From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #9 Reply-To: aml-list-digest Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Tuesday, April 11 2000 Volume 01 : Number 009 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 09:28:13 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] Re: Mormon culture and Art [MOD: Posts by Eric and one or two others have been arriving with odd codes at the end of lines. I believe these are MIME codes that are getting flattened out into straight 7-bit text values. Can anyone provide any insight as to why these are cropping up and what, if anything, we can do about them? Anyway, back to Eric's post...] >Someone who knows more about history than I do could >probably enumerate the factors that made the Renaissance so >artistically = productive. =20 Off the cuff, I would say that the largest factor was cultural. There's a = terrific book called Wedding Festivals of the Medici, in which a scholar = called A.M. Nagler describes, in detail, theatrical productions underwritte= n by the Medici for various state weddings. The point is that for the = wealthy and powerful people in Renaissance culture, a certain level of = erudition and taste was absolutely essential to confirm the legitamacy of = your wealth and power. So they'd do these huge theatre production, full = of mythological references and figures, and if you didn't know your Ovid = or Hesiod pretty intimately, you wouldn't get any of it. That was just = the expectation; if you were powerful and rich, you measured it by how = many artists you sponsored, and by how ground-breaking and inventive those = artists were. That's why Popes got into the act; if you were Pope, you = absolutely had to pay Leonardo to paint your ceiling, or you weren't = respected as a ruler. =20 That kind of ostentatious display of artistic taste is very much not a = part of our culture. Our wealthy people do measure their success through = charitable giving to a certain extent; one of the criticisms of dot.com = millionaires is that they don't give much to charity. But for us, we = respect a John Huntsman because he gives money to hospitals. We respect = an Alan Ashton because he donates so much to BYU. We value modest = lifestyles, full of charitable giving. And that's to our credit, isn't = it? We would see a Renaissance kind of ostentation kind of tacky and = vulgar. And we'd be right IMHO. =20 When we think of art, we think of it as an investment. Our culture has = moved away from Brigham Young's vision of theatre, for example, as a = civilizing agent within a culture. Our wealthy folks are likely to back a = Richard Dutcher film based on projected box office. Tuacahn was always = conceived as a for-profit theatre. =20 I wish we could get back to the Brigham Young vision for theatre. But if = I were in a position to advice a wealthy LDS businessman, I'd urge him to = build a new hospital wing before I'd urge him to build a theatre. And I'm = a theatre guy. Eric Samuelsen =20 - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 10:19:12 -0600 From: "Jana Pawlowski" Subject: Re: [AML] Re: Family and Art Ummm....good questions Marilyn....ummmm. Yes, a dearth in all the arts (I think I stated that, but I ramble so you know it's my stream of consciousness don't you know so it's hard to keep track of my darting thoughts.) Of course the passing glory of the Arts is old news too. Didn't William Wordsworth say the same in one of his odes? As far as the prophecy thing, well sure! Isn't the art of poetry always mixed with a certain gift of prophecy? Artistic people seem to have that knack, even some in Hollywood (The China Syndrome is all that comes to mind right now.) It's probably more intuition than prophecy, though. Intuition is more relegated to the Secular sector, whereas Prophecy is something more directly associated with communication with God. That's old news too. Read the Boorstin book.....that will give you a shortcut to my stream of consciousness. Some might think I'm only touting the philosophy of the Romantic Genre of Lit, which IS my favorite. But I think all great artists, no matter what the genre, were forward-looking, bending the rules, creating the ideal, looking for hope, etc., etc. Jana Pawlowski - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: (No, or invalid, date.) From: "Marilyn & William Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Family and Art MaryJan wrote: "The very grains of our irritation . . . are really seeds = for our pearls of great price." I was so glad to hear from you, MaryJan, because I have often wondered = what you are writing and doing. I wondered if motherhood had been demandi= ng these past few years. I also think your statement about our "oppositio= ns" is SO good.Tell us what you've been