From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #35 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Wednesday, May 10 2000 Volume 01 : Number 035 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 09 May 2000 13:36:30 -0700 (MST) From: Benson Parkinson Subject: [AML] Irreantum in the Orem Daily Journal Folks, Marilyn Brown got Irreantum in another newspaper, the Orem Daily Journal. I'll import the text here, but you might want to check out the web site, http://www.ucjournal.com/, which features a photo by Susan Barnson, or photographer, of Chris Bigelow and me. (Look under the Business section--looks like we're a business now.) Benson Parkinson Co-managing Editor, Irreantum - ---------> Tuesday, May 9th, 2000 BUSINESS Hot off the press! Magazine for Mormon literature "Irreantum" is an exciting new magazine expressing the cultural and literary views of Mormons throughout the United States. (May 9) Produced by two forward-looking Mormon writers, an exciting new magazine titled "Irreantum" is expressing the cultural and literary views of Mormons across the nation. "These two hard-working fiction writers, Chris Bigelow and Benson Parkinson, have now made it possible for many others to share in the Mormon discussions that take place on the internet's AML-List," (xmission.com/~aml) states Marilyn Brown, 2000 president of the AML (Association for Mormon Letters). The AML hopes the "Irreantum" will help to define the Mormon voice to others. "Never has there been a better opportunity for artists and writers to get together to communicate with each other as they strive to raise the quality of art that expresses the realities of the Mormon culture," says Brown. "I see 'Irreantum' as largely an outgrowth of AML-List," says Parkinson, who for five years has been donating his time as moderator of the list at Weber State. As he ran the on-line AML List Magazine, a number of writers went on to publish elsewhere. This is "Irreantum's" second year. The first 1999 issue was a "guest issue" of the AML's old paper newsletter by Levi Peterson. When Peterson wanted to retire, Bigelow, an editor at the "Ensign," came on the staff to make "Irreantum" a reality. Bigelow had been making magazines since his teens. He brought "Oracle," a fantasy gaming magazine, to a subscription of 1,000. He also published "Flourishing Wasteland" and "Ralph Waldo Who?" for the Emerson College of Boston. Together, Bigelow and Parkinson planned the content, tone and promotion of the magazine, discussing how they could reach the large potential LDS audience that reads literary fiction but isn't currently into Mormon literature. "The ideas ... on the AML List seemed exciting, varied, and deep enough that I was delighted to take the lead role in channeling AML-List's strengths into a printed magazine," Bigelow says. All six of the staff editors are from that list: Harlow Clark, poetry; Jonathan Langford, AML Highlights; Kent Larsen, publicity and news; Jana Bouck Remy, book reviews; Attorney Edgar C. Snow, columnist; and Tory Anderson, fiction. The photographer is Susan Barnson. "Irreantum" means "many waters," and so the magazine represents all kinds of approaches to LDS literature, not just academic. "Deseret News" writer Jerry Johnston, who also served on the AML board, was an influence in advocating some consideration of popular literature. So the magazine is trying to reach that "great untapped mainstream LDS readership with character-driven, spiritually informed writing that is nevertheless accessible. Bigelow and Parkinson both excel in fiction writing of their own. Parkinson's first missionary novel, "The MTC: Set Apart" was published in 1995 by Aspen Books, and the second, "Into the Field" will appear this May. When asked about the response to "Irreantum," Parkinson said, "Well, we're still small, but what buzz we hear has been good. We've certainly helped the AML out. Membership has almost doubled." In the future, the editors would like to upgrade the magazine to nice printing. "I hope to see people writing provocative reviews, essays and fiction just because they are stimulated by "Irreantum" and want to get more aggressively involved in Mormon literature as a cultural movement," Bigelow adds. "I hope to see 'Irreantum' serve as a catalyst for a new blossoming for Mormon literature ... harvesting the strengths and energies of the AML-List and the myriad devoted readers, writers, editors and publishers of Mormon Literature." "My strongest interest," Parkinson says, "is the 'Literature of Zion' that implies consecration, serving with all of one's heart, might, mind and strength. I'd like to see 'Irreantum' help Mormondom to define its voice." "With our prophet's broad voice," says Brown, "Eugene England at the helm of studies of Mormon culture at UVSC, and the increase of Mormon literary efforts, we should be able to develop a strong artistically sound literature of the Mormon people." Courtesy Photo New Literary Venture: Chris Bigelow and Benson Parkinson have now made it possible for many others to share in the Mormon discussions that take place on the internet's Association of Copyright 2000 The Orem Daily Journal - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 May 2000 13:36:30 -0700 (MST) From: Benson Parkinson Subject: [AML] Irreantum in the Orem Daily Journal Folks, Marilyn Brown got Irreantum in another newspaper, the Orem Daily Journal. I'll import the text here, but you might want to check out the web site, http://www.ucjournal.com/, which features a photo by Susan Barnson, or photographer, of Chris Bigelow and me. (Look under the Business section--looks like we're a business now.) Benson Parkinson Co-managing Editor, Irreantum - ---------> Tuesday, May 9th, 2000 BUSINESS Hot off the press! Magazine for Mormon literature "Irreantum" is an exciting new magazine expressing the cultural and literary views of Mormons throughout the United States. (May 9) Produced by two forward-looking Mormon writers, an exciting new magazine titled "Irreantum" is expressing the cultural and literary views of Mormons across the nation. "These two hard-working fiction writers, Chris Bigelow and Benson Parkinson, have now made it possible for many others to share in the Mormon discussions that take place on the internet's AML-List," (xmission.com/~aml) states Marilyn Brown, 2000 president of the AML (Association for Mormon Letters). The AML hopes the "Irreantum" will help to define the Mormon voice to others. "Never has there been a better opportunity for artists and writers to get together to communicate with each other as they strive to raise the quality of art that expresses the realities of the Mormon culture," says Brown. "I see 'Irreantum' as largely an outgrowth of AML-List," says Parkinson, who for five years has been donating his time as moderator of the list at Weber State. As he ran the on-line AML List Magazine, a number of writers went on to publish elsewhere. This is "Irreantum's" second year. The first 1999 issue was a "guest issue" of the AML's old paper newsletter by Levi Peterson. When Peterson wanted to retire, Bigelow, an editor at the "Ensign," came on the staff to make "Irreantum" a reality. Bigelow had been making magazines since his teens. He brought "Oracle," a fantasy gaming magazine, to a subscription of 1,000. He also published "Flourishing Wasteland" and "Ralph Waldo Who?" for the Emerson College of Boston. Together, Bigelow and Parkinson planned the content, tone and promotion of the magazine, discussing how they could reach the large potential LDS audience that reads literary fiction but isn't currently into Mormon literature. "The ideas ... on the AML List seemed exciting, varied, and deep enough that I was delighted to take the lead role in channeling AML-List's strengths into a printed magazine," Bigelow says. All six of the staff editors are from that list: Harlow Clark, poetry; Jonathan Langford, AML Highlights; Kent Larsen, publicity and news; Jana Bouck Remy, book reviews; Attorney Edgar C. Snow, columnist; and Tory Anderson, fiction. The photographer is Susan Barnson. "Irreantum" means "many waters," and so the magazine represents all kinds of approaches to LDS literature, not just academic. "Deseret News" writer Jerry Johnston, who also served on the AML board, was an influence in advocating some consideration of popular literature. So the magazine is trying to reach that "great untapped mainstream LDS readership with character-driven, spiritually informed writing that is nevertheless accessible. Bigelow and Parkinson both excel in fiction writing of their own. Parkinson's first missionary novel, "The MTC: Set Apart" was published in 1995 by Aspen Books, and the second, "Into the Field" will appear this May. When asked about the response to "Irreantum," Parkinson said, "Well, we're still small, but what buzz we hear has been good. We've certainly helped the AML out. Membership has almost doubled." In the future, the editors would like to upgrade the magazine to nice printing. "I hope to see people writing provocative reviews, essays and fiction just because they are stimulated by "Irreantum" and want to get more aggressively involved in Mormon literature as a cultural movement," Bigelow adds. "I hope to see 'Irreantum' serve as a catalyst for a new blossoming for Mormon literature ... harvesting the strengths and energies of the AML-List and the myriad devoted readers, writers, editors and publishers of Mormon Literature." "My strongest interest," Parkinson says, "is the 'Literature of Zion' that implies consecration, serving with all of one's heart, might, mind and strength. I'd like to see 'Irreantum' help Mormondom to define its voice." "With our prophet's broad voice," says Brown, "Eugene England at