Oxymormon: LDS Literary Fiction and the Problem of Genre

May 17, 2011 by Rosalynde Welch

Continued from Page 1

What this means is that most Mormon literature can be defined right out of the category of "literary fiction," which privileges individual vision, subversive irony, and an alienated perspective. For the Mormon writer, by contrast, it is precisely the accessibility of the genres that makes them successful cultural figures for an affirmative performance. The value of the approach I've been outlining—that is, a critical attention to the Mormon relationship to artistic form—is that it allows us to understand these writers and interpret their work as meaningful in a Mormon context, rather than merely inert, or mere assimilation, or, worse, embarrassingly low-brow. Mormon writers embrace received forms through the superior performance of the same to affirm a cultural ethos of communal partaking. And it certainly doesn't hurt if the love interest takes off his shirt now and then.

Page: 2 of 2

5/17/2011 4:00:00 AM

Mormon

Salt and Seed

Art

Fiction

Genre

literature

Mormonism

more at patheos

Patheos March 2026 Featured Writer: Stuart Delony

Alan Crandall

Pentecost Meaning: A Global Reflection on the Holy Spirit

Dennis McIntyre

It's Time For Us To Tap Into The Power Of Prayer

Kathy King

What makes a hero? These 7 Cinematic Characters Tell Us

Paul Asay

About Rosalynde Welch

Rosalynde Welch is an independent scholar who makes her home in St. Louis, Missouri, with her husband and four children.

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos