From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #130 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 Monday, August 14 2000 Volume 01 : Number 130 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 17:30:42 -0600 From: Melissa Proffitt Subject: [AML] Re: Blank _BYU Studies_ On Thu, 10 Aug 2000 11:08:06 -0700 (PDT), Ed Snow wrote: >Apparently Latter-day >Saints performed poorly answering the drinking >questions in the "Entertainment" category of the >"Trivial Pursuit" game and this article was intended >to give them a much needed primer so as to be in the >world, but not of the world. The liquor questions are in Sports and Leisure, not Entertainment. Melissa Proffitt (who never gets the drinking questions right) - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 19:44:11 EDT From: Higbeejm@aol.com Subject: [AML] Re: Blank _BYU Studies_ Ed Snow: "My favorite article in that edition was titled: "A Modern Mormon's Guide to Liquor." As I understand it, an editor commissioned this essay to counteract widespread Mormon liquor-ignorance....this article was intended to give them a much needed primer so as to be in the world, but not of the world." ********** Reminds me of the Family Home Evening lesson from my childhood where my father (an active, God-fearing, lifelong Mormon and ordained High Priest) sat us impressionable young kids down...dealt the cards...and taught us all the ins and outs of playing a good smart hand of Poker. True story. And what a lesson in cultural literacy! He just figured it was one of those things every educated person should know, so as not to be completely unlearned when something like "The Sting" was on TV as the movie of the week. I used to use that example when teaching critical reading skills in Freshman English classes. Sometimes you just need context as a tool for interpreting a text. (My parents did not, however, offer us a similar lesson on alcohol, so my knowledge of cocktails is abysmal.) And then there was the time we were driving through Las Vegas and my mom dropped a nickel in the slots in order to give us a first-hand object lesson about the evils of gambling...and promptly won $5. Yep, true story. Janelle Higbee - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 19:55:59 -0700 From: Jeff Needle Subject: [AML] Re: Blank _BYU Studies_ Howl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ever dependable you are -- this was a real treat. Thanks! - --------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 23:50:46 EDT From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN UVSC Says LDS Studies Benefit Utah: Salt Lake Tribune From: Rosemary Pollock To: Mormon News Subject: MN UVSC Says LDS Studies Benefit Utah: Salt Lake Tribune 4Aug00 D4 Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 06:20:00 -0400 [From Mormon-News] UVSC Says LDS Studies Benefit Utah OREM, UTAH -- The 20th Annual Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City, Utah was the setting for a panel discussion on Thursday to discuss the first Mormon Culture Studies program in the state's higher-education system. Eugene England, a former Brigham Young University English professor and now the Orem college writer-in-residence, recently won a $25,000 one-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities that will aid in funding the new program. The new program will serve as a host to conferences and guest lectures that support the school's already established religious diversity and interfaith programs that are currently housed in UVSC's Center for the Study of Ethics. Eventually, the college hopes to work the Mormon cultural studies program into the curriculum and offer a full-blown religious studies degree. England believes the intent of the program is to provide a neutral and open atmosphere for the study of a culture, not a church. He listed three reasons why UVSC should provide the program; to help combat-anti-Mormonism; to enrich an understanding of Mormonism as a part of Utah culture; and to help Mormons understand, appreciate and improve upon their own culture. Elaine Englehardt, Utah Valley's University Assistant Academic Vice-President, remarked when the news went public in March, "it's been kind of a bullet train." Concern has poured in from the secular and sacred world. Three general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were concerned that the program would open the door to Mormon bashing. All six participants in the forum saw the program as favorable to UVSC. Robert Rees, an associate professor at the Universiy of California in Santa Cruz said, "Faith is an important part of human culture. You can't separate the two." Brian Birch, an associate director of UVSC's religious studies program, and Scott Kenney, a founding editor of Sunstone, were members of the panel. Daniel W. Witherspoon, an instructor at Salt Lake Community College, moderated the discussion. "Utah is one of only a handful of states in the country that does not offer a baccalaureate degree in the study of religion," Birch said. "This, despite the fact that Utah is arguably the most religiously influenced state in our union." Mary Ellen Robertson, who holds a master's degree in Women Studies in Religion from Claremont Graduate School said, "I think the academic study of religion is an energizing and worthwhile endeavor." Source: UVSC Says LDS Studies Benefit Utah Salt Lake Tribune 4Aug00 D4 http://www.sltrib.com/08042000/utah/9324.htm BY Kirsten Stewart: Salt Lake Tribune >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: Thu, 10 Aug 2000 23:50:46 EDT From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN Theatre professor vice president of national association: BYU Press Release From: BYU Press Release To: Mormon News