A Survey of Fiction Written by Mormon Authors and Appearing in Mormon Periodicals Between 1900 and 1945
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Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 1949 A Survey of Fiction Written By Mormon Authors and Appearing in Mormon Periodicals Between 1900 and 1945 Ross Stolworthy Esplin Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Fiction Commons, and the Mormon Studies Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Esplin, Ross Stolworthy, "A Survey of Fiction Written By Mormon Authors and Appearing in Mormon Periodicals Between 1900 and 1945" (1949). Theses and Dissertations. 4672. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4672 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. allaliailAN iibstracustraci1C 07OF A sljyzviSURVEYy OP iicticil YRTTL in liylly morianmoriqnN u2atrjua HORSH0R S allailali aipea1appeariijg1311ig I1II111 motmoioijMOi0 0oilOIJ1 iriojicals btinabtin13 tyteTVTE NU 1900 INAN 1945 by ross 8 aplinsplinlisplin AN ATIRATIRAATTRACTai1i A GT OF I1 A STJIISITKVJYV 1 Ily OF FJCTTOM JTTJ ny MORMON AUITHOIAUTHORSIS al apphakihg INTN JjollionjorlionjORoli011dnilonLION TOJICALS BEJK 1900 alliailiatefattfAWJawoamo1 1945 mormon corllporllperiodicalodicalcodical fiction Jhasaasoasias had a slow and pains- taking developidevelopsdevelopmentilont not duchouch ficficblon161on of worth was produced prprioror to 1900 but by 1900 the antecedents of a future itmathtmatalureabareaburelureludejude fiction were eestablishedstaollstahllstaoil011oll sheoshed the fiction of the years following those initial developidevelopsdevelopmentsientslentsbents of fiction is largely as yet exploredanexploredunexploredan and unevaluated it Is my irposeimposepipurpose in baisbalstlriis study to map olitoutol it the broad areas of this fiction andnd attempt to neasuremeasure its literary value e L ficpicpie mormon lilliilleelike thehe fictiont ionlonproduced before 1900 5 periodical fiction between 1900 and 19451911191155 Is predominantly didactic in piirposeimposepurpose A majority of thesebaesebhese didactic stories seekseckseok to teachbeachboach lessons rereardin1ard1nr thetho T tormon religion and the mormon1borr1orrlonion way of lifeilfesome of tltheirleir imessages are as 7 follows Sshunjhun bhethebhe evils of tthe1 ie uioulovioworldcideidcadc1d obey the ordlordford of wisdom be illlil111litrec the plonepionepioneersors live rljateoiislyrighteously in dallydaliy life ralraisese a familyfalfaiailyallybe a missionary in everyday life I1 marry within the liormontj0 rmon church learn thekheLI he scriptures and masmastermastorbjor tthebhehe princlprinciplesorinciplesolesplespleb of lioruonismdlornionisra 11 111 of slsignificance1 raificance Iss it chatghatlt neallyneailyneaily ten percent more 2 I I1 storstoriestieslIes writwrittenwritcenU en 11since 1920 hanthanihanjhan before that year haverveave the doidoldominantdinantninantpurpose ofor providing enientertainmentort91 nmeame n for children youn peolpeopledieoieDle and adults oldoidfiel iiciacticijoactic purposes apparently are lvin11ivinv 1nan way on a small scale to DureuremrpurposesnosesposeS of entertain- imentte nt because heytthey no ionlonlonerionerlongerer are hated andomdano persecuted by the people of the horldhoridworld the 11formonhormonmormon people do not write much fiction haviarhavinrhaving poleipolemicaliiical purposes etweenatweenbetween 1900 and 1945 .1 thetheyy bribevribeyribe1 t e a ffewfowc w s7sastoriesG or 1 e s 1inn defensedefensoe fe n s a of theirLiheiphet r institutinstituteinstitutionsionslons and practices 11such as thetho abandoned practiceprac bicebloehioe of polyparypolypolypamypolyrtarriyc-pamyi but disdisputationdisputabionioutationiduioufoutation is not an 1mtdortantimportant purpose during the perperiodlodiodof this study themes peculiarly TmormonTo rinon in thalthai11 h a they are concerned with tho hormonmormon situation and mormon men and viorrienwomen in the hormonmormon setting doidoldominateiiimate periodperiodicallical fiction of the period the tolfolfollowinsollowinfollowinglowin are typical mormon tithemesieiriesieseiriesiriesirles adventure courtincourting the family thehe jjoajoB 0 0 of mormonlordorlopraon the ibieibleelbleaible9ible con- 1 org 7i vversionsr 0n s lirairalraclesalraiirairadira uclesclesciesand Jdreamsdrenmsr6ra ai ilslisaisiis friendshipfrl onu hI1 p theu pioneers aalanlanimalsbiaisblaisandancl nature daily llvinallvinliving A sisnallsnailsmallialllaiiaall iiiiniiinumberiboriber of storiestoriess howeverovicverovic ver reveal evidence of thetho influence of world eveneventsCs for a feirelrolrolirollfewrewrowi slstoriesshoriesorlesories are concerned with such events as war