Final Essay

I have chosen to write about essay question number six. It is a question that I have asked myself before: For whom should LDS authors write? I think there are two answers to this question. LDS authors first write for themselves and then others. Writing is meant to allow people to reflect on thoughts, ideas and experiences they have had. Writing can be a way to receive more insight or inspiration. It is a way for us to be still and receive revelation or peace in our journeyings. As for the others aspect of the answer to the question, there are two audiences for LDS literature. The first being the LDS believers and the second, those who have not yet come unto the fold of God.

The LDS believers need the stories of other believers to strengthen their faith. It is part of mourning with those who mourn. It is common that people receive answers to their prayers through others. LDS literature can be another tool for the Lord to answer the prayers of His children. This possibly can be true for non-members as well. The LDS community has been counseled to be good record keepers and this can very well be a form of record keeping. Even if the work that an LDS author works with is fiction, it is still a record of ideas and impressions. These works could potentially help our prosperities as well.

As for the non-LDS readers, the reading of LDS literature could help them get to know our faith. It is something that could lead to the conversion of many souls to Christ as testimonies are shared through life experiences and stories.

Something else important here and especially in our more modern times is that LDS literature starts conversations, opens hearts, and ultimately leads us to want to be better and more Christlike. Books, stories, and literature in general allows us to understand each other more and allows for empathy to grow within us.The importance of LDS Literature goes beyond our earthly scope and will until the end of times.

When it comes to marketing to a certain audience, there are possible problems that could surface. It is clear that something like the "Elect of Elohim" epic would have been hard to market to a more non-LDS audience because of its depth of doctrine that is within it. Without the doctrine, I don't think it would be too marketable and I don't think you'd want it to be because of how sacred of a story it is. I think the book Refuge would be more marketable to that global audience because it shows reality and some "not so Mormon" things within it which make it relatable. I think those two examples sort of paint a picture of what makes LDS literature marketable, how well and how correctly the works will be received according to their audiences. Finding a happy medium to which both audiences can be included would be ideal, but isn't always easy. Focusing on the importance of sacred doctrines would go over peoples' heads if they haven't internalized what they are.All of it is a challenge and as time goes on, the balance can be found.

Dorothy's Jer3miah Post

While I am not sure what I was expecting from the Jer3miah video series, the videos strayed from my previous my expectations. As made clear in the article read, this video is contemporary and engaging. It is not clearly didactic like other videos of its genre like Saturday’s Warrior, but remains interesting while staying within the LDS narrative. Jer3miah, however, is also entertaining outside of an LDS perspective. While it is clearly more relatable from an LDS perspective, (the opening scene where Jeremiah’s mother addresses his roommate and says, “I thought he was a returned missionary”), the mystery and suspense of the series is more similar to an action TV series. The minisodes were an effective way to format this series and maintain a level of interest in the viewer. 

While allusions to Jeremiah’s prophetic call is clear, it is also similar to modern day stories of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson where an unexpected hero is called. I think this is why a non LDS audience would be able to relate to it. As Latter-day Saints, I think we can relate to it in a way that we also receive spiritual promptings and can appreciate how BYU is different and at times a little quirky. I probably would not watch this show again but I did think it was interesting and different from the usual LDS videos that are often shown in seminary.

Jeremiah: Kendal's Response

This series was very entertaining, but also accurate in a fictional sense. It brings up a more modern Joseph Smith type of situation. I thought it was interesting because the story felt more personal because of it's modern nature. It all makes me wonder what it would be like to watch this series without having heard much in depth about the LDS faith. I probably wouldn't understand a lot of it, but may just be entertained by the plot and suspense just like any other thriller. I wonder if I would wonder at the origins of the plot or not. I wonder how or if this has been a tool used for missionary work in some way. Whatever may be the answer, I know that I enjoyed it and especially liked it because of the familiar places where the series was filmed. Being amongst the LDS community, I appreciated the funny references and connections made within the film. Those things caught my attention and kept me entertained. I can't help but make the connection that even though the film falls into the fiction category, there is still a personal nature to it. The fact that something like this could happen to any of us. Helped me reflect on maybe how I might've responded if what happened to Jeremiah happened to me.

Dorothy's Final Essay

The LDS literary canon is largely defined by LDS authors perception of the religion. While authorial intent is something to consider, I do not think that LDS authors need to be consumed with who their primary audience is. When expressing one’s faith it should be a genuine expression of beliefs and not altered to please a specific audience. I think it is encouraging when LDS authors define simple terms that are not familiar to someone outside of the LDS Church so that the context can be clear. I think many people use writing as a creative outlet to explore their own personal beliefs and doubts and that by trying to fit this writing to a specific audience, it limits the author. 

Regardless of the targeted audience, one’s beliefs might be challenged by those who believe otherwise. The representation of LGBTQ issues, Heavenly Mother, and as of more recent, the monetary value of the Church, are difficult topics to address when there is not a unanimous perspective from the LDS Church. Someone not familiar with the faith reading about these issues could be misled by an individual’s perspective that does not represent the opinion of the LDS Church. One would hope that someone reading about individual beliefs and faith systems would approach the topic objectively and strive to understand the greater good of why people participate in organized religion. 

Ashley Mae Hoiland’s book, One Hundred Birds Taught Me To Fly, finds a balance between writing for an LDS and non LDS audience. Hoiland admits that she does not have all of the answers and writes in poetry and prose to capture the emotion she often feels within the faith. Hoiland’s work can be beneficial for both audiences because while it is LDS, she addresses larger themes of religion like the nature of God and how to continue to love those who have chosen a different life from your own. Hoiland addresses difficult topics but never belittles herself or her faith, but rather writes as a way to work out ideas she is having. This is successful to people part of the LDS Church and not part of the LDS Church because it provides a space for readers to dwell on these topics. 