writing! Marilyn Brown - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 10:24:52 -0600 From: "Jana Pawlowski" Subject: Re: [AML] Family and Art "Maybe. Look at Einstein. He discovered relativity while he was working > in a dinky patent office, full of papers and contraptions. When he tried > to work at home, it was even worse. Wet laundry hanging everywhere, a baby > squalling on one knee, his first wife yelling at him." > "And these seem like ideal working conditions to you?" > "Maybe. What if instead of being hindrances, the noise and the damp > luandry and the cramped apartment all combined to create a situation in > which new ideas could coalesce?" See, this is where I think I need therapy. I can't concentrate on the lovelies of the imagination unless everything around me is in perfect order....And my husband can only do so much with housework, he IS a guy. I'm going to study Feng Shui (sp) and try to open the good portals of the Chi. So I can create order within chaos, or something. Only semi-joking, Jana Pawlowski - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 12:20:32 -0400 From: "Tracie Laulusa" Subject: RE: [AML] Re: Mormon script... I heard this about Greg Olson's pictures before on the list. Today we were in a Christian Armory bookstore (to buy a Larry Boy puppet of all things) and there were several beautifully displayed Greg Olson pictures. Apparently they have not been pulled from all stores. Perhaps it was regional. Tracie Laulusa - -----Original Message----- If Christian booksellers pulled Greg Olsen's paintings off their walls simply because they discovered he was LDS (and whose paintings could be more Christian than his), they may do the same thing, unfortunately, to your book, whether the scripture is quoted, or the source is given, or not. Beth Hatch - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 16:25:27 -0700 (MST) From: Benson Parkinson Subject: [AML] AML-List Digest This is an administrative post that will not count against the day's total of 30. It's aimed at AML-List-Digest subscribers but is going to everybody because I don't have an easy way to contact them separately. AML-List Digest is now automated and comes out at irregular intervals. Basically a big, collated message gets sent to digest subscribers whenever a buffer fills up with 40K worth of aml-list messages or whenever it's been 24 hours since the first message in the buffer came in. That translates to one or two digests a day, with no way to predict when they'll go out. Other big changes--we haven't been including the daily subject index with the digest like we used to, and subscribers can now subscribe and unsubscribe themselves. I'd welcome feedback (positive and negative) from digest subscribers on how you like the new setup. Given practical constraints, it might or might not make any difference in what we do, but I promise to listen :^). (One reader wrote in to complain that we'd discontinued the subject index. That's probably a gonner now--I don't see a way to make that happen short of spending 20 minutes a night doing it manually.) Send comments to me at my personal address below. Benson Parkinson Moderator, AML-List - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 12:30:03 -0400 From: "Tracie Laulusa" Subject: RE: [AML] GLENN, _One in a Billion_ I must admit that when I heard _You Are Special_ read, I was a little inclined to gag-a matter of personal taste only. My sister-in-law loved it. My husband has been encouraging me to pull out a story I wrote over a decade ago and this is the very problem I'm having with it (besides just trying to write well.) How not to sound either too preachy or too sappy or just plain dumb. Thanks for sharing about your book. Is it already in the "being illustrated" phase? What is the time frame on publication? I would love to hear more about the process from either you Sharlee, or Richard, or anyone else that has gone through it. BTW, are any list members planning to attend the children's writers workshop at BYU? Tracie Laulusa - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 10:33:40 -0600 (MDT) From: Hamilton Fred Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon culture and Art / DUTCHER, _God's Army_ This is tricky, but here goes. I was involved in a conversation with the leaders of our ward this weekend. They had just returned from Utah and had seen Dutcher's God's Army. These are very educated men. One is even a very artistic individual who does water painting and has a gorgeous baritone voice. They acknowledged, in a hesitant and truthful manner, the accuracy of Dutcher's portrait. One even went so far as to say that everything portrayed in the movie had happened to him or his companions when he was on his mission. Why their hesitancy, because