From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #260 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 Friday, February 16 2001 Volume 01 : Number 260 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 11:35:18 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Sales Figures in Mormon Market Writing IS the reward, Rachel. And I was glad to read your comments on the list. I have figured out that my wages for writing have now increased to about 3.2 cents an hour! Appreciate you and your hard work! Marilyn Brown - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 11:41:09 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Theater Is Dead I know I'm overposting, Jonathan, so you'll have to weed out. (Or divide and conquer) But let me stick up for Eric. When we get a B- we still think we're doing okay (not a permission to give B minuses, Eric) but when it hits the C + we go ballistic. (Funny how that is. Average? This show isn't AVERAGE!) Actually, Eric's reviews with the little negative comments, etc., have helped us at the Villa to struggle to get the show readier up front. They have helped us to try harder for that night of the reviewer stuff. It is very nerve wracking, but I do believe Eric's work has helped us to try harder, and as a result, our shows are getting better! Marilyn Brown - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 11:46:10 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Theater Is Dead This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_00F4_01C09744.E406E000 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable LuAnn, I wish we had matinees. We used to, but we had ten people come. = Our shows start at 7:30 and get out about 9:00 or 9:30. I haven't seen = the present show, THE BOYS NEXT DOOR, but they might like it. Fri., = Sat., and Mon. at 7:30 at 254 S. Main in Springville. Our children's = shows, though are the ones you must let them see! Our Annie had a = matinee, and it was fantastic. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is next, and you can = call 489-3088 between noon and 6:00 to find out when it will be and when = the auditions for children's theatre are. Your 7 and 8 year olds, if = they are interested, are the perfect age to participate! Thanks so much! = Marilyn Brown ----- Original Message -----=20 From: LuAnnStaheli=20 To: aml-list@lists.xmission.com=20 Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2001 6:36 PM Subject: Re: [AML] Theater Is Dead Marilyn, Do you have any upcoming plays planned that are appropriate for me = tobring my 7 & 8 year old? Also, these two have an 8:00 p.m. bedtime due = to early schedules around here. A Saturday matinee would be = appreciated--that goes for anyone who runs plays appropriate for = children. Thanks!=20 LuAnn Brobst Staheli=20 =20 =20 "The Villa is south of the Utah Valley hub where these other two = theaters=20 are and probably gets the same audience as long as they aren't doing = the=20 same shows. Unless it can find something else to set it apart from = the=20 others, the competition may be too much."=20 =20 =20 - ------=_NextPart_000_00F4_01C09744.E406E000 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
LuAnn, I wish we had matinees. We used = to, but we=20 had ten people come. Our shows start at 7:30 and get out about 9:00 or = 9:30. I=20 haven't seen the present show, THE BOYS NEXT DOOR, but they might like = it. Fri.,=20 Sat., and Mon. at 7:30 at 254 S. Main in Springville. Our children's = shows,=20 though are the ones you must let them see! Our Annie had a matinee, and = it was=20 fantastic. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is next, and you can call 489-3088 = between noon=20 and 6:00 to find out when it will be and when the auditions for = children's=20 theatre are. Your 7 and 8 year olds, if they are interested, are the = perfect age=20 to participate! Thanks so much! Marilyn Brown
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 LuAnnStaheli
To: aml-list@lists.xmission.com =
Sent: Wednesday, February 14, = 2001 6:36=20 PM
Subject: Re: [AML] Theater Is = Dead

Marilyn,
Do you have any = upcoming plays=20 planned that are appropriate for me tobring my 7 & 8 year old? = Also, these=20 two have an 8:00 p.m. bedtime due to early schedules around here. A = Saturday=20 matinee would be appreciated--that goes for anyone who runs plays = appropriate=20 for children. Thanks!=20

LuAnn Brobst Staheli
 
 =20

"The Villa is south of the Utah Valley hub = where=20 these other two theaters
are and probably gets the same audience = as long=20 as they aren't doing the
same shows.  Unless it can find = something=20 else to set it apart from the
others, the competition may be too = much."=20
 
 
