Taking Mormons Seriously: Ethics of Representing Latter-Day Saints in American Fiction
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Mormon Novels Entertain While Teaching Lessons
SUNSTONE BOOKS MORMON NOVELS ENTERTAIN WHILE TEACHING LESSONS by Peggy Fletcher Stack Tribune religion writer This story orignally appeared in the 10 October 1998 Salt Lake Tribune. Reprinted in its entirety by permission. The world of romance novels seethes with heaving bosoms, manly men, seduction, betrayal. Mormon novels have all of that and then some-excommunica- tion, repentance, prayer, re- demution. In the past few years, popular Today's wxnovels deal with serious topics-abuse, adultery, date rape- fiction-romance, mystery and but they have Mormon theology-based solutions. historical novels-aimed at members of The Church of Jesus Too, such books are peopled they are getting something out of Since then, Weyland, a Christ of Latter-day Saints has with recognizable LDS charac- it." physics professor at LDS-owned been selling by the barrelful. ters-Brigham Young University 100 Years: The first Mormon Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, Anita Stansfield has sold more students, missionaries, converts, popular novel may have been has written a dozen more, many than two hundred thousand bishops, Relief Society presi- Added Upon, written by Nephi of them almost as successful. copies of her work. Jack Weyland dents, religion professors, home Anderson in 1898, Cracroft says. "The ones that have done the routinely sells between twenty schoolers. It told the story of an LDS best are all issue-related," says and thirty thousand novels And they are laced with theo- I couple who met in a pre-Earth Emily Watts, an associate editor aimed at the LDS teen market. logcal certainty existence and agreed to get to- at Deseret Book who has worked The hbrk and the Glory, a "Lots of Mormons feel they gether in mortal life. -
The Poetics of Provincialism: Mormon Regional Fiction
The Poetics of Provincialism: Mormon Regional Fiction EDWARD A. GEARY THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS have been a source of sensationalistic subject matter for popular novelists almost since the beginning of the Church. But the Mormon novel as a treatment of Mormon materials from a Mormon point of view has come from two main wellsprings. The first was the "home literature" movement of the 1880s, the goal of which, according to Orson F. Whitney, was to produce a "pure and powerful literature" as an instrument for spreading the gospel, a literature which, "like all else with which we have to do, must be made subservient to the building up of Zion."1 Even though its early practitioners are little read today—Nephi Anderson is the chief exception—the influence of home literature remains strong. It provides the guiding principles by which fiction and poetry are selected for the official church magazines, and it is also reflected in such popular works in Mormondom as Saturday's Warrior and Beyond This Moment. However, home literature has not had the impact on the world that Brother Whitney hoped for. It has not led to the development of "Miltons and Shakespeares of our own."2 Good fiction is seldom written to ideological specifications. It is one thing to ask the artist to put his religious duties before his literary vocation or to write from his deepest convictions. It is quite another to insist that he create from a base in dogma rather than a base in experience. Good fiction, as Virginia Sorensen has said, is "one person's honest report upon life,"3 and in home literature the report usually fails to ring true. -
Mormon Literature: Progress and Prospects by Eugene England
Mormon Literature: Progress and Prospects By Eugene England This essay is the culmination of several attempts England made throughout his life to assess the state of Mormon literature and letters. The version below, a slightly revised and updated version of the one that appeared in David J. Whittaker, ed., Mormon Americana: A Guide to Sources and Collections in the United States (Provo, Utah: BYU Studies, 1995), 455–505, is the one that appeared in the tribute issue Irreantum published following England’s death. Originally published in: Irreantum 3, no. 3 (Autumn 2001): 67–93. This, the single most comprehensive essay on the history and theory of Mormon literature, first appeared in 1982 and has been republished and expanded several times in keeping up with developments in Mormon letters and Eugene England’s own thinking. Anyone seriously interested in LDS literature could not do better than to use this visionary and bibliographic essay as their curriculum. 1 ExpEctations MorMonisM hAs bEEn called a “new religious tradition,” in some respects as different from traditional Christianity as the religion of Jesus was from traditional Judaism. 2 its beginnings in appearances by God, Jesus Christ, and ancient prophets to Joseph smith and in the recovery of lost scriptures and the revelation of new ones; its dramatic history of persecution, a literal exodus to a promised land, and the build - ing of an impressive “empire” in the Great basin desert—all this has combined to make Mormons in some ways an ethnic people as well as a religious community. Mormon faith is grounded in literal theophanies, concrete historical experience, and tangible artifacts (including the book of Mormon, the irrigated fields of the Wasatch Front, and the great stone pioneer temples of Utah) in certain ways that make Mormons more like ancient Jews and early Christians and Muslims than, say, baptists or Lutherans. -
