Do we consider literature written by members of the Church as literature, even if it's geared to an LDS audience?
How do we encourage creativity and originality in Church member literature without moving away from the doctrine?
What is the cultural response to having our own literature? Is frowned upon? encouraged?
Can a cultural of literary criticism exist within the realm of LDS literature?
How can we use LDS literature to change outsiders view of the Church and its members?
Is it religiously significant to understand our literature and how it affects us?
In response to your third question, I don't think there should be a negative impact as a cultural response to religious literature. I believe that you can have a couple of different types; the extremes being entirely religious with doctrine and principles, the other being fiction with a caveat towards Mormonism. Either way, I believe it is possible to write towards both audiences - those looking for religious lit, and those looking for great books (Brandon Sanderson).
ReplyDeleteIn response to your first question, some advice I was given in my advance fiction class I took was, "even though the material may be specifically for members of the church, write it as though it can be read by anyone (and they wouldn't have a hard time understanding it). So, to answer the question, I think if it's written well, with that purpose in mind, then there should be no problem considering it as literature.
ReplyDeleteI think I might have an idea about how I'd respond to your first question if I am understanding it correctly. Literature written by members of the LDS faith if it is not in that genre is not considered LDS Literature.
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