- ------=_NextPart_000_00F4_01C09744.E406E000-- - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 10:57:31 -0600 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: [AML] Moderator call for help (technical) Folks, A semi-technical question for those who know more about e-mail software than I: I do a lot of trimming of posts that come in with large amounts of material from previous posts (I know some e-mail software automatically includes the entire text of the message to which a reply is being sent at the bottom of the post). It's hard to do this kind of trimming when posts come through in multi-part MIME format, which, for some reason, comes through on forwarded messages for the List with two sets of text and a lot of code, though when those posts are sent on to me as a subscriber all of that code and multiple versions vanishes. (Both are Eudora software.) So, here are my questions: * Is it likely that any List members are receiving these messages with code and junk, or is that just a function of the way xmission.com forwards these messages to me as moderator? (No one has complained of receiving junk in these messages except when I try to edit them.) * Is there a solution to this--for example, a setting in Eudora that I could use to see these messages in their proper format? (And if so, are there any disadvantages to me in using it?) * Does it make any sense to try to encourage List members not to send posts in multipart MIME format, as we do (for example) with HTML format? (I would want to do this only if some List members are getting these posts with junk in them.) Thanks for your help, and apologies for my technical incompetence... Jonathan Langford AML-List Moderator - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 09:17:44 -0700 From: "Sharlee Glenn" Subject: [AML] Re: Beatrice Sparks Marilyn Brown wrote: > I'm so glad Eric found Beatrice Sparks! I knew her (just an acquaintance) > and I was always so amazed that this nationally best selling author lived > right there next to Marden Clark (practically) and she remained so "hidden." > She was very successful with her writing, but I wonder if she ever > considered herself a "writer" and gave talks and toured and wanted to teach > classes in writing? I don't think so. Anybody know? Marilyn Brown She was one of the speakers (maybe even the keynote speaker) at a regional SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference several years ago. A very gracious lady. As I recall, her remarks were anecdotal and centered more on her relationships with young people than on writing itself. 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: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 14:12:36 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Films >The publishing company is keeping the money. Why shouldn't the author? >[who is a GA, in this thread] >If he doesn't want to profit personally from writing about sacred >things, he can donate it to fast offerings or something. But why just >let the publishing (or filmmaking) company keep the windfall? What's >sacred about that? Have them make the check out to the United Way or >something if he doesn't want to look like he's profiting from sacred >things. >[snip] >Receiving just compensation is not the same thing >as actively campaigning to inflate the profit. I agree with D. Michael on this. A note on contracts. This kind of thing (assigning royalties to someone else, such as a charity) can be written in to the contract on signing if you choose. Usually, there's also a clause in the standard contract that gives the author the right to assign royalties elsewhere, if he/she changes their mind later. Also, if you really don't want to see your work ever made into a movie, don't sell that right to the publisher with your contract (under the sub-rights clause, licensing rights to others). Then the film co. has to approach you directly, and you can say no (rather than finding out it's been sold by the publisher without your input). But it makes no sense, just because you personally may not wish to profit from your work, to allow the publisher/filmmakers to keep your rightfully earned share. You can bet the whole wad *they* won't be donating that "extra" profit to fast offerings of their own free will. :-) But *you* can, by putting it in the contract. Actually, the original post said he [Elder Groberg, was it?] wanted it known he didn't *suggest* his book be made into a movie, not that he actually objected. It also said he refused any profits, but didn't say the film co. was keeping them. For all any of us knows, he *is* donating them to a good cause and didn't mind they were making a movie, he just doesn't want to be seen as looking for money. (Frankly, it's really none of our business what he does with it. Is it?) Not that I think he'd have to give up any profits, BTW. But I believe when a person is