Subject: MN Theatre professor vice president of national association: BYU Press Release 8Aug00 D3 Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 23:15:00 -0400 [From Mormon-News] Theatre professor vice president of national association PROVO, UTAH -- A professor of theatre and media arts at Brigham Young University is the new vice president for communications for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), the national association of design, production and technology professionals in the performing arts industry. Eric Fielding, a member of the BYU faculty for 16 years and former chair of the Theatre and Media Arts Department, assumed his renewable two-year term in July. He has been serving as interim vice president since September. His responsibilities include overseeing the institute's journal, newsletter, annual directory and other periodicals, along with its Internet activities. Fielding's involvement with USITT began when he became a student member while completing an undergraduate degree at BYU in 197l. Over the years, his contributions to USITT have included service as commissioner for scenic design, member of the board of directors, design heritage and design showcase coordinator and associate director of international activities. He also served for seven years as executive editor and designer of the Institute's periodicals, including the quarterly journal Theatre Design and Technology and the newsletter Sightlines. His design for the American entry, "Mozart in America," for the 1991 Prague Quadrennial-the premier international exhibition of theatrical design-won a gold medal and was subsequently exhibited at Lincoln Center in New York City. In 1992, USITT presented Fielding with its Founder's Award, the Institute's highest member honor, and also elected him a fellow of the Institute. The resident scene designer in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts, Fielding has also worked with the Utah Opera, the Utah Shakespearean Festival, Pioneer Theatre Company, Sundance Theatre, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and on several LDS Church films and the Hill Cumorah Pageant. - -###- Source: Theatre professor vice president of national association BYU Press Release 8Aug00 D3 >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: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 01:04:51 -0600 From: Scott and Marny Parkin Subject: Re: [AML] _Contact_ Eric D. Snider wrote: >The only religious character portrayed as being a normal, non-crazy >person, is Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey) -- and he sleeps with >Arroway on their first date! I'd rather be one of the "zealots" they >make fun of than an immoral pseudo-spiritual backslider like Joss. >(Is it OK to be judgmental about fictional characters?) (I would argue that it's not only okay to be judgmental about fictional characters, it's half the point of reading, and darned fun to boot.) I found Joss to be one of the more troublesome characters in the film because his religion seemed entirely situational. He picked the morality that would get him power, the held onto it as a means of gaining that power. He changed his approach to religion at least three times in the movie, and seemed more interested in his position to make policy than in actually pursuing some real religious truth. In other words, I thought he was the most cynically drawn religious character in the bunch. He spoke in religious tones to get power, not seek truth. I also never read the book, so I can't comment to its faithfulness to Sagan's words. But while I found the movie to contain a deeply spiritual element, I found it quite lacking in what I would consider to be an intellectually honest presentation of religion as anything but hocum. Which seems to be an increasing fad in modern fiction. Individual spirituality is on the rise in fiction at the same time that criticism of organized religion is nearly an all-time high. Even among Mormons, Terry Tempest Williams has made a national splash by raising her personal brand of animism as an alternative to the hidebound Mormon autocracy. I think this is an area where Mormons can have a new and different voice. We are a community that has both a large contingent of the dissatisfied, and a large one of the spiritually fulfilled. After having heard my whole life that there is no such thing as a truly happy Mormon (we're all living a lie, don't you know), I've grown up to discover that most of my friends find not only spiritual value in the Mormon experience, but honest-to-goodness peace and fulfillment. To my own shock, I discovered that I'm one of them. Does that mean that I think the Mormon experience is perfect? Define the term "Mormon experience" in a way that encompasses all who've taken part in it, and the answer is still no. But it has been powerful for many, and those stories deserve to be told as much as the stories of the disaffected or disappointed. I happen to have lived on both sides of that line, and like to read honest stories from each perspective. I just think there's room for stories about Mormons that aren't about The Church. And if some of those stories can't pass correlation, so what? I've had more than one blasphemous thought in my life, and I expect to have more. We're each here to gain our own experiences, and we've been commanded to tell our stories and experiences in journals and other writings. So let's allow each other to tell our stories without condemning the author for telling the story. If the story has no value for us, we can and ought to reject it for our own consumption. But we also should recognize that each finds truth (and Truth) in their own way, and by their own understanding. I found the presentation of religion to be weak in the film Contact, even as I thought it touched truthfully on the core of personal faith, spirituality, and an honest search for truth. That Mormons may have been inaccurately portrayed is largely irrelevant to me because that portrayal was silly and inconsequential at the same time that the core search for truth was real and powerful. By stripping that search of the baggage (that word again!) of *any* organized religion, I think the filmmakers made it more generally real and acceptable. I think we ought to try to do the same thing, but from a Mormon mindset--in all of its different and often conflicting flavors. Scott Parkin - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 19:34:42 JST From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] Favorite Short Story results (Andrew's Poll) [MOD: Thanks again to Andrew for putting this together. I think that the small level of reply to the poll doesn't reflect any lack of interest in the topic, but the sense many of us feel that we haven't got enough knowledge to vote. I know that I came out of this with several additional titles to add to my reading list. So I hope Andrew doesn't feel that his labors were in vain!] Here are the results of last month's Favorite Mormon Short Story Collection poll. I got seven responses, most of which listed several favorite books. Brady Udall's "Letting Loose the Hounds" (1998) was mentioned on the most lists for collections by a single author, so I declare it the winner. Coming close behind were: Levi Peterson "Night Soil" (1990) Mary Clyde "Survival Rates" (1999) Paul Rawlins "No Lie Like Love" (1996) Margaret Blair Young "Love Chains" (1997) "Bright Angels and Familiars" (1992) was the overwhelming favorite for multi-author collections, with "In Our Lovely Deseret" (1996) a distant second. Not enough people mentioned favorite individual stories for me to declare a winner in that category. Thanks for your participation. Andrew Hall Nagareyama, Japan ________________________________________________________________________ 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 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 19:36:57 JST From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) Influential Teacher Andrew's Poll August question: This one is especially for the writers out there (although anyone can answer). 1. What teacher has had the greatest impact on you as a writer? Please tell us about the person and how you think they influenced what you do. Of course this can be any kind of teacher, including a university professor, a member of a fellow writing group, or a distant correspondent. alternatively (or additionaly): 2. What author has had the greatest impact on you as a writer? I was going to continue the "Favorites of the 90s" series with a poll on Mormon plays, but I wanted to get a bibliography of all major plays from the 90s first, and that will have to wait until September. We are in the middle of packing, and we fly back to the US on Wednesday, so big projects like that will have to wait. That reminds me, a couple of people have asked me what I am doing in Japan. I am a graduate student of Japanese and Chinese history at the University of Pittsburgh, and I received a fellowship to do my doctoral research in Japan for a year. My subject is Japanese colonial education policy in China in the 1920s-1945. My wife, Jenifer, taught English at a university and did her own dissertation research (linguistics--second language acquisition). So our year is up, and we are heading home. We are going to spend a few weeks in Wenatchee, WA (Jen's home town) and Provo (where my parents now live), and be back in Pittsburgh around September 5th. Our 18 month old son, Lachlan, has been on a largely rice-based diet, and his four or so words are all Japanese (well, bye-bye is the same in both languages), but I think he'll adjust quickly. Andrew Hall Nagareyama, Japan ________________________________________________________________________ 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 ------------------------------ Date: (No, or invalid, date.) From: "Marilyn & William Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Cornerstone Purchases Horizon Wow, this is really a coup, Richard. Can you tell us what has happened = with Duane Crowther? Marilyn Brown - - 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: [AML] Re: Blank _BYU Studies_ You know how to do that with that disappearing ink? I can think of a lot = of things I'd like to print in that ink. Ed, your take is too much! (I = always lose it!--laughing!) Now, I do want someone who knows how--not me-= - -to put on this screen that HILARIOUS thing Eric Snider wrote this mornin= g (Friday, August 11?) about the STEAK CENTER and the dishes that would = be served: (Adam on-di-omelette, Porterhouse Rockwell steak, etc?) That = was one of the funniest things I've ever seen! (And my husband lost it = too!) Please, somebody smart, put that on! It is truly a piece of Mormon = humor worthy of Ed Snow's high standards (low standards?) you will love = it. It perfectly suited me and my food addiction! Marilyn Brown [MOD: Eric--Feel free either to post the essay itself, or a link to it.] - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 16:36:34 -0400 From: debbro@voyager.net Subject: [AML] Re: Blank _BYU Studies_ Whenever I take a written driving test, I fail the blood alchol questions every time, I figure since I don't drink and drive, there are more important things for me to remember than how many beers or Wine coolers I can drink before the State considers me drunk and I have to call a lawyer. Mormon lit connection? I will use this experience in my book _Dancing Naked in My Shower with no Muzak_ Debbie Brown - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 14:45:54 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] Singles in Mormon Lit. I have hesitated saying much in this thread. I would like to add a few = thoughts to both Darlene's and Melissa's comments: 1) The actress who played April in our production of The Way We're Wired = was attacked on several occasions by members of her ward and by roommates, = because of the choice her character made. I really did stack the deck, = intentionally, by making it clear that she and Andy were not in love, and = by making her job almost absurdly perfect. Lots of reasons--the play = isn't really April's story, plus it's a comedy, plus I was up for tenure. = . . . Even so, her bishop was very offended. =20 2) I really like Sandra's character a lot. I clearly didn't write her = very well, because I've heard from a lot of people that she was the most = unsympathetic character in the novel and play. But she's my personal = favorite. She has the strongest voice in the novel, so strong I had to = write her first person, and not third like the rest of the characters. = =20 3) Darlene asks if we could write a story about a woman who turns down a = marriage proposal for her career. I don't see why not. There are lots of = reasons to not marry. Why does our culture seem to judge so freely the = choices other people make in their lives? =20 Eric Samuelsen - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 12:28:11 -0600 From: Jacob Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] Re: Blank _BYU_ Studies On Thu, 10 Aug 2000 17:02:50 -0600, Thom Duncan wrote: >Believe it or not, I remember seeing a book for sale in the BYU >bookstore sometime in the early 80's entitled _The Wit and Wisdom_ of >Orrin Hatch. Opened, it was nothing but blank pages. Ah. An autobiography... Jacob - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 13:44:54 -0500 From: "Alan Mitchell" (by way of Jonathan Langford ) Subject: [AML] Nudity D.Michael Martindale wrote: If everyone went skinnydipping every time they swam, how much lust would seeing a nude body evoke? And later To bring this discussion to a literature-related conclusion, I have decided that nudity is a morally neutral issue, which is made moral by context or by the intent of a human mind. Rather than defining the default attitude as avoiding nudity unless there's a good reason not to, I think the default attitude should be to think of nudity as a nonissue unless some other aspect modifies the situation--the most common aspect being sexualizing the situation. With this attitude, nudity would also be a nonissue in art, and only the context of the nudity would be questioned. Alan Mitchell humbly replies, after being chastized for hyperbole: This attitude doesn't seem to be a realistic one, given the way I view human nature. Of course I may be entirely wrong about nudity but too some of us there is a shock factor involved in the naked body. Always. Nudity shocks some of us. Some of us are wired that way. That's the fun. Take mooning. It is not a sexual act in any sense but when it catches you by surprise, which is the intention, it makes you double clutch. Yeah, I know, if I was culturally reconditioned, perhaps raised as a toilet seat, then I wouldnt be so shocked. My fault. I confess nudity is shocking to me. Whew, I said it! But isn't that the beauty of it? But didn't Samuelson said so much when he listed the scenes of nudity in London plays that were in good taste. His point being that each nude scene reflected a high emotional point in the film, e.g, the disrobing of Nazi criminals, the roll-call in the Garden of Eden, etc. My point is that the shock factor was used to communicate either the high shame or high desire or high spirituality of the moment. Anything less that high intensity would strike me, and Eric I hope, as hopelessly crass. What is appropriate nudity for Mormon Art? is a question far beyond the wisdom of this poor confused nako-phobe, but the enlightened argument that it is morally neutral NEUTRAL! is not helpful to us nako-phobes. The real question for Mormon Arts is: How much nudity can we get away with? I'm afraid the answer is not much. So we subvert it. Maybe that's better anyway. Alan Mitchell, writing fully dressed. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 15:14:00 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] Nudity Okay, I have a huge confession to make. I was in London this spring. My = apartment didn't have air conditioning, and this particular evening, it = was 157 degrees in there. Celsius. (I may be slightly exaggerating.) = Couldn't sleep, very late, decided to watch the telly. My set got five = channels. On three of them, they had gardening shows. A Brit obsession, = gardening. Much like fishing shows on American TV, which I also don't = get. Anyway, I do not garden--I'm the only person I know who was unable = to grow zucchini, the one time we tried it. On a fourth channel, cricket = highlights. I like baseball--cricket, not so much. And on the fifth = channel, I kid you not, an all nude game show. Big confession time: I = watched it. =20 The idea of the game show was eight (or ten, or maybe twelve, I don't = remember) contestents, four male, four female, ran various obstacle = courses, competing. The grand prize, as I recall, was ridiculous--500 = pounds or something. And all the contestants, and the host, were = completely starkers, from the beginning to the end. And so they raced = around a course in canoes, or they swung on ropes, or they climbed = cliffs--that sort of thing. It was, first of all, absolutely not erotic at all. It was, second of = all, kinda entertaining in a bizarre sort of way. These folks were not = fashion models. They were very normal looking people; pretty saggy and = stretchmarky. There was nothing sexual about any of it. It looked = exhausting, and painful. They'd fall down, and you'd really wince, and = after a bit you saw some nasty bruises and strawberries on various fleshy = knees and elbows. Gosh I felt sorry for those contestents. And the = emcee, who was a good deal chirpier than even the most annoying American = game show emcees, was the flabbiest of all of them. Mostly you spent the = show rooting for a crocodile or something to show up and eat him. The main thing it did for me was it turned me very solidly pro-clothing. = But the point is, eroticism has almost nothing to do with nudity. This = show was not pornographic, I wouldn't say. It was embarrassing and sad = and exhausting and infuriating, but it didn't lead to the sin of adultery-i= n-the-heart. I was thinking of D. Michael's excellent 'if everyone went = skinnydipping' exercise. I think we'd feel really sorry for each other. = I think the important thing about modesty is its erotic content. = Eroticism is important--without it, a lot of folks would be way slower to = marry, and slower, when married, to propogate the species. So let's stay = dressed folks. Our sex lives depend on it. =20 I do agree that nudity is artistically neutral. And I would like to take = issue with the 'but is it necessary' argument. Every time some artist = chooses to use nudity, s/he could as easily have not chosen nudity. And = every aesthetic choice has aesthetic consequences. If Michelangelo had = put trousers on David, that choice would have made for a different = sculpture. So, is nudity misused? Sure, same as the way the word 'dog' = is often misused. But is it possible to get exactly the same effect with = clothing that one would have gotten with nudity? Of course not. Eric Samuelsen - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 15:29:56 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) Influential Teacher Teacher who made the greatest impact: Tie: Doug Thayer and Sam Smiley. Doug, by telling me that I had a bit of = talent, if I could just find my own voice. Sam, by creating for me an = entire model for how to write, which, by completely ignoring it, has made = it possible for me to write. It's rare to have a teacher who is totally = and completely wrong on every single writing-related issue. But Sam was = that for me. (Sam's not LDS, and not on the List, and yes, I still have = issues. But it's true; his approach to writing was so completely = misguided and irritating, I became a better writer just to spite him. = Among other things, he said that no one could ever be a good writer if = they believed in God. He also said that writers should always run in the = mornings--jogging stimulates the brain. My favorite was his 'writers are = the most moral people on earth' mantra. Why? Because writing requires = compassion and empathy, and compassion is the foundation of all morality, = hence a good writer is 'incapable of sin.' A genuine original, was Sam.) 2) Which author has had the greatest impact on me? Great question. I = have no idea. Stephen Jay Gould, probably. No, Tom Stoppard. Definitely = Stoppard. No, wait, I forgot Strindberg. Or Tony Kushner. Tim Slover. = Maggie Young. There are lots. Eric Samuelsen - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 16:12:11 -0600 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) Influential Teacher Andrew Hall wrote: > > Andrew's Poll August question: > > This one is especially for the writers out there (although anyone can > answer). > > 1. What teacher has had the greatest impact on you as a writer? Please tell > us about the person and how you think they influenced what you do. Of > course this can be any kind of teacher, including a university professor, a > member of a fellow writing group, or a distant correspondent. Max Golightly. From him, I learned two truths about writing plays: one is to make your villain as well-rounded as your protagonist. Try to get inside the villains mind, to see what makes him/her tick. The second thing I learned had to do with writing plays based on historical figures. He taught that historical accuracy was less important than dramatic flare. "If you're going to write something based on history, tell us something we don't know, or else write a history book." - -- Thom Duncan - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 16:15:43 -0600 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Singles in Mormon Lit. "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > > I have hesitated saying much in this thread. I would like to add a few thoughts to both Darlene's and Melissa's comments: > > 1) The actress who played April in our production of The Way We're Wired was attacked on several occasions by members of her ward and by roommates, because of the choice her character made. I really did stack the deck, intentionally, by making it clear that she and Andy were not in love, and by making her job almost absurdly perfect. Lots of reasons--the play isn't really April's story, plus it's a comedy, plus I was up for tenure. . . . Even so, her bishop was very offended. > > 2) I really like Sandra's character a lot. I clearly didn't write her very well, because I've heard from a lot of people that she was the most unsympathetic character in the novel and play. Just chiming here. ALL your characters in the play were well-rounded and well written. My opinion as to why some people didn't like her: because she was TOO real, and they were uncomfortable with a self-directed female. - -- Thom Duncan - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 23:03:22 -0700 From: Jeff Needle Subject: [AML] Lindsey Phillip DEW, _The Trial_ (Review) Review ====== Lindsey Phillip Dew, "The Trial" 1984, Deseret Book Paperback, 237 pages, $9.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle John Lindsey is an LDS attorney living in a small town near Manti, Utah. As a small-town lawyer, his practice is pretty well limited to the local clientele. Although not wealthy, he manages to make a reasonable living. He is married, has several children, and is the bishop of his ward. One day, the local judge assigns John to a murder case that he really doesn't want. The victims are prominent, well-loved members of the community. One of the survivors is a slightly retarded young girl. The case is pretty solid -- eye-witnesses, evidence found on the suspects. The local district attorney will win this case easily. But then it is revealed that the local police did not follow proper procedure in gathering the evidence, and the judge throws out the evidence under the exclusionary rule. And the eye-witnesses turn out to be less than reliable. And there's the rub -- John knows that he has a good chance to win the case. But he also knows these two men are guilty of murder, and his sense of justice balks at the idea that they'll get off scott-free. John has no choice but to follow the law. And when the men are released, the entire town turns on John. His law practice disappears, his children are isolated from their friends, and the members of his ward lose their confidence in him. After all, he did make it possible for the killers of several loved neighbors to go free. "The Trial" describes much more than just a procedure before a judge. It is a story of conflicting moral values, an exploration of the nature of moral certainty, and the results of making choices in what can only be described as a "lose-lose" situation. Of course, John asks the Lord for guidance, but unlike other LDS novels, the Lord is curiously silent throughout the whole process. John must work out his own salvation, and indeed, with much fear and trembling. I thought a little of John's introspective thought will illustrate the fine quality of this novel (this is John speaking): When the Lord called me to be the bishop, I wondered at his judgment, but I never doubted the fact that he did call me, even though I couldn't figure out why But I am the bishop, and he has never withheld answers from me about how to fulfill my stewardship and direct this ward. In my daily life, I've been able to lean on him for answers. But on that hill, for one in my life, I was left answerless. When I was a child, I thought as a child. Everything was black or white. But now I see through a glass, darkly, and almost everything is in various shades of gray. The only pure while absolutes left in my life are the Lord and his gospel. But even though I've prayed and struggled, I honestly no longer know where I stand with him. This is frank. honest stuff. And although some may balk at the relativism inherent in such thought, I found it all very refreshing. John is ultimately returned to the good graces of the his community, but it is never said that they were justified in their rejection of their bishop. Dew is frank in his contempt for phony favor as well as phony disfavor. There is a cynical edge to the book that managed to keep my interest. "The Trial" is likely out of print by now. If you can find a copy, I think you'll enjoy it. - --------------- Jeff Needle jeff.needle@general.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 00:46:03 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] (Andrew's Poll) Influential Teacher Andrew Hall wrote: > 1. What teacher has had the greatest impact on you as a writer? Please tell > us about the person and how you think they influenced what you do. Of > course this can be any kind of teacher, including a university professor, a > member of a fellow writing group, or a distant correspondent. CALLIHOO writers group. I can't specify an individual, because the group collectively has had the influence on me. I'd spent my life writing in a void, doing the best I could, but with no meaningful feedback. When I joined the group and went through a real basptism of fire as I received an accurate picture of how good my writing was, I was able to improve it to the point where how I write now is nearly unrecognizeable compared to how I used to write. I just needed some feedback. > 2. What author has had the greatest impact on you as a writer? Orson Scott Card. I like to write science fiction; he writes science fiction. I'm LDS; he's LDS. I went to BYU; he went to BYU. I want to be famous and successful with my writing; he's famous and successful with his writing. I want to learn how he did it; he's very open on how he did it. I'm a smarta**; he's a smarta**. I relate very well to his philosophies and approach to writing. So I've made him my involuntary mentor, without giving him any choice in the matter. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2000 14:29:13 -0600 From: "Eric R. Samuelsen" Subject: [AML] (On Stage) Catharsis ON STAGE Catharsis Eric Samuelsen The oldest, perhaps the most valuable, and certainly the most = historically significant document in all of dramatic theory is Aristotle's = Poetics. Those few terse pages of commentary on Greek tragedy, by a = philosopher trained as a scientist, a man without artistic pretensions of = any kind, employing perhaps the most soporific prose style known to man, = have led to literally hundreds of treatises, explanations, denunciations = and commentary by legions of writers and scholars and thinkers, a few of = whom actually read the darn thing. In fact, the routine invoking of = Aristotle's name in connection with practices he never heard of and = certainly never espoused is one of the great jokes in the history of = letters. I see it today, when screenwriting colleagues talk about how = they teach their students 'Aristotelian structure,' by which they mean = basic protagonist-objective-obstacle structure. Of course, none of those = terms appears anywhere in the Poetics, and the only film I can think of = that really follows Aristotle's actual advice at all closely would be, = perhaps, Bob Fosse's _All That Jazz_, which isn't at all what they mean by = 'Aristotelian structure.' But this is nothing new--neo-classical Europe was = particularly fond of the 'Aristotelian' unities of time, place and action, = which, of course, Aristotle himself never dreamed of. Anyway, what I thought I'd do today is talk about one of the = oddest and most intriguing ideas in all of Aristotle, and one about which = there has always been tremendous debate. I want to talk about 'catharsis.'= It's an intriguing subject, one that goes right to the heart of how we = respond to works of art, and one with, I maintain, strange and valuable = connections to an LDS dramatic perspective. How do we respond to works of = art? How does drama affect us? What is the connection between the = emotional involvement we feel when we see a play, and our subsequent moral = behavior? All these questions, and more, are tied to the notion of = catharsis. Although catharsis is usually thought of as central to Aristotle's = entire theory, it's only mentioned once in the Poetics. That mention, = however, comes right at the end of Aristotle's definition of tragedy, = which would seem to make it a fairly important idea. Here's the passage: = "Tragedy, then, is a process of imitating an action that has serious = consequences, is complete, and possesses magnitude; by means of language = which has been made sensuously attractive, with each of its varieties = found separately in the parts; enacted by the persons themselves and not = presented through narrative; through a course of pity and fear completing = the purification (catharsis) of tragic acts which have those emotional = characteristics." (I'm quoting the Gerald Else translation). Catharsis, = I'm told by those who actually read Greek, is a Greek medical term, = perhaps best translated _purgation_.=20 I could spend a great deal of time breaking down this definition--in= fact, I do just that in my theory class every fall. Suffice it to say = that it is, at best, an enigmatic passage. "A course of pity and fear" = complete a "purgation (purification, induced vomiting), of tragic acts = which have those emotional characteristics." What would seem to be = happening here is a kind of homeopathic medicine; the doctor-playwright = prescribes a carefully chosen dosage of pity and fear, which induce a = strong-but-not-lethal attack of pity and fear, effectively inoculating the = patient, leading to a purified, healthier state. It's very odd. It's odd, first of all, because we don't generally regard pity and = fear as emotions we want purged. Most of us, I think, associate pity with = compassion, which is an emotion we want more, not less of. Fear could be, = I guess, called a negative emotion, but I have a difficult time considering= it one. I think fear can be pretty healthy, as long as it doesn't lead = us to cowardice. Well, it didn't make any more sense to future commentators either. = And so the search began, for an explanation of the audience response to = tragedy that a) was sufficiently noble and proper and good for so elevated = an art form, and b) at least tangentially related to what Aristotle wrote. = =20 One of the earliest neo-classical commentaries on Aristotle, = Francesco Robortello's Commentary of 1548, included this little gem: "The = audience . . . receive from tragedy the supreme benefit that, since all = people are subject to the same fate and nobody is immune from disasters, = men endure with greater ease any misfortune that happens to them, and = support themselves with the very powerful consolation of recalling that = the same disaster has occurred to others." =20 So that's how we're inoculated against negative emotions! A = typical reading of Robortello goes like this: We watch a tragic hero fall, = and then, when we inevitably encounter misfortune, we think 'hey, at least = I don't have it as bad as Oedipus.' It's probably true, too. Perhaps = some of the appeal of shows like Cops is this kind of 'things aren't so = bad for me; look at that guy' audience response. Robortello's response also invokes feelings of empathy; presumably our = response to tragic events in our life is conditioned by the tragedies = we've seen. But his commentary seems fairly removed from the kind of = emotional cleansing Aristotle seems to be calling for. Robortello, great = rationalist that he was, suggests that Aristotle is calling for an = essentially rational response to tragedy. And that doesn't seem to be = what 'purgation' means. Robortello clearly wouldn't do, and so the greatest of all = sixteenth century scholars, the majestically named Julius Caesar Scaliger = took a crack at it. And, with typical audacity and brio, decided to = dispense with it altogether. This is from his Poetices libri septem: "the = word catharsis is by no means useful for any subject matter whatsoever." = And that, with a brisk brush of the hands, was that. =20 Unfortunately, Aristotle remained the ultimate authority in these = matters and not, to his great regret, Scaliger. And so we see his = contemporary Ludovico Castelvetro take a more text-based stab at it. = "Tragedy . . . by frequently exposing men to scenes of a kind to excite = their pity, fear, and pusillanimity, will fortify them against these = weaknesses, and thus make the pusillanimous magnanimous, the timorous = brave, and the compassionate severe, which explains how with the emotions = of pity and fear as a means, tragedy purges and expels those very emotions = from the hearts of men."