Orson Whitney's talk had a big Mormon cultural impact. I hadn't realized Emmeline B. Wells was there and possibly motivated to start the Exponent from Whitney's words. I still read the Exponent II so that's pretty incredible to me how lasting this impact has been.
Whitney talked a lot about how Mormons have been called to enlighten the world and how home literature is part of fulfilling that calling. He said that pure and powerful literature comes from pure and powerful people. I thought that was an interesting remark and made me think about the separation from the art and the artist. But I think I agree with the sentiment that to create pure and powerful and honest literature, we have to be those kinds of writers and learners and people. He also talked about how the gospel of Mormonism isn't just truth, it is intelligence and culture.
Added Upon was an incredibly wholesome story that left me smiling at the end. It was sweet and pure. I don't know if I'd call it powerful by my own definition because it was kind of didactic, but it was a story that connected me to the characters. I felt like this story was so familiar because it's a story I've come across before, having grown up in Mormonism. I have already made this comment on posts before this, but I guess my main question was I wonder what imagining the pre-earth life as a storyteller and not a prophet does to impact the cultural understanding of the pre-earth life as Mormons. I believed that it was Mormon theology that we chose our families like in Saturdays Warriors until I was in high school or so. And I wonder what other beliefs from Mormon home literature have seeped into our theology. I guess I change my mind, if a story can cause an entire religion to re-evaluate how they think about the pre-earth life, that is a pretty powerful story.
Whitney talked a lot about how Mormons have been called to enlighten the world and how home literature is part of fulfilling that calling. He said that pure and powerful literature comes from pure and powerful people. I thought that was an interesting remark and made me think about the separation from the art and the artist. But I think I agree with the sentiment that to create pure and powerful and honest literature, we have to be those kinds of writers and learners and people. He also talked about how the gospel of Mormonism isn't just truth, it is intelligence and culture.
Added Upon was an incredibly wholesome story that left me smiling at the end. It was sweet and pure. I don't know if I'd call it powerful by my own definition because it was kind of didactic, but it was a story that connected me to the characters. I felt like this story was so familiar because it's a story I've come across before, having grown up in Mormonism. I have already made this comment on posts before this, but I guess my main question was I wonder what imagining the pre-earth life as a storyteller and not a prophet does to impact the cultural understanding of the pre-earth life as Mormons. I believed that it was Mormon theology that we chose our families like in Saturdays Warriors until I was in high school or so. And I wonder what other beliefs from Mormon home literature have seeped into our theology. I guess I change my mind, if a story can cause an entire religion to re-evaluate how they think about the pre-earth life, that is a pretty powerful story.
When an author has a solid foundation for character development and setting, with the audience in mind throughout the entire story, I think it can impact what kind of story they'll have in the end, and who will be able to understand what's going on. When I was editing a novel for a latter-day saint audience, I was given the advice to make sure anyone could pick up the book and understand what was going on, without much outside research--the same is applicable here.
ReplyDeleteI also felt that it is a strong statement such as pure and powerful literature comes from pure and powerful people is a little over-exaggerated. I agree that the pure and powerful can create this type of literature, but I don't believe it is limited to such. There are many people that take experiences that aren't pure and turn them into something powerful - either from the perspective of the impure, or the perspective of the learned.
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