actually a Church General Authority, they do have to take more care than the rest of us regular-member persons do about the profit issue. GA's do have an influence, and it's pretty much guaranteed that if you are one, and you write a book about a gospel topic, it will sell. I think this falls into the line of "where much is given, much is required," and none of them would want to be seen as (or actually be) exploiting that influence on the members of the Church. Just my 2 cents, Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 14:22:50 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] YOUNG, _I Am Jane_ (Performance) At 02:25 PM 2/14/01, you wrote: >I'll take Chris up on his challenge. (And thank you, Chris, for >attending. You should've introduced yourself to me! I'm the >redhead.) When we first performed the play, for the Genesis Group, Elders >Haight, Groberg, and Samuelsen attended. Elder Haight said he loved it >and wouldn't change a word. Elder Samuelsen called it "a sterling >performance." But President [Darius] Gray got at least one call >complaining about sexual innuendo. The person >calling said she had counted four sexual innuendos. My response was, "You >mean she only caught four of them?" I actually did remove a couple of them. Margaret, Can you help correct me if I'm wrong here? But I'm finding, in my study of African-American literature and culture, an attitude of healthy openness about discussing sexuality. (Very refreshing, actually...) Wouldn't such references or innuendos be not only natural, but true to the culture you're representing? Would it ring false to the Black community if there *weren't* any? As I asked, please fix my ideas if I've gone wrong somewhere... Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 14:52:01 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Request for Help: Road Show >Has anyone here written an LDS roadshow script, and would you be willing >to send me a copy so that I could look at it and understand proper format, >conventions, size, etc? >Scott Parkin >[sparkin@airswitch.net] I have to laugh. Not that you're writing a roadshow, but that you're concerned about format, conventions, and size. :-) I've helped to write one, and that tiny assignment gave me the *best* author experience I've had to date, and energized me to dream of writing for real theater someday: People in the audience LAUGHED at my jokes! Nobody knew I'd written them, and granted the actor had good delivery, but they laughed. What a feeling. I made people laugh! That fleeting memory is still an even better feeling than people coming up to me at church to tell me they read my book and couldn't sleep for three days while they were reading it. It was so cool. Okay, I'll quit with that now. It was, like, my Sally Field moment. Forgive me. Scott, it's a *roadshow.* Format: "Type it." Just make sure you label who's speaking the lines somehow and give a list of characters at the beginning. You could put stage directions ("Enter Wilma") in italics or parenthesis like a real script if you want to. Conventions: Be funny. Use original jokes if you can but old ones will do. No profanity, violence, nudity (DUH). Roadshows are camp. (The one I worked on had a witch doctor meets Godzilla or something. Well, it wasn't Godzilla. I honestly can't remember. I don't have the script anymore, or I'd send it.) Juxtaposition of two unlikely things--say, the Flintstones meet Star Trek--work well. Think Saturday Night Live sketches without the sexual references. Size: Ask how long it's supposed to run. If you format it in Courier 12 pt single-space, w/double spaces between speakers (like a conventional script format) you can guess at a running time of about 1 minute per page. 20 minutes, 20 pages. Of course, you're in the heart of Utah Valley, maybe they're more structured about roadshow format, etc., out there than we are in Missouri. Best of luck to you! Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 21:33:05 From: "Eric D. Snider" Subject: Re: [AML] Request for Help: Road Show >Has anyone here written an LDS roadshow script, and would you be >willing to send me a copy so that I could look at it and understand >proper format, conventions, size, etc? > >I've been asked to help write the roadshow for my ward, and I have >not the slightest idea how to produce a useful script. The easiest >way to learn is always to see a successful example of the thing >you're trying to emulate. > It's easy. Write a regular script that you think is good. Then remove all the funny jokes and replace them with lame ones. Then split all the characters into three or four different characters to allow more actors to be involved. Then take out anything that might potentially be offensive to anyone, anywhere. You should now have a pile of barely coherent