they were very uncertain about the showing of the actual priesthood ordinances on screen. It wasn't the miracle which made them uncomfortable, but actually portraying in a very realistic manner the actual ordinances. It was more than just the "Pearls before Swine" argument. These brethren hold that power and literally view its application in priesthood service as a divine gift. They are always willing to talk with others about this blessing of the Church. Yet, the movie felt to them that showing the actual prayers and ordinances on the screen made those ordinances "common", allowing them "overly frequent" exposure to a large general public who will not appreciate their sacredness, and thus, diminish that sacredness. Again, these brethren will talk about these ordinances with anyone, member or non-member, but avoid a large public forum in those discussions. To them, one of the distinguishing elements of the Church is the exalting power of the ordinances. And I use the term "exalting" deliberately. That observation, along with this thread's topic of discussion, has led me to some other thoughts on this subject. What if Michelangelo, or Chaucer, or the famous authors writing against the churches had been "faithful" practicing members of the "priesthood" of their church? That is one aspect of our artistic practice which places a little more serious contemplation on the work we do. We do not just tell stories about, our "only" human lives. We, as writers, are dealing with ordinances and priesthood power, and we, as writers, hold that priesthood power. We perform those ordinances with an acknowledgment in our performance of that ordinance that we in actuality are speaking for our Father in Heaven and his Son. When does our artistic work make common that which is sacred? And our critics are not a monolithic "other". They are fellow friends, wife's, sons, and daughters with whom we labor together. We serve as a community offering exalting gifts through that divine power we share. Frequently we do so as fellow laborers, maybe at times as their leaders - sometimes they as ours. This inserts an added dimension to that which they criticize and *our consideration of that criticism*. The above has been stated before, in words much more eloquent than mine. However, "I" can't recall it being mentioned directly in this thread. So, with last Sunday's experience still fresh in my mind, along with the personal contemplations it generated, I wish to offer these humble, always fallible, thoughts to you. I thank all of you for your patience in considering them. Skip Hamilton - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 09:47:04 -0700 From: Rob Pannoni Subject: Re: [AML] Re: Mormon culture and Art "D. Michael Martindale" wrote: > > This is intriguing. I compare your perception of what made the > Renaissance artistic with what we have today in LDS culture. We have an > affluent society with free time. We have a strong and geographically > localized artistic community. (If you question the description "strong," > I'd say the core group of serious artists in LDS culture definitely > _are_ strong, to be able to maintain their artistic expression in an > environment sufficiently hostile to art that we are debating whether > great art can _ever_ come out of it.) We have relative affluence, but it doesn't buy free time in mormon culture. Church activity and family duties pretty much takes care of that, as we've been discussing on another thread. And we have the seed of an art community, but I wouldn't characterize it as strong. The AML is up to about 250 people, as I recall. Out of a church membership of how many? It is strong in spirit and closeness, but not large enough to leaven the loaf. At least not yet. I don't know of many other significant mormon art communities. And the AML list can barely get enough financial support and volunteer efforts to stay alive. We are affluent, but with the exception of a few extraordinary individuals like Benson, we're not spending our time or our money on fostering art. Except of course for the artists themselves. > Do we have a patronage system? Well, the Church commissions art at times > (e.g. the recent film _Testaments_), and BYU has been commissioning some > interesting stuff--Eric Samuelsen and Marvin Payne's recent productions > being examples. But the general patronage system for art today is the > mass market. Does LDS art have such a patronage system? Certainly it > exists, and just as certainly it's not as large as the world's. But I > would conclude that there is enough of a system there to qualify--look > how many artists we already have being supported by it to one degree or > another. You know the LDS market much better than I. You may have put your finger on one of the key obstacles. Who