the helm of studies of Mormon culture at UVSC, and the increase of Mormon literary efforts, we should be able to develop a strong artistically sound literature of the Mormon people." Courtesy Photo New Literary Venture: Chris Bigelow and Benson Parkinson have now made it possible for many others to share in the Mormon discussions that take place on the internet's Association of Copyright 2000 The Orem Daily Journal - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 00:37:48 -0400 From: Shawn Ambrose Subject: RE: [AML] Introductions My name is Melinda Ambrose and I also have four children in single digits. It's interesting to hear of others wanting to write for STAR TREK. I spent two years following the show VOYAGER and working on a script to present to them, but in the end, I kept the finished script at home. It represented a lot of work and I'm very proud of having completed it, what with pregnancy and nursing and caring for toddlers. But by the time the script was done, it was obvious to me that STAR TREK no longer seeks the best scripts and storylines possible. They seek the most salable items. (they probably always have sought only things they thought people would watch, but now it's more obvious to me). As a Mormon and a mother I have stopped watching the various STAR TREK shows regularly because they don't reflect the optimism of the original. Instead they reflect the dark, brooding character of the industry today, focusing on the obscene and the occult and the sensational at the expense of genuine life. I wish there were a vehicle for excellent science fiction and fantasy that still had that optimism for the future. Yes, the Lord tells us it's going to be bad going into the Second Coming, but it's going to have great aspects, too and we should have an expectation of good. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 00:55:18 -0400 From: Shawn Ambrose Subject: RE: [AML] Dramatic Scripture Reading I have noticed that hearing someone else's emphasis while reading scriptures aloud changes my understanding of that passage or verse. It may be that the leaders do not want us to be too tied down to one "best" way to intone the scriptures. I know some Sunday School teachers might be tempted to call on the tape player to read the next verse. Sometimes the tape player is the only thing present that has read the assigned chapters! Melinda Ambrose - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 09 May 2000 20:11:07 EDT From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN Hats off to "Fedora": Alta Films & Press News Release From: Alta Films & Press News Release To: Mormon News Subject: MN Hats off to "Fedora": Alta Films & Press News Release 8May00 A2 Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 22:20:00 -0400 [from Mormon-News] Hats off to "Fedora" Alta Films & Press News Release 8May00 A2 Kenny Kemp's latest film is chosen as an ALA Notable Children's Video SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - Author and filmmaker Kenny Kemp is a man with a vision. In this case, the vision came when he spotted a picture in People magazine. "It was a photo of this guy sitting in a wheelchair, surrounded by family and friends - and they all had their heads shaved. I just knew there was a story there, even before I read the article." The story was that of Manuel Garcia, Minneapolis sanitation worker, whose cancer threatened to separate him from his family and friends even before it took his life. The unique and touching way Manuel's loved ones kept him within their loving circle stands as a reminder that no man is alone who has friends. "We made the film on a shoestring budget here in Salt Lake," says Kemp. "And I mean a threadbare shoestring! But that didn't hurt us, because like all good stories, you just need to get out of the way and tell it as simply as possible. And it resonates." Suitable for all ages, Fedora teaches the value of active compassion. "Sometimes life gives us a tragedy and all we can do is deal with it. That's hard enough, but what about our loved ones? How can they help?" asks Kemp. "I went through this when my father was dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease, and I discovered that sometimes the least - and the most - we can do is to be there; to share their ordeal. And that is what Manuel Garcia's family and friends did. That simple but powerful truth is the core of a wonderful story." The American Library Association (ALA) agrees. Fedora has been feted as a "Notable Children's Video", receiving accolades in the ALA organ Booklist. In addition, the film has been awarded the prestigious CINE "Golden Eagle" and will represent the United States in international film festivals. It has also received the National Educational Media Network's (NEMN) "Silver Apple." And, to cap it all off, Encore Cable liked the film so much they picked it up