the depressiondepress ionlon ol01ofr the 1930s190igo and the historical heihelaCIventuresadventures of01 world heroes like cortez and jobjohnn hariesharleshadiescharles 7 remont As would tebe eexpected1 Pecpectedpeckedted of a body of fillionficlionficbion dominated by dlodiddidacticdidacticacticacetic rposesreposesmipurposes ancand conceconoeconcernedimodamod primarily with the 53 subjectsubasubj eabecbmattnattermattermetterer of 1itsts own roup Morrmornmormontionrionmion stories reveal I1 Ls didacticcolorincdidacdidace licbic coloringCI andtreandereand trebre bmenttmentamentament and accoiaccodaccompanyingip anv ththis doidoldominantfiinant moralislicmoralisticttmoralisllmoraimoralisLicicllletiical tone oftentiofoftentimestenti mes is a romantic treat- ment evidenced by a love foiforyoiyol and a pantheisticpanthelspanthers 11 ic conception of nature respect for evenevoneventsevento and characters from out of the past unreunrealisticlistic characters and setsettingstinEs and exaexaggeratederatederaaeratedted incidents and plot develoidevelondevdevelopmentseloi rients many limestimesbimes tholathoughtI1 h 11 of as a form of romanticism a sentsontsentimentali mentalmontal troattroatmontoontmentmont a tentendencyClency tobo motemoteemotionalizelonalional izo over events that do notno u merit extreme slsklowshowlow ofor feeling 11iss f prominent in thebhe periodical ictionactionfictionj of thebhe period sesenti-nt i mentality sisignificantlyalfnlf icantlyscantly is less apparent in the storstoriesles written since 1920 than in stories wrwrittenlttenatten before that ttinetimeI1 ine tjnilieunlike ttoratorhormonnonmon ficfictionb lonion before 1900 mormon periodical fiction between 1900 and 1945 coallconllcontainsconlainscon Lainsins considerable humoramorumor G oodgood natured fun charoharcharacterizesicterizes boscmosmoscmosoC hihumorousimorous stories all of which are concerned wiwihI1 h ahebhelhell11 he humor ol01of everyday life accorac companyicripanyin thebacbhc humorous treattreatmentiacnt in ladoutajoutloutabout b heho same ddegroedegrooe lr 0 C althougha thou nenevernovernogerbrervrer in a domindominatldominatedominatingatlati Iosilosipositiontion in a story realism is present in morlmorimormonilon fictionactionfiction unhappy situations I civism refregardedC ardefardecarbecdispassionately pespessimismi ciism and psycholopsychpsychologicalolo010 ical probing into character are evidences of the realistic treat- mementnt stories for cilcliildrenchildren reveal the duvonjuvonjuvenileilelie treatment a treatment didistinuisheust imzuished by silsllsimplicitysimplicjtyri olicity in vocabulary and 4 senjsentenceence striicturcsbructuro raprapidid movimovingn plotplots and consistently happy stories thatthab are free frmiarmifromi crueltycruelbycpiielty and bloodshed bos tin the sboriesshoriesstorst or besles found in 1 tormon poiperiodicalsto icalsicalas are cilolioitheroibherther sinelesimsinglele ississueilclicilo stories or continuedcont Ina storiesstorlstort cs singleinr7le issiissuele storiesshories bhosoghoscghosejinninbojinninbebo inninannin andananuC ondrietletiondjiendetidinconddIncji in aci lniosingles alnio number of a Petpelpetiodperiodperiodicalslodiod crlcricalcql include the tolfolfollovintolovingto lovinloving litliterarylitcrarylibeliberarylibo rarycrarycrerycrapy typestypos thebhe prose ttalea e a rambling leisileisurelyirely lalebalebaiobalo vcribbenwribbenrritarit cn without rebardregard for sinIsinglenesseness of effect and artistic excellence the short storyLjorylorya unified weilwellplplannednned artartisticallyarbisticallyist ic ailyally conceived story ilhebhe shorb alainortainoralort story an abbrevabbreviated1abedated nerrnorrnear abecanec dotal shorb storstoryv ohoghothebheghe leoryalleoryalallegory a skoryshorystoryscory vithwith hidden or dis uisedguised meaninrjs the prolprokprosee tale is the most numerous sin le issue story found in ilonnoni lorilorllonionaon1on periodicalspe olodicals for thebhe majority ofoc mormon stories are designeddeldes11 necneq to instruct ratherrahnerrabner than to please shortslo shoriessborieslesies become more prolproiprominentiincntvincnt however after 1920 thanbhsnbhan heboihoiore included in the continued staricsstoricsstories are the following the novellovelloveia lon sslopysborygory involvininvolvingr consconsiderableconsideraoleconsider1 dera bleoieaole complecomplexcomplexitycomplexibylolyilyllyibyicly in plotpiotio L1 andancianclencicliaracteri7ationcharacterisationcharacterization lhcthejhcwhewho episodic taietaleturleturie a lonionlonrj story cmisistinconslst3n of adventure beads fr joined togethertoret-fetfetlerretuerlepler byidyloy no riorefioreflorenoremorei than a sinoinsinglelo