Desire and the Literary Machine

Abstract

An incredibly prolific and successful producer of juvenile fiction, Edward Stratemeyer was responsible for many of the most popular early-twentieth-century series books for boys. Examining editions from three of these series, this article argues that the ethics of capitalist production that were central to Stratemeyer's success can be seen in the plot, characterization, and material qualities of the series books themselves. Furthermore, the thematic focus on the values of hard work and ingenuity in these texts facilitates a redirection of male sexual desire away from a romantic love interest toward the more acceptable object of capitalist production. This censorship of male desire reflects a broader relocation of the topography of masculinity into the theater of capitalist production that was characteristic of early-twentieth-century American culture.