Danger on the Right! Danger on the Left!: the Ethics of Recent Mormon Fiction by Eugene England
Danger on the Right! Danger on the Left!: The Ethics of Recent Mormon Fiction By Eugene England An essay in which England decries a trend in LDS fiction away from “ethical fiction,” which he describes as having the purpose of persuading us “to understand better the values we do or might live by and thus to choose better, to be more humane, sympathetic, compas - sionate, at least more courageous, more able to endure.” Originally published : Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 32, no.3 (Fall 1999), 13–30. HE FIRST EXAMPLE of what could be called a Mormon short story was T written by an apostle, Parley P. Pratt. It was published in the New York Herald on January 1, 1844, and collected in Richard Cracroft’s and Neal Lambert’s anthol - ogy, A Believing People: Literature of the Latter-day Saints (Provo, Utah: BYU Press, 1974). It is called “A Dialogue between Joe Smith and the Devil” and is quite witty, imaginative in setting and characterization, lively in its language, and, though clearly pro-Mormon, aimed at a non-Mormon audience. It consists wholly of a conversation between Joseph Smith and “his Satanic majesty,” whom Joseph inter - rupts putting up handbills calling for all “busy bodies, pickpockets, vagabonds, filthy persons, and all other infidels and rebellious, disorderly persons, for a crusade against . the Mormons.” The story has an obvious didactic purpose, as Elder Pratt has the Devil bring up most of the central precepts of Mormon doctrine, such as “direct communication with God,” and then indirectly praise them by pointing out how powerful they are and destructive to his own evil purposes. -
FINGER of GOD?: Claims and Controversies of Book of Mormon Translation 30 Kevin Cantera
00a_working cover_bottom:Cover.qxd 12/10/2010 2:57 Pm Page 2 SUNSTONE MORMON EXPERIENCE,, SCHOLARSHIP, ISSUUEESS,, ANDD ARTT written by the the by by written written fingerfinger ofof God?God? Claims and Controversies of Book of Mormon Translation Translation by Don Bradley december 2010—$7.50 uTahuTah eugeneeugene inTerviewinTerview TheThe FamilyFamily CounTy’sCounTy’s england’sengland’s withwith TheThe LonelyLonely Forum:Forum: dreamdream minemine byby CalCulaTedCalCulaTed PolygamistPolygamist authorauthor AA New New ColumNColumN kevinkevin CanteraCantera riskrisk byby BradyBrady udalludall byby michaelmichael (p.31)(p.31) CharlotteCharlotte (p.66)(p.66) FarnworthFarnworth (p.57)(p.57) hansenhansen (p.38)(p.38) 00b_inside cover:cover.qxd 12/2/2010 11:18 pm page 1 Your year-end Our Loyal donation To: Thanks he ers makes all t subscrib difference. SUNSTONE invites writers to enter the 2011 Eugene England Memorial Personal Essay Contest, made possible by the Eugene and Charlotte England Education Fund. In the spirit of Gene’s writings, entries should relate to Latter-day Saint experience, theology, or worldview. Essays, without author identification, will be judged by noted Mormon authors and professors of literature. Winners will be announced by 31 May 2011 on Sunstone’s website, SUNSTONEMAGAZINE.COM. Winners only will be notified by mail. After the announcement, all other entrants will be free to submit their stories elsewhere. PRIZES: A total of $450 will be shared among the winning entries. RULES: 1. Up to three entries may be submitted by any one author. Send manuscript in PDF or Word format to [email protected] by 28 FEBRUARY 2011. 2. -
The Function of Mormon Literary Criticism at the Present Time
NOTES AND COMMENTS The Function of Mormon Literary Criticism at the Present Time Michael Austin IN HIS HILARIOUS SHORT STORY "Conversion of the Jews/' Philip Roth gives us one of the most endearing unimportant characters in our national lit- erature: Yakov Blotnik, an old janitor at a Jewish Yeshiva who, upon see- ing that a yeshiva student was standing on a ledge threatening to kill himself, goes off mumbling to himself that such goings-on are "no-good- for-the-Jews." "For Yakov Blotnik," Roth tells us in an aside, "life frac- tionated itself simply: things were either good-for-the-Jews or no-good- for-the-Jews."1 This basic binary opposition, which I have named the "Blotnik dichotomy" in honor of its distinguished inventor, has, with mi- nor variations and revisions, begun to assert itself prominently in a num- ber of recent discussions of Mormon literature. The taxonomies that have come from these discussions tend to dichotomize Mormon letters into separate camps—such as "mantic" versus "sophic," "faithful realism" versus "faithless fiction," or "home literature" versus "the Lost Genera- tion."2 Each of these pairings suggests that at the heart of the Mormon lit- erary consciousness lies a conception that Mormon literature can be 1. Philip Roth, Goodbye Columbus (New York: Bantam, 1963), 108. 2. Most of these terms have been in wide use by scholars of Mormon literature for some time. The "mantic-sophic" dichotomy was introduced by Richard Cracroft in his presidential address at the Association for Mormon Letters in 1992, which was later published as "Attun- ing the Authentic Mormon Voice: Stemming the Sophic Tide in LDS Literature," Sunstone 16 (July 1993): 51-57. -