will support exploratory art financially? Not the church. In fact, other than hymns, I can't recall seeing much of anything supported by the church that I would classify as art. Most of it is more akin to public relations work or advertisements. Thankfully, there are a few brave souls like Eric and Marvin who manage to create interesting work within a framework the church and the university can tolerate (at least so far). But the compromises are heavy and the question of "acceptability" is always in the background. Imagine what they might create if they were un-handcuffed. Of course this is my characterization from the outside. Perhaps they don't feel that their creative horizon is being limited. I should let them speak for themselves. The NEA, for all the abuse it takes among political conservatives, fills a really important role in fostering art in the US. It is the current equivalent of a patronage system. Sure, not everything that gets funded has merit. But it sponsors lots of works with merit that would otherwise never see the light of day. Fertile ground will grow tares as well as wheat. As the scriptures say, it's sometimes hard to tell the difference in the beginning. By being relatively non-judgemental, the NEA allows artists to get far enough along in their work to let their true merits show. It allows Americans to see a wide variety of art. Some of it will eventually catch on and prove its worth in the commercial market or at least receive critical acclaim. The rest will be forgotten. It seems to me the LDS community needs something equivalent to the NEA to support exploratory art. But such an effort would likely be immediately stigmatized in LDS culture, so I don't know that it can really happen. > Or is it? Entertainment is a big industry among Mormons. We love to go > to movies, listen to music, read books--the world's movies, music, and > books. The affirmation of old ideas seems to be restricted to > LDS-specific art. I live in a very conservative ward, so perhaps my experience is biased. But I don't find many ward members reading boundary-stretching, thought-provoking mainstream literature either. The comment I hear most frequently is that ward members choose to read works by authors who they know won't offend them. I believe that's a perfectly legitimate choice. It just isn't going to create a thriving market for world class art. > My spur-of-the-moment theory is that the LDS patronage system (the > market) has not been big enough yet to allow for extensive risk-taking > art. In the small market of the past, there has only been room > financially for safe affirmation art for believers and critical assault > art for nonbelievers. The expectation of affirmation-only LDS art is > more a conditioned response ingrained over the years than an intrinsic > desire from the audience (else why do they consume the world's art too?) > Exploratory LDS art is looked upon with suspicion because it's > unfamiliar. Humans generally fear the unfamiliar because they don't know > if it's dangerous. I don't think the market can be the patron of exploratory art. Tastes develop over time when people are exposed to new things. Someone has to promote exploratory art before the public at large is ready for it. Someone has to help the public encounter it. But I think you are right to focus the successes like "God's Army". Culture can change over time. If a critical mass of LDS artists begin producing interesting works that receive wide exposure, the culture might very well begin to accept more artistic risk taking. Cultural conservativism is a relatively modern spin on the LDS experience. Our pioneer ancestors hardly fit that mold. We may yet see a more open church culture. But it's painfully slow going. And the conservative nature of the culture makes change especially slow. - -- Rob Pannoni Rapport Systems http://www.rapport-sys.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 06:58:35 -0600 From: aml@xmission.com Subject: [AML] Church Museum Book of Mormon Exhibit [LDS Church Press Release] Exhibit Features New Award-Winning Book of Mormon Art March 24, 2000 SALT LAKE CITY, Utah--The Museum of Church History and Art has opened a three-gallery exhibit of winning entries from its Fifth International Art Competition. Museum director Glen M. Leonard said that the purpose of the exhibit is to encourage the creation of new art on specific topics related to the lifestyle, history, or beliefs of Latter- day Saints. The emphasis in the fifth triennial competition is on the history and messages of the Book of Mormon. Leonard said that jurors selected 135 newly created works of art for display from among 453 entries submitted by Latter-day Saints of diverse ages and cultural backgrounds. "The majority of Church members now