school shows that feature the boring main character, the wisecracking best friend, the mysterious loner, the rich bitch (in this version she is also French!) and her lackeys, and understanding, supportive parents who guide her along the way(it's 1917, so Marjorie still has two). The resolution is one that we already know. At this point, reading this book in 2013, a full 96 years after it came out, the most interesting part is what we can learn about a different time through what is essentially popular fluff.
Don't get me wrong, it was an entertaining read, and seeing as how the next seven books in the series are available for free on Project Gutenberg (there are 13 in total, following Marjorie's high school, college, and post graduate life), I may eventually get around to reading them. But you guys! Marjorie is so earnest that it gets obnoxious - I much preferred Mignon's evil schemes (and even my totally unfounded reading that Marjorie's mother is secretly operating a brothel out of her house) to Marjorie's holier-than-thou soap-boxing. It's only when Marjorie lets her guard down and rushes to judgement quickly that she becomes much more interesting and stops being such a drip. So it's worth reading, even though you go in knowing that Marjorie will always win, because it's 1917, and Marjorie is the most wholesome girl in town, and at that point, that's what we want high school girls to become - wholesome, ideal women who are never mean or cruel and who treat everybody fairly, regardless of how they behave.
But as old as this may be, it's important to realize that even without movies or TV or the internet, the girls of 1917 aren't that different from the girls of today, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with providing a paragon for people to live up to - this is certainly more interesting than a lot of other moralizing texts I've read throughout the years, and again, it strikes me as a more wholesome version of something I'd see on TV (or in the movies) today.
In reality, Marjorie is one of those drippy people (you know the type) who follow all the rules and always do the right thing no matter how idiotic it makes them seem. It's a good thing that Marjorie is alive during 1917, because in this day and age people like her would be taken advantage of quickly, and the mean girls that she would have to face would rip her to pieces.
And in reality, this is the kind of story that could be told today. It's very much a high school story of a girl finding her place in the world. Much like the Sweet Valley High series (or Gossip Girl, or any other high school series), the main character is the kind of stand-up individual who will always face up to the mean girl, even when she doesn't have any place in the fight. Yes, it makes her obnoxious, but it's also one of the best ways to learn about the viewpoints of people in 1917, because that's what this is - it's not a classic book, just because it's old (I'd never heard of it until I stumbled across it on Project Gutenberg), but it's the type of pop culture sensation that people would have read and then forgotten about later on, after we became more cynical and figured out that we had other things to deal with.
And so while Marjorie feels like it's her duty, as a rich person, to take care of the poor (because otherwise they can't help herself), and to stand up against people being bullied (because they need protected), the real fun is going on behind the scenes with the minor characters, who manage to be quite subversive despite Marjorie's martyr complex.
There's Jerry (short for Geraldine) who likes to dress as a boy and will likely grow up to be a butch lesbian; the Crane, a high school boy who prefers dancing with other boys and who openly states his dislike of girls and who will grow up to be a fey homosexual; and the Stevens family, a gypsy-like patchwork of a family who demonstrate that the family you choose is often times much better than the family you're born into. This was the most fascinating part of the novel, for me, seeing how these characters were treated rather matter-of-factly, and could almost take place in any time period.
And that's the biggest triumph and the biggest flaw of this book. It's a story that can be and has been repeated. It's essentially a story about a teenage girl for teenaged girls in which the author attempts to teach them proper womanly behavior to grow up to be paragons of virtue who will always judge one another fairly (though Marjorie herself makes several snap judgements that are never commented upon). The characters are ones we've seen before - you can name countless high school shows that feature the boring main character, the wisecracking best friend, the mysterious loner, the rich bitch (in this version she is also French!) and her lackeys, and understanding, supportive parents who guide her along the way(it's 1917, so Marjorie still has two). The resolution is one that we already know. At this point, reading this book in 2013, a full 96 years after it came out, the most interesting part is what we can learn about a different time through what is essentially popular fluff.