words that loosely tells the skeleton of a story. If the pile is high enough, you're ready to go. If not, add a few more words randomly to increase the size of the pile. Then require the youth of the ward to be in it, thus encouraging intentionally bad performances from the kids who are resentful at being forced into it. Then cower in the corner and whimper. Eric D. Snider _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 01:48:30 -0700 From: "mcnandon" Subject: RE: [AML] Request for Help: Road Show Scott, I have written several winning Road Show scripts. I would be happy to send you one if you aren't in too big a hurry. I am in a play and it will take me a couple of days to find the show and copy it off. Let me know. Nan McCulloch - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 15:21:53 -0700 From: "Travis Manning" Subject: [AML] A Mormon Criticism General question: Is there a Mormon criticism? Let me qualify my question by asking, Is there a Mormon critical perspective, such as is comparable in academic rigor to a New Historicism, Psychoanalysis, Moral/Ethical, Reader Response, Deconstruction, Textual Criticism, Humanism, Genre, Archetypal, Formal, New Criticism, these and others, and variations of the same? If "we" (those that are critiquing various forms and genres of text, and subtext -- from a "Mormon" critical perspective) are, is there a Mormon "critical" text out there that would seem to symbolize "a" Mormon criticism? I am not personally aware of such an all-inclusive text and would be interested in knowing of one if it exists. Now, I know the D&C advises members of the Church to seek learning out of the best books, so could a Mormon criticism text -- if it exists -- be considered one of these "best books?" Would a standardized Mormon criticism have value? Second question: If "we" (those that critique texts and subtexts at various critical levels) do not have such a foundation, would it behoove it us to establish one, to perhaps compile essays, articles, statements, chapters of relevant books, and sort of "foundationalize" a Mormon criticism? Or perhaps "we" could commission a Mormon scholar(s) to produce such a text, as their version of a Mormon criticism? Third and final question: Is there value and merit to even establishing a Mormon criticism text or texts -- I mean, is there going to be some greater good that would come from "formalizing" a Mormon, critical, literary perspective that would assist with a greater good, you know, "out there in the world" somewhere? Travis K. Manning "Men and women die; philosophers falter in wisdom, and Christians in goodness: if any one you know has suffered and erred, let him look higher than his equals for strength to amend, and solace to heal." (Jane Eyre) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 16:36:10 -0600 From: Ronn Blankenship Subject: [AML] MN Reviewer Pans "The Princess and the Marine": Boston Globe (Variety) 15Feb01 P2 From Mormon-News: See footer for instructions on joining and leaving this list. Do you have an opinion on this news item? Send your comment to letters.to.editor@MormonsToday.com Reviewer Pans "The Princess and the Marine" HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA -- Michael Speier, a reviewer for the trade magazine Variety panned this coming Sunday's "The Princess and the Marine," saying that while all the elements were there for a great show, the execution "is all wrong." The film tells the story of Marine Jason Johnson, who is Mormon, and his successful smuggling of a Bahraini princess into the US from the Middle East, where he had fallen in love with her. Speier says that the film suffers from its simplicity. He says that the director replaced the "confusion, fear and anxiety" that the two felt "with stolen kisses and trips to the food court." Speier adds that the roles as written in the script are "much too uncomplicated to be taken that seriously, especially since the possibility of prison -- even murder -- continues to looms large." Overall, he says the film is "simple and comfortable but misses out on the serious inspection of religion and legal wrangling." But the film will likely get a good audience regardless, simply because news reports of the story have been widely published and have captured the imagination of some in the public. Since their ordeal ended, the couple have wed, but Johnson was stripped of his rank in the Marines for his illegal activities. The political asylum case of his wife, Meriam, has yet to be heard. Source: No crown for ''Princess'' Boston Globe (Variety) 15Feb01 P2 http://www.boston.com/dailynews/046/variety/No_crown_for_Princess_:.shtml By Michael Speier See also: Marine Who Brought Bahraini Princess to US is Mormon http://www.mormonstoday.com/000806/P2Johnson01.shtml Story of Mormon Marine