live outside of the United States," Leonard said. "This exhibit reflects a variety of cultural perspectives from artists who are united by their faith." While a majority of the entries came from the United States, he said, artists from 37 other countries submitted works for consideration. Thirty-eight works were entered by artists from Latin America. Other locations included Canada, Great Britain, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, India, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Japan, China, and Taiwan. The competition attracted 35 entrants in the youth category, ages 12 to 18, including 15 year-old Petrasan Tsogeek, of Russia. The oldest participating artist, His-hua Huang, is a 98-year-old California native who entered a Chinese ink drawing. According to senior art curator Richard G. Oman, "the competition is traditionally one of the most diverse exhibitions aesthetically that the Museum sponsors." "At a time when exhibitions in most museums are built around unity in style and medium," Oman said, "this exhibition offers a fresh approach by focusing on religious ideas that transcend style and culture." "The unity comes through the thematic content of the show," he said. Cecile Nugent, educator for the exhibition, agreed. She said that the display "continues the tradition begun in 1987 of encouraging Latter-day Saint artists to synthesize their art and their religious beliefs." Nugent said that the competition "demonstrates how Latter-day Saint artists visually interpret concepts taught in the Book of Mormon." They also depict familiar stories and people who are described in a work accepted by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as scripture. One evidence of the variety of interpretation, she said, can be seen in the ways that various artists represent Book of Mormon costuming, peoples, and lands. "Some artists have applied extensive research to their own ideas about possible Book of Mormon origins," Nugent explained. "Others have utilized elements from their own cultures or their understanding of Native American and other antecedent cultures of the New World. Still others have used colors, patterns, and shapes merely to strengthen their work as an artistic device." Oman pointed out that the artistic styles represented in the exhibit range from folk art traditions to abstraction and tight realism. The range of skills, he said, represents traditions handed down within families, self-taught artists, and seasoned professionals trained in art schools. Included among the displayed works are paintings, sculptures of many types, tapestries, quilts, wood carvings, metalwork, straw mosaics, needlepoint, illuminated manuscripts, assemblages, and pottery. "These juried international exhibitions contain the greatest stylistic diversity of any in the entire region," Oman said. "For example, there are wood sculptures by two of Nigeria's leading carvers, a very large bronze sculpture by Utah artist Gary Price, and a masterful quilt by Jodi Warner. There are paintings by well-known regional artists like Al Rounds, Ron Richmond, Del Parson, Rose Ann Peterson, Brian Kershisnik, and others." Oman said that some works of art focus on historical narrative, while others explore theological principles or symbolic ideas. Some of the most popular themes depicted include Lehi's vision of the tree of life, the two thousand teenage warriors known as the sons of Helaman, and the conversion of Alma and the sons of Mosiah. Oman noted that paintings about the "stripling warriors" frequently celebrate the special bond between these teenage boys and their mothers. Several other pieces depict stories seldom illustrated before, including some that focus on women in the Book of Mormon. The museum will present $500 cash Awards of Merit to 17 artists and Purchase Awards to another 12 participants during an awards ceremony to be held Friday evening, March 24, in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. Visitors to the exhibit will be invited to cast their ballots for three Visitors' Choice Awards to be presented to winning artists in August. The exhibition runs from March 24 through Labor Day, September 4, 2000. As the Fifth International Art Competition exhibit opens, the Museum is already looking three years ahead to the Sixth International Art Competition, which will focus on Latter-day Saints yesterday and today. The Museum of Church History and Art is located directly west of Temple Square at 45 N. West Temple in Salt Lake City, a half block north of the Temple Square TRAX station. The museum is open seven days a week: 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. on weekdays and 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Saturdays, Sundays, and most holidays. The museum