Personally, I was not as interested in works like The Seventh Son, because I feel like it was specifically written for an LDS audience. The allusions to Joseph Smith and other modern day revelations made me feel like I needed a concrete understanding of these things in order to best comprehend the text. It was not as appealing to be constantly reminded of the LDS allusions, and I think it is more beneficial to write a larger audience in hopes that part of your work will resonate with someone regardless of their beliefs. Obviously not everyone is going to agree with your individual writings. I think often we shy away from addressing difficult topics because we do not know all of the answers, but I also think there is nothing wrong with questioning things in a positive way.

Jer3miah: Siera's Response

My first thoughts as the screen went black were, "That was good. Why was it so good?" As I pondered this question, here are the first things that came to mind. In my mind I would say that the first thing was the over all quality of the video, actors, and plot. Taking it outside the realm of LDS media for second, this story can stand on its own two feet (evident by the attention from the New York Times) it would have been good quality without the LDS cultural ties. The actors were good, the plot was multi-faceted, and the video was clear and well filmed.  

Now bringing it back to the LDS world it was not blatantly didactic. You knew that there were things that Jeremiah needed to learn and understand, but it wasn't clear. One scene that I feel like demonstrates this particularly well is when he goes to the concert instead of FHE. At first you think that the test was about whether or not he was going to go to FHE, but it was so much more complex than that. You couldn't pinpoint exactly where he went wrong and it seems like some of his bad actions led to him getting the box at the end. I also feel like it was also paying homage to sacred things though. Like revelation and foreordination. I feel like it is a dance to get that all right and the creator had all the right moves. 

I really what the review we read said about it. I feel like the story was authentic and that is what made it good.   

Final Essay: Should Latter-day Saint Authors Write for an Outside Audience?

Ultimately I believe that Latter-day Saint authors have a responsibility to write works with a non-LDS audience in mind. As time has passed and we have seen more representations of minority groups (women, African Americans, the LGBT community, etc.) in art, readers have rejoiced because these works give a taste of perspectives that have been hidden or oppressed for as long as literature has been around. We don’t dismiss their pieces of literature as something that should remain only within their communities. 

As a minority group, Latter-day Saints bear the same responsibility to let their voices be heard. In Davey Morrison’s introduction to Out of the Mount, he describes art as a proxy experience that “cultivates empathy, and empathy is perhaps the most profoundly godlike of attributes” (loc. 81, Kindle). 

In our quest for godhood, we want to develop that Christlike empathy, both in ourselves and others. And creativity is so embedded within our beliefs that we should feel a call to action to produce art. God himself is a creator; when we exercise creativity, we are exercising one of his greatest powers.

Despite this, there are disadvantages to targeting an outside audience. Orson Whitney instructed youth of the Church to produce a literature that gave glory to God, not to the authors themselves. He told them that literature needed to preach the gospel. Nephi Anderson’s novel Added Upon does this, and it sacrifices smooth characterization and plot in order to preach the plan of salvation. 

The LDS authors who do write for outsider audiences, such as Brandon Sanderson and Orson Scott Card, make only subtle, obscure references to Mormon beliefs. And if we targeted exclusively outside audiences,  there would be LDS literature that has value but would be dismissed because it is widely irrelevant; many of the quality poems in the Relief Society magazine or in the anthology Fire in the Pasture would leave outside readers baffled.

At the same time, however, there are messages in LDS literature that are relevant to and need to be shared with the world at large. One of the best ways to do this is through essays. Eugene England’s essay “Healing and Making Peace, in the Church and in the World” carries a profound message of our need to make peace with each other as fellow children of God. 

As a minority group, we have experiences we need to share so that the world can understand our perspective. James Goldberg’s play “Prodigal Son” portrays the grief that a son experiences when he converts to the LDS faith and earns the resentment of his father. Tessa Santiago’s essay “Take, Eat” is written from the perspective of a mother who watches her body go through the changes of childbearing; because she does this, she generates empathy even from audiences who are foreign to the experience of motherhood.

Overall, while it is difficult to write literature that targets both an LDS and non-LDS audience, it is essential for LDS authors to do so. When we do this, we raise awareness for ourselves and our community, create proxy experiences through which outside readers feel empathy for us, exercise our power as future Creators, and share messages of love and compassion that are relevant to all humanity. Through the gifts of art and writing, we can share our unique perspective.

Sharing Mormon Culture through The Book of Jer3miah

In our LDS literature class we talked about fiction as an effective tool for sharing aspects of Mormon culture and belief (many of which sound absurd to people of other faiths) in a comfortable environment.

The Book of Jer3miah was an excellent example of this. While the stories of the Three Nephites and Nephi slaying Laban are unfamiliar to a general audience, what is familiar to everyone is searching for a sense of identity and purpose. Though some people may not know the experience of having God ask them to do hard things or realizing that God is working through people in their lives, everyone asks the question of why life is hard, and everyone experiences tender mercies through friends. In this sense, the show’s themes about family, divine identity, and the purpose of life, though uniquely Mormon, are human enough to take on a broader audience.

The show was also able to present our belief in the Book of Mormon as scripture in a nonthreatening way. When Ammon gets shot in the chest and is saved by the Book of Mormon in his pocket, he refers to it as scripture and demonstrates that the scriptures protect us in more ways than one.

Though this show certainly doesn’t substitute for a missionary experience, it exposes Mormon culture interspersed with suspense and mystery in a way that no nonmember is going to look up from the screen and complain that they have been preached to.