Don't get me wrong, it was an entertaining read, and seeing as how the next seven books in the series are available for free on Project Gutenberg (there are 13 in total, following Marjorie's high school, college, and post graduate life), I may eventually get around to reading them. But you guys! Marjorie is so earnest that it gets obnoxious - I much preferred Mignon's evil schemes (and even my totally unfounded reading that Marjorie's mother is secretly operating a brothel out of her house) to Marjorie's holier-than-thou soap-boxing. It's only when Marjorie lets her guard down and rushes to judgement quickly that she becomes much more interesting and stops being such a drip. So it's worth reading, even though you go in knowing that Marjorie will always win, because it's 1917, and Marjorie is the most wholesome girl in town, and at that point, that's what we want high school girls to become - wholesome, ideal women who are never mean or cruel and who treat everybody fairly, regardless of how they behave.
But as old as this may be, it's important to realize that even without movies or TV or the internet, the girls of 1917 aren't that different from the girls of today, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with providing a paragon for people to live up to - this is certainly more interesting than a lot of other moralizing texts I've read throughout the years, and again, it strikes me as a more wholesome version of something I'd see on TV (or in the movies) today.
November 5, 2024
This is the first in a series by Josephine Chase, who wrote children's series books in the early 20th century under a variety of pen-names. Having enjoyed Chase's books about the high school adventures of Grace Harlowe (published under the pseudonym Jessie Graham Flower), I decided to give these a read as well.
Mostly I found the book enjoyable as a peek into the social and literary conventions of another era. It seems the high school world wasn't all that different in 1917 -- more than 100 years ago -- than what I recall of my own high school years in the 1980s. Sure, the manners are different, and there's no hint of sex, drugs, or illicit music clubs -- but the petty jealousies, changeable moods, and shifting alliances of teens in modern school stories are all here.
Unlike some readers, I didn't have a problem with Marjorie's goody-goody persona or over-the-top sentimentality. Those things are more or less staples of the girls' "school story" genre at the time. And the author does show her heroine guilty of a major lapse in judgement in the second half of the book. While idealized, Marjorie is still imperfect and has to learn from experience. Chase/Lester also populates her tale with some interesting and eccentric characters among the supporting cast.
While Marjorie Dean's first outing doesn't quite have the breezy charm or humor of the Grace Harlowe stories, it's still fun to see teenage girls engaged in things like basketball rivalry in a book that was published around the time my grandmother was born. The prose moves along well, and there are plenty of interesting period details for those who enjoy a visit to the past.
Mostly I found the book enjoyable as a peek into the social and literary conventions of another era. It seems the high school world wasn't all that different in 1917 -- more than 100 years ago -- than what I recall of my own high school years in the 1980s. Sure, the manners are different, and there's no hint of sex, drugs, or illicit music clubs -- but the petty jealousies, changeable moods, and shifting alliances of teens in modern school stories are all here.
Unlike some readers, I didn't have a problem with Marjorie's goody-goody persona or over-the-top sentimentality. Those things are more or less staples of the girls' "school story" genre at the time. And the author does show her heroine guilty of a major lapse in judgement in the second half of the book. While idealized, Marjorie is still imperfect and has to learn from experience. Chase/Lester also populates her tale with some interesting and eccentric characters among the supporting cast.
While Marjorie Dean's first outing doesn't quite have the breezy charm or humor of the Grace Harlowe stories, it's still fun to see teenage girls engaged in things like basketball rivalry in a book that was published around the time my grandmother was born. The prose moves along well, and there are plenty of interesting period details for those who enjoy a visit to the past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2021
It's actually better than the first chapter makes it seems. Marjorie Dean is just as insufferably perfect as she is described, but there is a plot to the book and a reasonable amount of difficulties and misunderstandings. The book still isn't very good, but it's not unpleasant to read. Just don't expect much.
March 4, 2025
The Librivox recording was narrated by Ashleigh Jane, one of my favorite narrators.
This year I plan to explore book series for girls in the early 1900s - especially those about high school and college students. Not sure how far I'll get and not sure why I started with Marjorie Dean.
This year I plan to explore book series for girls in the early 1900s - especially those about high school and college students. Not sure how far I'll get and not sure why I started with Marjorie Dean.
December 9, 2018
Wholesome and sweet with lessons applicable to today's young people. Helpful for historical details of high school in the early 1900s.
January 23, 2009
more on gutenberg...i'm starting to collect this series on ebay, and am expecting it to be very much like the grace harlowe books. if that's the case, i'm looking forward to it!
***
worth looking for some more copies!
***
worth looking for some more copies!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews