Tag Archives: Literary Criticism

Literature and the Challenge of The Mormon People

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Scott Hales

Matthew Bowman’s The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith, published earlier this year by Random House, is possibly the best overview of Mormon history that I’ve read. Written for scholars and general readers alike, the book situates Mormonism … Continue reading →

Posted in Mormon LitCrit | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Mormon LitCrit: Do We Need New Mormon Literary Theory?

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Scott Hales

“There is always a surprise in store for the anatomy or physiology of any criticism that might think it has mastered the game, surveyed all the threads at once, deluding itself, too, in wanting to look at the text without … Continue reading →

Posted in Mormon LitCrit | Tagged , , , , | 33 Comments

Book Reviews on the Internet: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Jessie Christensen

Recently, a discussion cropped up in the comments section on a book review posted on another blog. The commenter noted that both the person reviewing the book, along with the other commenters, were generally heaping praise on the book while … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices, Electronic Age, Mormon LitCrit | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

History as Fiction, Fiction as History

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Jessie Christensen

A few weeks ago, A Motley Vision provided a quote from an 1897 publication by Junius Wells in which he discusses the idea of books as ‘companions’ and urges his readers to reconsider the type of company they keep when … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices, The Past through Literature | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Nickel Basins and the Mormon Experience

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Jessie Christensen

One of my majors as an undergraduate (yes, it was one that I actually completed and got a diploma in) was Spanish Translation. I thought it would be a great way to find a practical use for the second language … Continue reading →

Posted in International Scene, Thoughts on Language | Tagged , | 11 Comments

In Tents # 3 That Same Organization

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Harlow Clark

Title: Making Sense of the Doctrine & Covenants: A Guided Tour through Modern Revelations Author: Steven C. Harper Publisher: Deseret Book Genre: Scripture Studies Year Published: 2008 Number of Pages: 601 Binding: Hardbound in perfectbound signatures, not sewn, which I … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary Views of Scripture | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Mysterious Doings: Who Didn’t do it?

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Josi Kilpack

*Spoiler alert. This post reveals antagonists in a few classic mystery novels. The books are still worth reading even if you know who did it, though. Proceed at your own risk. Formula is a dirty word for some writers and … Continue reading →

Posted in Mysterious Doings | Tagged , | 7 Comments

The Writer’s Desk: Writing Epiphanies

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Jack Harrell

Novelist Charles Baxter’s book Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction is a must-read for anyone interested in the art of fiction writing. One of the most evocative essays in the book is called “Against Epiphanies.” Though Baxter is critiquing … Continue reading →

Posted in The Writer's Desk | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Mormon LitCrit: It’s Time to Start Criticizing Each Other

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Guest

by Scott Hales Moderator’s Note: Dawning of a Brighter Day welcomes guest blog posts such as this on topics related to Mormon literature and literary criticism. For more information, email Jonathan Langford, AML blog coordinator, at jonathan AT motleyvision DOT … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Voices, Mormon LitCrit | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Mormon LitCrit: Postmodernism and the Mormon Writer

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Jack Harrell

Do you know the Brief Insights series of books? It’s similar to the Very Short Introductions series, in which a broad topic is covered in one concise, well-written volume. The many titles are as far-ranging as Kafka, Music, Existentialism, Literary … Continue reading →

Posted in Mormon LitCrit | Tagged , | 2 Comments