for broadcast on their "True Stories and Drama" cable channel. Kemp's previous film Wildest Dreams, the story of a young rock composer who is creatively blocked, also recently received a glowing review from School Library Journal, which said, "This video will be enjoyed for its music and the force of its message. Young adults are sure to identify with [the hero's] frustrations as he makes excuses for himself and finally awakens to where his real problems are." Kemp's next film is called What The Bear Said, an update of the classic Aesop fable "The Bear and the Travelers." To be shot in the Utah mountains, Kemp has cast "Bart" the 8-foot grizzly bear who starred in the recent thriller The Edge, starring Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins. "Bart lives with his trainer Doug Seus in Heber City, about 45 minutes from Salt Lake," says Kemp. "Bart alone will make the film compelling, but the story, about choosing your friends wisely, stands alone. Not eight feet high of course, but it still stands pretty tall!" Kemp's films Fedora and Wildest Dreams, as well as his novel I Hated Heaven and his memoir Dad Was A Carpenter, are available at all major book chains, online at Amazon.com, or at the Alta Films & Press website: http://www.alta-films.com See Also: More about "Fedora" Directed by Kenny Kemp at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1892442051/mormon-news and More about "Dad Was a Carpenter : Blueprints for a Meaningful Life" By Kenny Kemp at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1892442205/mormon-news >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 01:01:02 -0400 From: Shawn Ambrose Subject: RE: [AML] Reading the Scriptures I sometimes think the Lord included fewer stories of women than of men in the scriptures because He expected more from the women. After all, the women in most past societies knew they were vitally necessary and powerful in ways men are afraid of (that's why men tend to marry women like their mothers and hope their daughters turn out just as good or better-they want that power in good hands). If you asked a pioneer woman why there were fewer women mentioned in the scriptures, she'd likely retort, "And when would I have time to read them if there were more? I have food to prepare and children to teach, and a husband to love and care for. I'm too busy!" Melinda L. Ambrose - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 08:48:17 -0600 From: Steve Perry Subject: Re: [AML] Reading the Scriptures Melinda: > If you asked a pioneer woman why there were fewer women mentioned in the > scriptures, she'd likely retort, "And when would I have time to read them > if there were more? I have food to prepare and children to teach, and a > husband to love and care for. I'm too busy!" You really don't think they ever longed to know more about their scriptural sisters? Steve - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 09:00:05 -0700 From: Barbara@techvoice.com (Barbara R. Hume) Subject: RE: [AML] Introductions >As a Mormon and a mother I have stopped watching the various STAR TREK >shows regularly because they don't reflect the optimism of the original. > Instead they reflect the dark, brooding character of the industry today, >focusing on the obscene and the occult and the sensational at the expense >of genuine life. I believe that Brannon Braga is responsible for much of that. He likes taking the things we loved about the original concept and twisting them in a perversely dark manner. I also had some material submitted for DS9, but it was too heroic and optimistic, not gritty and depressing enough for him. My writing partner on that project, in fact, had dated him for about a month, and she called him--well, I can't say that on this list. (She's now dating Richard Hatch, quite a step up in my opinion.) barbara hume - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 11:10:9 -0600 From: "Darvell" Subject: RE: [AML] Reading the Scriptures Melinga Ambrose (ambrose@lds.net) >I sometimes think the Lord included fewer stories of women >than of men in the scriptures because He expected more >from the women. After all, the women in most past >societies knew they were vitally necessary and powerful in >ways men are afraid of (that's why men tend to marry women >like heir mothers and hope their daughters turn out just >as good or better-they want that power in good hands). >Melinda L. Ambrose It's quite obvious (at least in the Book of Mormon) that the cultures of which these books are written are male dominated. Heck, all of the book are written by men. I think it was less of a decision by the Lord and more of a cultural thing of these people. And I think it's a bit sad. I'd like to hear more about the women of the Book of Mormon. (Oh, oh. That sounds like a creative opportunity -- "_The Women of the Book of Mormon: A novel of courage and discovery_, by Darvell D. Hunt.") Ah well. I probably have to use a female psuedonym to get away with that one. Darvell Darvell Hunt, Las Vegas, NV _____________________________________________ Free email with personality! Over 200 domains! http://www.MyOwnEmail.