will be closed on Easter Sunday. Group tours can be arranged by calling 801-240-4615. For recorded information dial 801-240-3310. For media information only, contact Glen M. Leonard at 801-240- 3593. Copyright 2000 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 13:14:26 -0600 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: Re: [AML] PEARSON, _Blow Out the Wishbone_ Marilyn Brown wrote: Question: Sharlee, are you keeping a record of what your kids say? Carol Lynn Pearson used to do it (they are no longer kids) and she used them on her Christmas letter. They were the funniest things I read all year. You have a good start with these comments! I say, keep your kid's comments, and I'll buy that book for sure! Sincerely, Marilyn Brown Sharlee responds: Interesting that you should bring this up. I just found a book by Carol Lynn Pearson entitled _Blow Out the Wishbone_ (Bookcraft, 1985) during my last DI run. It's quite lovely. I wonder why I never heard of it. I must have just been getting off my mission when it was published. Does anyone know how it did, sales-wise? In the book Pearson uses a number of "kids say the darndest things" vignettes (presumably from the mouths of her own children) as springboards for her own musings about life, love, and God. I like it as well as anything she's done. Oh, and in answer to your question, Marilyn; yes. I have a whole notebook full of examples of my own kids saying the darndest things--157 entries to date! It's a wonderful way to hold on to those magical moments. My most recent entry: Dylan (age 6): "Mommy, these cookies taste like a dream come true!" Sharlee Glenn glennsj@inet-1.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 12:32:35 PDT From: "R.W. Rasband" Subject: [AML] SNOW, _Of Curious Workmanship_ (Review) OF CURIOUS WORKMANSHIP: MUSINGS ON THINGS MORMON by Edgar C. Snow, Jr.; Signature Books, Salt Lake City, 1999; 119 pages, $14.95 One of the highlights of this time of year is the annual return to television of the 1950's Hollywood biblical epic. The greatest example of these is C.B. De Mille's "The Ten Commandments", a movie which I dearly love and traditionally watch every time it's on. There is something funny and touching about a corny old movie that grapples with those ancient, powerful stories. Billy Crystal and "The Simpsons" have already commented on Edward G. Robinson's hilariously out-of-place performance ("Where's your messiah now, nyah!") One can marvel at the Vegas casino-style costumes and scenery. The attentive viewer can compare Charlton Heston as Moses with his later thespianism in "Planet of the Apes" and "Soylent Green." But just when you've started snickering, they show the founding of Passover or the parting of the Red Sea, and the juxtaposition of postwar American pop culture and old universal truths becomes poignant and fascinating. Something similar is going on in Edgar Snow's "Of Curious Workmanship", his collection of humor about LDS culture. Snow is obviously a believing Mormon and is always respectful with the doctrine. But he has an instinct for the "oddly interesting" that shows up in Gospel Doctrine class and other byways of Mormon life. In her introduction, Elouise Bell compares him to Garrison Keillor, but Snow is much more penetrating and manic than that. If you gene-spliced Hugh Nibley with Steve Martin, you would get Ed. My favorite column in the book is "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do", a highly entertaining look at the MIA songbook "Recreational Songs" from 1949 ("Tit-willow" by Gilbert and Sullivan is there.) "Bring Your Own Brigham" manages to be both amusing and enlightening about the different versions of Brigham Young floating about in LDS literature. "The Naked and the Darned" concerns art at BYU. And in "Names" he wonders why so many weirdos are named "Edgar" (according to Amazon.com, there was another "Edgar Snow" in the 1940's who wrote a book titled "Red Star Over China" in which he tried to persuade America that Mao was a Nice Guy. Not a good sign, Ed.) And much, much, more. This book is highly recommended for LDS readers who cherish the goofy. If you are too dang cheap to go out and buy it, you can download the columns from the archives of AML-List, where they first appeared (although I'm sure Ed and Signature Books fervently hope you will show a little class and pry open your wallets and purses, OK?) R.W. Rasband Heber City, UT rrasband@hotmail.