Paradise Lost Bk. 1
Paradise Lost by John Milton edited by Eric Armstrong Notes on this edition The pronunciations presented here are not necessarily definitive, but are a starting place. Many are choices based on the meter of the line, showing how a word might be pronounced in an attempt to maintain the pentameter. In some cases these pronunciations are quite extreme: witness "ceremony - disyllabic (if possible!) ["sE„.m´n]". Also, I have attempted to give pronunciations to all "unfamiliar" words, or words whose pronunciation isn't immediately obvious from spelling. Not all proper nouns required transcription: "Taurus" seems familiar enough. I have also chosen, before syllables beginning with r, to leave the schwa in diphthongs that might take "r-colouring" uncoloured, or plain : "Oreb" as ["O´ ®´b] rather than ["O„ ®´b] or ["O ®´b]. In cases where these diphthongs preceed other consonants, I have chosen the r-colouring version, as in "Archangel" - [A„ "keIn dZ´l]. I feel these choices work best for the stage, but are a matter of taste. Book I f Man's first disobedience, and the fruit OOf that forbidden tree whose mortal taste Brought death into the World, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man 5 Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, Sing, Heavenly Muse, that, on the secret top Of Oreb1, or of Sinai2, didst inspire That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed In the beginning how the heavens and earth 10 Rose out of Chaos: or, if Sion3 hill Delight thee more, and Siloa's4 brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God, I thence Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song, That with no middle flight intends to soar 15 Above th' Aonian5 mount, while it pursues Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme. -
The Influence of Indian Epics on John Milton
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE): E-Journals Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol 2, No 7, 2011 The Influence of Indian Epics on John Milton H.L.Narayanrao, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s college, ( University of Mumbai) Munshi Nagar, Andheri (w), Mumbai- 400058. India., [email protected] Received: October 7th , 2011 Accepted: October 18th , 2011 Published: October 30 th , 2011 Abstract The study of Indian culture and traditions reveals that certainly there were people around the world who have inspired by the writings and ancient scripts of India. The epic is traditionally ascribed to Vyasa , who is also a major character in the epic. The first section of the Mahabharata states that it was Ganesha who, at the request of Vyasa, wrote down the text to Vyasa's dictation. Ganesha is said to have agreed to write it only on condition that Vyasa never pause in his recitation. Vyasa agreed, provided Ganesha took the time to understand what was said before writing it down as an Epic. The Mahabharata (Sanskrit Mah ābh ārata, is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India , the other being the Ramayana . The epic is part of itihasa (history). Besides its epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kauravas and the Pandavas , the Mahabharata contains much philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or purusharthas (12.161). -
The Psychology of Satan Jennifer Putnam This Paper Was Written for Dr
The Psychology of Satan Jennifer Putnam This paper was written for Dr. Thomas! Milton course. It was presented at the 2009 Sigma Tau Delta International Convention. John Milton!s Satan is a psychologically complex character. Satan has qualities which make him a brilliant leader, but which also cause him great pain. He is a militant ruler with powerful speeches, and a cunning deceiver with rich disguises. The actions Satan takes, however, cause him great an- guish. It is through his soliloquies that Satan takes off his mask and reveals the troubled person he really is. John Milton in Paradise Lost portrays Satan as a proud, passionately manipulative, and complex character that endures an internal conflict from which he cannot escape. Though Milton begins his masterpiece in medias res, we must start from the beginning with Satan as the angel Lucifer. Lucifer enjoys his high stature in Heaven, until the Son is anointed instead of him, and he becomes jeal- ous. It is then that Lucifer draws emotionally away from God and Heaven. James Holley Hanford and James Taaffe show the results of this jealousy by commenting, “Following God!s announcement of the Son!s elevation, Satan initially defected from the angelic forces” (172). His defection is a result of be- ing too proud of being a servant, which leads to anger and thus, his rebellion. Royland Frye points out the irony of Satan!s refusal to become a slave in that Satan actually becomes a slave to his emotions. Frye says, “As a result of his choice, he becomes a slave to what would, psychologically, be called an "ego- deal,! an identification of the self with an impossible image,” (35). -
Impediments of Reaching God and Ways of Surmounting Them in Two Selected Allegories of Rumi's Spiritual Couplets