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 13:38:08 EDT From: AEParshall@aol.com Subject: Re: [AML] Reading the Scriptures << Melinda: > If you asked a pioneer woman why there were fewer women mentioned in the > scriptures, she'd likely retort, "And when would I have time to read them > if there were more? I have food to prepare and children to teach, and a > husband to love and care for. I'm too busy!" You really don't think they ever longed to know more about their scriptural sisters? Steve >> Unless they're a totally different breed from me, yes, they did/do long to know more. We've talked about the thrill of seeing ourselves as Mormons on stage in Saturday's Warrior (my teen generation) or God's Army (today). It's a common longing too often dismissed as mere political correctness for some nearly invisible group to see themselves mirrored in the arts -- is that because they somehow seem more authentic and desirable because they are valuable enough to portray? or perhaps it brings your own struggles and achievements into focus because you can explore them through a new medium? It takes away nothing from my love and respect for my grandfathers to report that in my work on family history I take special pains to wring every clue to my grandmothers from the sparse records. I look at an agricultural census and marvel at the number of acres of barley and wheat the husband tended. But I examine the relatively small amounts of cabbages and carrots and realize that if the wife didn't cultivate this herself in her kitchen garden, at least these are the vegetables she was preparing for her own family day in and day out. Grandpa may have tended and sheared the sheep, but it was Grandma and her daughters who spun and wove those dozens of yards of flannel and fulled cloth that are enumerated. The farm tools listed on an estate inventory are interesting in their way, but it's the mirrors and lace curtains and rag carpets that attract me more. We read the scriptures for profit on many levels. I can learn the commandments and learn of God's love for his children no matter who is the reported human participant in a story. But when I "liken a scripture unto myself," it helps to have someone like myself involved in the story. In any case, I find myself drawn to even the Jezebels and Isabelles because I wonder how I might have fared in their skins. Lois and Eunice are two of my favorite New Testament heroines. Not that I have too many to choose from. Ardis Parshall AEParshall@aol.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 11:46:31 From: Marilyn Brown Subject: RE: [AML] Introductions So interesting, Melinda. Remember how the scriptures tell us that before the savior shows up in full glory, there's going to be that unleashing of all the evil? I just think it's interesting in light of what you said! Marilyn Brown At 12:37 AM 5/10/00 -0400, you wrote: >As a Mormon and a mother I have stopped watching the various STAR TREK >shows regularly because they don't reflect the optimism of the original. > Instead they reflect the dark, brooding character of the industry today, >focusing on the obscene and the occult and the sensational at the expense >of genuine life. >I wish there were a vehicle for excellent science fiction and fantasy that >still had that optimism for the future. Yes, the Lord tells us it's going >to be bad going into the Second Coming, but it's going to have great >aspects, too and we should have an expectation of good. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 9 May 2000 23:49:10 -0600 From: "Jerry Enos" Subject: Re: [AML] Introductions Thanks Shirley, I'd like the info on Star Trek and I may pass it on to my nephew. He is more into it then I am. Konnie Enos - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 11:20:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Kathleen Meredith Subject: RE: [AML] Reading the Scriptures I think a fictional, apocryphal account of the happenings of the Book of Mormon from a woman's prospective would be interesting! That sort of exercise would certainly require a very close look at the scriptures. (see, I'm trying to stay on the subject here!) One would surely use the eyes of a sociologist, a psychologist, a poet... among others in viewing the text and converting it the story of the women who were led by those prophets. But, I am not sure the author would have to be a woman... Go for it Darvell! The ladies on this list could no-doubt smoothen out the rough spots for you when it came to the writing of the female experience! I am sure, many of the voices that cry from the dust are those of women. It