Who Smuggled Princess to US to be NBC Movie http://www.mormonstoday.com/010112/P2JJohnson01.shtml >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, 15 Feb 2001 22:15:55 -0600 From: Ronn Blankenship Subject: [AML] MN BYU theatre students honored at Kennedy Center/ACTF meet: BYU Press Release 12Feb01 A2 From Mormon-News: See footer for instructions on joining and leaving this list. Do you have an opinion on this news item? Send your comment to letters.to.editor@MormonsToday.com BYU theatre students honored at Kennedy Center/ACTF meet PROVO, UTAH -- Several Brigham Young University theatre students garnered honors at last week's Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival (ACTF) in Washington, D.C. Richard Clifford was a runner-up in the Irene Ryan Acting Competition for his performance in "Much Ado About Nothing." Five other BYU actors joined Clifford as finalists in the Irene Ryan Acting Competition: Ary Farahnakian, Lesley Larsen, Jesse Harward, Christina Davis and Colleen Hanson. Anne Black won the Barbizon Award in costume design plus a full scholarship to attend a workshop this summer at Fresno State. Jesse Harward also won a scholarship to the Fresno State workshop in improvisational plays. Honors also went to Adreann Sundrud as one of six student director finalists for her direction of "Sy's Girl." BYU theatre and media arts faculty member Barta Heiner won the festival's newest regional award as the faculty nominee for the Actors Center, a teacher development workshop. Candidates for this award must be full-time faculty who continue to perform professionally. Heiner will compete against seven other national nominees for a chance to attend the professional acting workshop to be held in New York City this summer. -###- >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 - -- Ronn! :) - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 22:17:45 -0600 From: Ronn Blankenship Subject: [AML] MN Is the University of Utah Anti-Mormon?: Deseret News 11Feb01 D2 From Mormon-News: See footer for instructions on joining and leaving this list. Do you have an opinion on this news item? Send your comment to letters.to.editor@MormonsToday.com Is the University of Utah Anti-Mormon? SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Discrimination against Mormons is an accusation the University of Utah has heard since it passed from church control and became a secular university. In the latest round of complaints, Latter-day Saint student Christina Axson-Flynn claims she was forced out of the theater program because she refused to take God's name in vain. Before Axson-Flynn was accepted into the program, she told teachers she would not use vulgar language. She feels her constitutional rights have been violated because of religious discrimination and has taken her case to federal court. David Dynak, U. theater department chairman, said all students are asked if they object to certain types of language, but there is no agreement to accommodate those objections. All students are required to perform the same scene so teachers can evaluate their work. Axson-Flynn changed the words and passed the class with an A-minus. "The issue was not forced," Dynak said, "Her beliefs, morals, and values were never in question." Jeremy Rische, Axson-Flynn's former classmate, said he recently sang a very anti-Semitic song as part of the musical "Cabaret." "Because I sang that song," Rische, who is Jewish, said, "doesn't mean that I believe what that character is saying." Another LDS theater student, Marjorie Lopez Tibbs said, "Language is the way to depict how things are. But just like I can play a 55-year-old woman, and though I can be that character for a time, that woman is not me, just like certain words in a dialogue are the character's, not mine." L. Jackson Newell, U. dean of liberal education for 16 years, said there are numerous stories of LDS students and faculty who have felt like an oppressed minority and "there is also no end of non-Mormons who have come to the U. excited about it and being in Salt Lake and then lose their enthusiasm, especially families with small children who don't seem to find the community they thought they would." Newell believes regular and official airing of the Mormon/non-Mormon debate is needed. "If you don't do things like that, rumors and interpretations of events tend to multiply and get whipped up into a lot of stuff that makes it difficult to deal with reality," he said. "A crisis results, and at that point the whole education effort gets stifled and even undermined." Erika Thew, editor of the LDS Student Association magazine, "The Century," said many Mormon students are warned by school counselors and parents that they will be corrupted or ridiculed at the U. "There's this kind of undercurrent, but I