ISSN 1799-2591 Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 4, No. 8, pp. 1675-1680, August 2014 © 2014 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland. doi:10.4304/tpls.4.8.1675-1680 Impediments of Reaching God and Ways of Surmounting Them in Two Selected Allegories of Rumi's Spiritual Couplets Ahmad Gholi (corresponding author) English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Gonbad Kavous University, Golestan Province, Iran Masoud Ahmadi Mosaabad English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Gonbad Kavous University, Golestan Province, Iran Abstract—Rumi frequently utilizes allegories in the grand architecture of his six-book Masnavi-ye Manavi to explain the complex philosophical and religious issues refreshingly, give aesthetic dimension to otherwise cold subjects artistically, and teach morals delightfully. Like his predecessors, he also picks up the ancient old motif of spiritual journey in some of his allegories to depict the problems of the seeker on his path towards God. The present study is undertaken to shed light on the wayfarers’ barriers and the ways of surmounting them in two selected allegories from Masnavi. Index Terms—allegory, journey, seeker, path, barriers, surmounting I. INTRODUCTION From the time Islam became an established religion in Persia in 7th century, most Persian poets and scholars particularly in medieval times devoted their intellectual and literary energies on the ideals of Islam. One of those eminent poets is Rumi (1207-1273) who achieved this goal through composing Masnavi-ye Manavi or Spiritual Couplets, consisted of 25700 rhyming couplets in six books. Jami, classical Persian poet, considers it as “the interpretation of Qur‟an in Persian” (qtd in Emerick, p.18, 2008) because Rumi extensively and heavily got his inspiration and materials from Qur‟an. -
Paradise Lost: Milton’S Portrayal of Satan and the Ethics of Moral and Readerly Choices
Aleksandra Tryniecka Maria Curie-Skłodowska University 3rd Annual International Forum on Ethics Paradise Lost: Milton’s Portrayal of Satan and the Ethics of Moral and Readerly Choices Gustave Doré – an engraving for Paradise Lost (1866) John Milton (1608-1674) –Paradise Lost (1667) ‘Him the almighty power hurled headlong flaming from ethereal sky’ John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book I, lines 44-45 Gustave Doré – an engraving for Paradise Lost (1866) ‘Ethics is the philosophical study of morality. It is a study of what are good and bad ends to pursue in life and what it is right and wrong to do in the conduct of life. (…) Its primary aim is to determine how one ought to live and what actions one ought to do in the conduct of one’s life’ (John Deigh, An Introduction to Ethics, 7). The aim of anthropology, sociology and empirical psychology: - examination of ‘human pursuits and social norms’ - they ‘describe, analyze, and explain certain phenomena of human life’ The aim of ethics: - it ‘seeks to establish conclusions about what a person ought to do’ (= moral choices) (John Deigh, An Introduction to Ethics, 7). What is morality? (Bernard Gert, Morality: Its Nature and Justification, 1998) ‘morality’/’moral system’ vs. ‘moral theory’: Morality (or: ‘the moral system’): - ‘the system people use, often unconsciously, when they are trying to make a morally acceptable choice among several alternative actions or when they make moral judgments about their own actions or those of others’ (3) - ‘morality is universal and that what seems to be different moral systems are simply specifications and variations of a universal morality or moral system (4) Moral theory: - ‘a moral theory should explain not only why agreement in moral judgments is co common in most situations but also why some unresolvable moral disagreements are an unavoidable feature of morality’ (4) What is morality? (Bernard Gert, Morality: Its Nature and Justification, 1998) ‘morality’/’moral system’ vs. -
THE UPSTREAM SWIMMERS Fema 1 P E "Rotagomsts " Mormon Novels
THE UPSTREAM SWIMMERS Fema 1 P e "rotagomsts " Mormon Novels but Clory are first wives who are horrified at the by Linda Sillitoe thought of their husbands marrying a second time. In Blanche Cannon’s Nothing Ever Happens on Sun- n Amory Blaine, a Nick Adams, or a Holden Caul- day Morning, Eben (on a mission in England) converts field is familiar to readers of American literature as and marries the beautiful May. He keeps their marriage A the uninitiated protagonist, seeking a place in a a secret from his wife Matilda, even after they both bewildering and frequently hypocritical world of travel, come to the United States, until he decides the time is education, war, and sexual exploits. In Mormon ripe to run for ward bishop. He is aghast to find that novels, beginning in the 1940s and continuing to the Matilda cannot remain friends with May. present, the uninitiated explorer is more likely to be a Burns Hamilton, of the recently published Watch for young woman. She also explores a male world which is the Morning by Elizabeth McDonald, is a loving, though closely overseen by the Father and even more closely zealous, missionary-husband (again in England) but by his servants: men who hold His priesthood and thus becomes increasingly monstrous as he adds wife after govern and preside. From prophet to deacon, the chain wife in Utah. of authority includes virtually all men, but the Simon, in A Little Lower Than the Angels by Virginia women--Clory, Kate, Mercy, Chel, Matilda, and the Sorensen, is counseled by Brigham Young to take others--are a part of that chain only tangentially where another wife when Mercy’s health breaks.