=20 Fairly straightforwardly put. And yet, the problem remains. From = my LDS perspective, I don't want to be made less compassionate and more = 'severe.' I don't see magnanimity as the opposite of pusillanimity. I = don't want those emotions purged from me. Am I therefore to reject = tragedy? Or reject Aristotle? I'm willing to, but with some reluctance, = because as I read and re-read The Poetics, I'm consistently aware of how = badly I'm probably misreading that text. I don't want to just reject = something potentially valuable, especially since catharsis seems to have = such a strong moral component. If tragedy does indeed cure some genuine = evil in my heart, I want to know how that happens, and apply that remedy = to my own parlous situation. David Hume offered a particularly fascinating view of tragedy, and = one I can say, for the first time in this discussion, I have myself = experienced. He asked this provocative question: "What is it, then, which = in this case raises a pleasure from the bosom of uneasiness, and a = pleasure, which still retains all the features and outward symptoms of = distress and sorrow?" His answer is fascinating: "This extraordinary = effect proceeds from that very eloquence with which the melancholy scene = is represented." In other words, we see a scene filled with pity and = sorrow. We lament the fate of our hero or heroine, we weep for their = distress. But we also admire the artistry with which that distress is = portrayed. Catharsis, to Hume, is nothing less than aesthetic delight. = It has nothing to do with pity and fear in our own lives, which we deal = with as we may, regardless of how many plays we've seen. But in the = theatre, the emotional response evoked by the artist is tempered by the = artistry which evoked it. And that's catharsis. I think Hume makes a fascinating point, and I do agree that he = describes a very real phenomenon. To him, catharsis suggests aesthetic = distance, and also suggests the reasons why a production of Hamlet will = probably sell out; if it's at all well done, people will flock to see it, = despite its downer ending. (Hamlet II: Where The Heck Is Everyone?) But = Hume's response feels incomplete to me. I feel something more when I see = a play than merely aesthetic pleasure. And if I genuinely believe that = art does good in the world, and I do, then that good can't just be = developing more refined tastes.=20 On to the great Gotthold Lessing, then, and number 75 of the = Hamburg Dramaturgy, one of the great critical documents of the 18th = century. "Aristotle's fear . . . is the fear which arises for ourselves = from the similarity of our position with that of the sufferer . . . In a = word, this fear is compassion referred back to itself." =20 Now we're getting somewhere. When I see or read a great tragedy, = I don't feel a diminution of emotion, I feel a heightening of emotion. I = don't feel emotions purged from me, leaving me less subject to them. I = feel emotions more strongly and truly than ever. I feel more compassion, = more empathy for those who suffer. And then, after a time, I turn those = same feelings onto myself. I worry about my family; I feel for the = families of others who suffer. And I resolve to act more compassionately = than before. I don't feel, and don't want to feel, emotions purged. I = don't want a catharsis. I don't want my condition remedied. I want to = feel more, not less. And so I was prepared to reject Aristotle, or at least traditional = readings of Aristotle, and build my own theory around, among other things, = Lessing's misreading of The Poetics. And then I came upon something that = persuaded me that there is no need. =20 Gerald Else is one of the most original and controversial of all = classicists. He's best known for his rejection of the traditional = evolutionary model for the origins of tragedy. Anyway, Else also had an = original and controversial opinion about catharsis. Catharsis, argued Else, has nothing to do with the audience, and = Aristotle never meant it to. Catharsis happens on-stage, among the = characters. Catharsis refers to those final moments of a tragedy, when = Oedipus contemplates the ruin of his hopes, when Creon views the body of = his entombed son embracing his dead fiancee Antigone. Catharsis, argued = Else, is a technical term for something the characters go through. =20 The more I think about it, the more I like it. I think our = response to any work of art is very complicated. What's always troubled = me about catharsis is that, of all my reactions to a serious play, = 'purgation of emotions' doesn't describe any of them. And the medicinal = model for tragedy has other troubling implications. Are we medicating an = audience against their will? Are we forcing them to relinquish emotions = they might prefer to retain? Are we forcing a response that makes them = less empathetic, more cold-bloodedly rational? I find it all very = distressing. I'm an Elseian, now. And I can also be a Humeian and a Lessingian.= Any work of dramatic art evokes multiple responses--emotional, aesthetic, = moral. I don't think I've ever experienced 'catharsis' in the traditional = sense as an audience member. And I do love a good tragedy.=20 Can tragedy do evil? Can a tragedy make us more likely to do = wrong? I don't see how. I can't help it; I think more compassion is = pretty much always a good thing. But that's the subject for another = thread. =09 Eric Samuelsen - - 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 #130 ******************************