would be interesting to at least imagine to hear them. - -Kathleen Meredith - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 12:52:43 -0700 (MST) From: Benson Parkinson Subject: Re: [AML] Reading the Scriptures Ardis's comments on women in the scriptures and in family history reminded me of something I noticed. Among my ancestors I usually know either a lot about the husband or the wife. Whichever kept the journal or wrote the history (it was rarely both) is the one I know personally. The others I know by dates. Ben - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 12:35:46 -0600 From: Steve Perry Subject: [AML] Favorite Characters in LDS Fiction Hi, you AML-List characters, you, Here's a thought I came across recently. Take a read and then I have a question for you when you're finished. "Except in the classroom, where we read what is assigned, or study compositions or painting to pass a course, we read or listen to or look at works of art in the hope of experiencing our highest, most selfless emotions... [We hope] to find, in works of literature, characters we love as we do real people. Ultimately, in fact, plot exists only to give the characters means of finding and revealing themselves, and setting only to give them a place to stand.... The artist who has no strong feeling about his characters--the artist who can feel passionate only about his words or ideas--has no urgent reason to think hard about the characters' problems, the 'themes of his fiction.' He imitates human gesture in the movements of his puppets, but he does not worry as a father worries about the behavior of his son; and the result is a fictional universe one would not want one's loved ones forced to inhabit." - --John Gardner, _On Moral Fiction_ (New York; Basic Books, 1978), pg. 84 Okay, two questions: First, of course; do you believe this? Second--and what I'm really after here--would you all share with the list your favorite, least favorite, or maybe just most memorable characters in Mormon Lit. with the rest of us? And please take a moment to explain why you feel this way. I realize that the same character may be one person's best-liked and another's most-reviled! In fact, I hope so. Have we created the kind of characters people really can care passionately about? :-) Thanks in advance, Steve - -- stevenkperry@earthlink.net http://www.stevenkappperry.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 10:29:34 -0700 From: "Christopher Bigelow" Subject: [AML] Wizard of Oz allegory The kids had on Wizard of Oz again last night, and my attention was = pricked when I heard Glinda the Good Witch dismiss the Wicked Witch of the = West without further discussion.=20 This time I got a different reading out of the movie. Glinda sets Dorothy on the yellow brick road, which I think someone = already said is like the iron rod in Lehi's dream.=20 On the way, she stops to pick some apples she desires, but the trees come = to life and stop her. But then the scarecrow tricks the trees into = throwing apples at them. In the same way, in God's plan Satan is sort of = tricked into using the forbidden fruit as a weapon against mankind but in = a way that ultimately benefits mankind. The wizard diety turns out to be one of us, and we turn out to be more = responsible for our own salvation than we thought. It turns out we have = had the power all along but just needed to learn how to use it. What the = wizard does for the travelers is show them how to make their weaknesses = into strengths. I don't see a Savior or an Atonement in this reading--if = anything, Dorothy and her friends perform their own Atonement by meeting = evil head on at the witch's palace (oooh-eee-oooh, oh-ee-oh). I wonder what will happen the next time they ask to watch Willy Wonka . . = . Chris Bigelow * * * * * * Interested in novels, stories, poems, plays, and films by, for, or about = Mormons? Check out IRREANTUM magazine at www.xmission.com/~aml/irreantum.ht= m. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 15:12:57 MDT From: "Marianne Hales Harding" Subject: Re: [AML] Reading the Scriptures >Melinda: > > > If you asked a pioneer woman why there were fewer women mentioned in the > > scriptures, she'd likely retort, "And when would I have time to read >them > > if there were more? I have food to prepare and children to teach, and a > > husband to love and care for. I'm too busy!" > >You really don't think they ever longed to know more about their scriptural >sisters? Yeah, and didn't they take time from their busy schedule to read all about their spiritual brothers? I'd certainly let a dish or two go unwashed to read about my sisters. But, then, dishes go unwashed in my house all the time... Marianne Hales Harding ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com - - 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 #35 *****************************