don't think most kids get caught up in it," she said. "I think people kind of find what they're looking for. But then, I don't think we're as tolerant as we could be, and sometimes we whine and complain about it, but I wish we'd do more about it." Thew, who transferred to the U. from Brigham Young University, said, "Mormon kids who come here from out of state feel the campus is very Mormon, but the Mormon kids who come here from Utah think it's anti-Mormon." Business professor Bill Hesterly, who has two degrees from BYU and has been at the U. for 12 years, said, "Everywhere you go, there is a tension between modern universities and conservative or fundamentalist people. People here have often erroneously attributed what is a typical interaction today of these two elements as anti-Mormon." Source: U. theater department denies bias Deseret News 11Feb01 D2 http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,250010258,00.html By James Thalman: Deseret News staff writer Religious rift rattles U. Deseret News 4Feb01 D4 http://www.deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,250008728,00.html By James Thalman: Deseret News staff writer The anti-Mormon ccontroversy has enduring history >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 - -- Ronn! :) - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 00:46:18 -0800 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] (On Stage) BYU at ACTF First, this thread reminds me what I love about Eric Samuelsen's writing, and Marvin Payne's, and Richard Johnson's and AML-List. I get very intimate glimpses of people. It draws my love. On Wed, 14 Feb 2001 (Vowel times day, when I found an all vowel word dictionary http://www.blueray.com/dictionary/) Eric writes: > What these student writers don't realize is that Mamet uses this kind > of language for his forty and fifty year old businessmen, because he's > saying that they're all basically juvenile, and the language makes > them sound more juvenile. About 15 years ago I wrote a story about a man playing elaborate (yea, even harlowicient) wordgames to take his mind off his deep pain as he works. This is a brief section to introduce a comment about juvenile language: >>>>> God is like an 800 number, always a toll-free call away. No, God exacted a toll, a heavy toll. He may strew signs along the highway of life, but it's a toll road. And the price of getting off is two coins. Trip trap trip trap, trip trap trip trap, went the Enoch Goat Gruff. Then the great big ugly troll poked his huge hoary head, up over the side of the bridge, and as he was heeeaving . . . his great, loathsome body . . . up onto the bridge, he roooooooaaared out, "This is a troll toll bridge, and the toll is, that I get to eat you up." And he began gumming Enoch's tummy. "No, no, you great big ugly troll, said the Enoch Goat Gruff. I'll just push you off the bridge." And he pushed and pushed and Pelagoram fell and fell off the bed. And fell and fell, and Felix Culpa my foot. Great big ugly old very beast hairy least troll toll two coins delivered on the eyes. No. No. No. God was good. None the less good for having told Shinehah to divorce him. "Pelagoram, I prayed and I prayed and I prayed, Pelagoram. It was the only option I had left. And it was right, Pelagoram. God told me it was right to divorce you. I got the same feeling I got when I asked if I should marry you. And that was right, too." <<<<< (Excuse the cheesy names. The thread on Mormon Dialogue finally got to me and I would have been ungrateful for my great pioneer heritage had I not taken the opportunity to give thanks for the fine words my forebears contributed to the lexicon) So later in the story it was quite natural to have the character think, "Ours is a celestial marriage, *** **** it to h****." (which in my youth was the profanity next to the f-word) I think having him think that is artistically defensible, but it always felt cheap to me, so when I was looking at it year or so back I changed it to 'd it to h' because the other profanity felt juvenile to me. (The odd thing about it is that that's what Shinehah is trying to do to him--make him a juvenile. She refuses to treat him like an adult, barely like a human (certainly not a humane) being.) There's a lot of profanity in my earlier work that I don't feel comfortable writing now. (Not that my language is particularly pure. Donna had soap on her finger the other night and was chasing me around the bed. "Did you say that?" I steadfastly refused to open my mouth.) Which creates a challenge when I get to the part in the story cycle where my character starts swearing earnestly. I'm thinking of calling that story "Being Blue," or just "Blue" (reference to William Gass's study of pornography/profanity/other stuff _On Being Blue_ which he's read a bit of), and having the torrents of filthy pained language read something like "blue you mother-bluing bluard, blue you to blue, blue, blue, blue, you blue it." If I handle it right that's likely to be a lot more intense than if I actually used the profanity. As for the story I quoted from above, there's a small part I added about 4 years ago where he starts thinking about how he should have married his high school girlfriend, but for a long time I couldn't figure out a name for her. (Names are very important for their symbolic value in my work.) Then this past summer, when my cousin Joe Soderborg was getting ready to go to Wales and do an internship and some Lloyd family history I realized her name is Mari Lloyd because she's full of witty banter (I'd been wanting to name a character Mari Lloyd ever since Leslie Norris explained the tradition of the mari llwd to us (were we reading Vernon Watkins? Glyn Jones?) a Welsh new year's custom of mounting a horse's skull on a stick, jawbone on another, then taking the mari llwd (gray mare) from house to house trading witticisms at each door (hoping to win a drink or two), with the person working the jaw clapping it open and shut to represent the horse's speech (ah dead customs.)) > not the subjects or approaches that interest BYU students. And yet, > paradoxically, I think they are the kinds of subjects and approaches > which might do better in the wider world we live in. > > Eric Samuelsen I think there are ways in which bad language can be used effectively. I mentioned a few weeks ago the scene in "The Covenant Breaker" where the man who molested Brendan shows up in church (is in Elmira NY, which I just heard on the news this morning was where some kid was arrested for bringing 18(?) pipe bombs to high school), sees Brendan, and says, "Oh, God." "No, it's just me, Brendan." It was gratifying and totally unexpected when David Bosworth said, "It's good to be reminded sometimes that when we say that we're taking the Lord's name in vain." It was also quite unexpected, gave me a lot of pause to think about what Brendan is actually saying, when one student wrote in the margin, "That's a pretty b_llsy thing to say." Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 11:12:18 -0700 From: "Marianne Hales Harding" Subject: Re: [AML] (On Stage) BYU at ACTF >But the mere absence of profanity doesn't necessarily mean a play is >boring and juvenile. _The Straight Story_ should show once and for all >that it is possible to make a popoular G-rated Hollywood movie. No >dancing bears, no cartoon characters, just plain, honest, no pretensions >of any kind -- just plain, ordinary story-telling with interesting >characters and great acting. While I agree with your point, I have to say that _The Straight Story_ isn't a movie I would cite to bolster that point. I was bored to tears by the Straight Story. How many completely silent 15 minute shots of an old man on a lawn mower can you have in one movie? I was rooting for a semi to take him out. Marianne Hales Harding _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 11:21:56 -0800 From: "Frank Maxwell" Subject: Re: [AML] YOUNG, _I Am Jane_ (Performance) Eric wrote: > A complaint about I Am Jane?!?!?! But . . . it's a celebration of the > remarkable life of one of our pioneer ancestors!?!?!? I mean, what could > possibly be more faith-promoting?!?!? > > I would very much like to hope that a complaint or two will be taken with > a grain of salt by the powers that be, who can sometimes be quite > reasonable. Something that would help the powers-that-be would be for people who LIKED the play to write or call in support of the show. If when an issue is brought to the attention of a decision-maker, and the only letter in the file is a letter of complaint, the decision-maker will naturally come to a certain conclusion. But if the file contains one letter of complaint and ten letters of support & appreciation, the decision-maker is more likely to see the issue in a truer context. Decades ago, here in the Bay Area, in the days before cable TV & satellite dishes, occasionally commercial TV stations would air portions of LDS General Conference. They wouldn't be making any money on it, since they were airing the sessions as a public service, the FCC rules being different then. Often we heard the admonition to express appreciation to the local broadcasters. Once a member of my ward actually phoned, or wrote a thank-you letter to one of the stations. The member was told that theirs was the ONLY letter received to thank the station for airing Conference. It was not surprising that the stations would often stop broadcasting Conference after doing it once or twice. Regards, Frank Maxwell - - 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 #260 ******************************