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 13:35:24 -0700 From: eedh Subject: [AML] Re: SAMUELSEN, _Singled Out_ Richard Hopkins: "We're interested in what you all think of the book, not only Eric's wonderful story and prose, but the book itself as a value." I bought _Singled Out_ on Friday. I was browsing through Deseret Book and was delighted to stumble onto it. I was a bit surprised that it cost $8.95 for a mass market paperback. I thought mm books were cheaper than that. But then I thought maybe it cost a bit more because it was going out to a smaller audience. (Now I'm assuming it was also because of the sturdier binding, etc.) I have to admit that it was nice to pay $8.95 instead of $14.95. I had time to kill (my daughter was at an aquatic park), so I carried the book into a nearby mall. It was handy to carry such a small book around in my hand, and it fit nicely on my tray with a plate of pizza. The problem came when I got home. I finished reading the book. I loved it. This is not cheap fiction, to be tossed away somewhere. This is literature. I want it standing tall, trade-paperback style, on my bookshelf. Yes, I would have paid $14.95 for it. (I realize, though, that some people wouldn't, and they would miss exposure to the book. I guess there's no easy answer.) I look forward to buying Eric Samuelsen's next book. Would someone let me know when it comes out? Beth Hatch - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 15:52:19 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Dutcher, _GOD'S ARMY_ Cathy Wilson: "I don't think anyone has addressed Dalton's serious health condition. Given the fact that Dalton had sacrificed everything to go on a mission, even with the extremity of his disease, it seems likely that he could have the spiritual focus and strength to be part of a miracle." I noticed that, but didn't mention it because I was trying to avoid giving too much away. Since you spilled the beans, I will remark that I thought it was a marvelous and realistic touch to have Dalton bless his convert and obtain a miraculous healing, but die himself from a fatal disease. The movie also left completely open _why_ it happened. Did Dalton ask for the miracle for himself, but God didn't grant it? Or did Dalton, in bittersweet but very human fashion, not want to ask for himself, thinking it would be too pretentious of him? For me, this contrast was just another example of how Dutcher showed a balanced view of Mormonism--a miraculous healing from death, and the un-miraculously-healed death of the healer himself. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== Read "How I as a crazy high school kid wrote an opera about Joseph Smith" at: http://www.wwno.com/gpjs/howi.htm ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 16:59:47 -0600 From: "Darvell" Subject: Re:[AML] Dutcher, _GOD'S ARMY_ Cathy Wilson (cgileadi@ns3.burgoyne.com) wrote: >We just saw the movie. I thought it was remarkable, incredibly artistic. I concur. I saw it on a trip to Utah last weekend. Incredible movie. I think it's destined to create a new genre of films (at least I can hope). >Even though some of the details were stretched a little (ocean baptisms at a >time when you'd certainly have baptismal fonts), they worked so beautifully. Yep, small things like that bothered me, too. The volkswagen bus bothered me. What recent missionaries have ever driven a volkswagen bus? And why wasn't the mission president contacted from the second bus station scene? Didn't make sense. >In particular, the acting was phenomenal. Agreed. >I'm glad this film is doing well. It deserves it. > >Cathy (Gileadi) Wilson The best review that I can give is this: I WISH I HAD WRITTEN IT. That's the best praise that I can give any work. If you haven't seen it, please DO! Darvell Darvell Hunt, Las Vegas, NV - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 16:09:52 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Re: Mormon culture and Art Harlow Clark: "Another way of saying this is that not only has all the critical academic work on American literature been done within my father's lifetime, most of it was done within his academic lifetime... Almost all the critical work in Mormon literature has been done in my lifetime, most of it since I graduated high school." Another small piece of evidence that my belief that the LDS Renaissance is at our doorstep is true. "Since then we've had a few literature anthologies, like Cracroft and Lambert's _22 Young Mormon Writers_, England's _Bright Angels and Familiars_..." This reminds me of some bragging I need to do. Recently I was digging through my pile of books and came across two that I didn't realize I had. I received both of them when I worked at a bookstore years ago. They were samples sent to the store, and my manager let us take what we wanted. At the time they meant nothing to me, other than being LDS literature that someday I might maybe get around to trying. The two books are England's _Bright Angels and Familiars_, and Hilton's _As the Ward Turns_. I also checked out Deseret Book's online auction. They have a "Wish Lish" section, where I promptly placed Card's _A Storyteller in Zion_ for me. A couple of days later someone responded, offering a used copy they had. We ended up agreeing on a price of $10.50. The book turned out to be in excellent "brand new" condition. Needless to say, I didn't mention that I would have paid double for that book. So I'm in LDS book heaven right now. "Michael R. Collings books on OSC, including, _In the Image of God: Theme, Characterization, and Landscape in the Fiction of Orson Scott Card_..." Anyone know where Collings' writings are available? Not that I've searched hard, but I haven't noticed them anywhere in passing. "...and a book exploring the Anti-Mormon literature genre, Terryl Givens' _The Viper on the Hearth_." I like the title. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== Read "How I as a crazy high school kid wrote an opera about Joseph Smith" at: http://www.wwno.com/gpjs/howi.htm ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 17:02:15 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon culture and Art / DUTCHER, _God's Army_ Hamilton Fred: "It wasn't the miracle which made them uncomfortable, but actually portraying in a very realistic manner the actual ordinances. It was more than just the 'Pearls before Swine' argument...the movie felt to them that showing the actual prayers and ordinances on the screen made those ordinances 'common,' allowing them 'overly frequent' exposure to a large general public who will not appreciate their sacredness, and thus, diminish that sacredness." Actually, that sounds exactly like the "pearls before swine" argument, not something beyond it. This is a matter of judgment, but I judge that the representations in Dutcher's films were not sacreligious. They were presented respectfully, honestly, and in a context in which only the most rude and cynical would not recognize their sacredness to us. Anyone that would use the film as a springboard to ridicule our ordinances would find some other way to do it if the film didn't exist. To me the argument is as unconvincing as if you said, "Never wear garments because a non-member might see them and ridicule them, not understanding their sacred nature." I thought it was wonderful that Dutcher showed the ordinances. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== Read "How I as a crazy high school kid wrote an opera about Joseph Smith" at: http://www.wwno.com/gpjs/howi.htm ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2000 17:09:27 -0600 From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: Re: [AML] JONES, Raymond F. Andrew Hall wrote: >I just looked through the Parkins' LDS Science Fiction bibliography, >it is quite a piece of work. I saw several stories I didn't know >about by authors I liked, which was exciting. One very prolific >author I was unfamiliar with was Raymond F. Jones. He had scores of >stories in _Astounding Science Fiction_ (the premier SF magazine at >the time) and other magazines in the 1940s to the 1960s, plus quite >a few novels. I used to read anthologies of SF stories from the >"golden age" a lot when I was in middle school, so I'm pretty sure I >have read a couple of those stories, but it has been a long time. >So, who was he? Did Mormon themes appear in his stories at all? >And, most importantly, was he any good? Here's an exerpt from his obituary: Raymond Fisher Jones, age 78, died January 24, 1994, in Sandy, Utah Born Nov. 17, 1915, in Salt Lake City, a son of David F. Jones and Josephine Anderson. He attended the University of Utah. He served as an LDS missionary in Galveston, Texas mission. Married Elaine Kimball, June 27, 1940 in the Salt Lake Temple. She died July 23, 1970. Married Lillian Wats May 2, 1973. Ray worked for the Weather Bureau and the Genealogical Society for many years. He was active in genealogy work his entire life. He retired from Sperry Utah as a publications engineer after 15 years. He was a well known writer of science, fact and fiction, both as a profession and a hobby. He sold his first magazine at the age of 17. He published over 15 books and hundreds of magazine articles. One of his first books, "This Island Earth," was made into a motion picture and was one of the earliest science fiction movies ever made. I haven't read anything of his, but apparently some of it was good enough since one of his stories was made into a movie. Actually, it was his story "The Alien Machine" that was made into the movie _This Island Earth,_ 1954, after being reprinted in the anthology _This Island Earth_ in 1952. Marny Parkin sparkin@airswitch.net http://home.airswitch.net/MormonBib - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #9 **************************** - AML-List Digest - http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm