From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #587 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 Thursday, January 24 2002 Volume 01 : Number 587 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 09:27:59 -0700 From: Barbara Hume Subject: [AML] Re: Rachel NUNES, Non-Mormon Book At 02:53 PM 1/18/02, you wrote: >As accurate a depiction of Mormon culture as Nunes's books are, I don't >believe they would succeed well on the national market for those reasons. >The fact that they are selling so well indicates that they do resonate with >the LDS population. Rachel has written a book not set in the LDS culture. It takes place in Portugal, and the characters are not Mormon. You might like to try it to see how you like it. Unfortunately, with my Swiss-cheesy brain I can't remember the title or the publisher, even though I edited it (and Rachel delighted in showing me a mistake in the texts when the published book came out!). It has the flavor of a Nunes novel, but in my opinion it has more intensity because she wasn't blandized by her usual LDS publisher. barbara hume - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 10:24:45 -0800 From: "Richard R. Hopkins" Subject: Re: [AML] Public and Private Mormon Lit Melissa Proffitt wrote: <> This may well be a very accurate analysis, but I wonder if it is completely true. I look at popular books in the national mainstream that preach their own doctrines (e.g, those by Ayn Rand and Upton Sinclair) or are thoroughly immersed in a particular religion (e.g., Chaim Potok's books) or a particular culture (e.g., Amy Tan's books). These have been immensely popular with people outside the backgrounds of the authors. I wonder if a well written public LDS novel could do the same. Richard Hopkins - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 09:50:39 -0500 From: Tony Markham Subject: Re: [AML] Life in Mormon Culture "Eric R. Samuelsen" wrote: > >Mormon culture is boring and it's supposed to be. > > Yes, it's boring, but no, it's not supposed to be. It's boring, I maintain, because so often we knee-jerk reject the post-modernness of contemporary life. I mean, this is the coolest, most exciting, most amazing time in world history. If we're careful about embracing what's going on in the world, that carefulness will lead to blandness and, well, boredom. I've pondered about the literary qualities of each set of scriptures, and we've even posted about humor in the scriptures. One thing that occurs to me is that The Old Testament is filled with bawdy, almost bathroom humor. The New Testament has a more refined humor, subtle, almost sly. The Book of Mormon has, I think, hardly any humor at all, but at least the stories are exciting. The D&C, our scriptures for our age, are mostly dry and legalistic. There's no humor at all. There's no excitement. Don't think that I don't enjoy the D&C, because I do. The actual level of truth and light in them are amazing. But on a basic entertainment level, they're plotless and humorless. Our culture reflects the same priorities. We're filled with truth and light, but Boring! [Tony Markham] - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 11:13:25 -0500 From: "Debra Brown" Subject: [AML] Fw: MN Richard Dutcher's 'The Prophet' Begins First Day of Filming: Excel Entertainment Group Press Release 9Jan02 US UT SLC A2 Richard Dutcher's 'The Prophet' Begins First Day of Filming SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- On January 19, Zion Films transformed Ogden's Fort Buenaventura State Park into the 19th century prairies between Missouri and Illinois as director Richard Dutcher began preliminary shooting for his new film 'The Prophet--The Story of Joseph Smith Jr.' Saturday's shoot was a big affair, with horse-drawn wagons and hundreds of extras in period costumes. Shooting was scheduled to include a scene of Mormon settlers crossing a raging winter river during their trek from Missouri to Nauvoo, Illinois. Dutcher needed to shoot winter scenes while snow was still on the ground. Serious filming will begin in early April at locations in Canada and New York. Casting for the film is still underway. 'The Prophet' is Dutcher's first big-budget film after the box office and critical success of his two low-budget independent films 'God's Army' and 'Brigham City.' Filmmakers anticipate the theater release of the film in 2003. ### Source: 'The Prophet' First Day of Filming Excel Entertainment Group Press Release 9Jan02 A2 >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/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 00:39:01 -0800 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: [AML] GILMORE, _Shot in the Heart_ (Review) Part 3 Part 3 Two Fools Hurling Filthy Names and Turkey "I knew what he meant. Jesus, it's _not_ the way to eat. I mean there are people out there starving to death, begging to have a meal like this. We're fortunate enough to have the food and we can't sit down and eat it because we have two fools that can't keep their mouths off each other long enough for us to do that. I was bitter as hell about it" (p. 165). Frank, Jr is sitting outside after washing the stew from the face his father had shoved down into a plate for eating too fast (trying to get done before someone did something to ruin the meal). His brother Gaylen joins him and Frank fittingly invokes the man's name who not only recognized the hunger and thirst for righteousness, but refused to send away without a meal those He had just filled with His righteous words. The sacredness of eating can be gauged not simply by what the Lord did for those who spent all day hearing Him, but by what we do to remember him. (Interesting, we re-member His risen body made whole (3 Nephi 18:6-7) by dismembering bits of bread). It sounds like a meal for prisoners, for the condemned gathered to share their last supper again. says Dennis Clark in his poem "Bread and Water." What does it mean to grow up in a family where the most sacred thing we can do is continually made brutal? When I wrote the first draft of part 1--December 27, 1998--I was working on the first draft of an essay called "Lucid Dreaming." My eye drifted to the bookshelf beside me, one of a baker's dozen lining the shelves of my study (there's three small spaces still waiting for shelves). _Passions_ by Isaac Bashevis Singer. I read the Author's Note. "While I hope and pray for the redemption and the resurrection, I dare say that, for me, these people are all living right now," he says of those who perished in Auschwitz and other places, or survived, like Victor Frankl, or left Poland long before, like himself. "In literature, as in our dreams, death does not exist" (6). I worked the statement into my essay, one of the most profound statements I know of art's holiness. By January 5, 1999 I must have been to page 105 of _Shot in the Heart_ because I added five-year-old Gary Gilmore's nightmares about being beheaded. The first part of "Lucid Dreaming" deals with a dream I had in elementary school of my father being put in the electric chair and me causing the electricity to fail. The essay explores my changing interpretations of the dream, how I moved from seeing my refusal to let the dream tell me its story as an act of cowardice to understanding that my refusal to let an evil story take its course was an act of love. I had started the essay to present the idea that reading literature should be like dreaming a lucid dream, where we influence the dream rather than simply watch it, that conceiving literature that way was better than describing it in the images of howitzers and violence Lionel Trilling used in his account of teaching perhaps the first modern lit course in America, "On the Teaching of Modern Literature." It was to be a straightforward, expository piece of literary criticism. (You? When have you ever written anything straightforward?) A poet, Gina Clark (who had the experience that sometimes befalls people with common names of marrying a man with her same last name--and the first and second names of two poets, Marden Clark and Leslie Norris), intervened. "You've certainly set yourself a high standard with a title like that." So I set out to make the essay lucid and dreamlike. And because of the essay's opening image, and because I was reading a book about a brutal death by the state (five bullets, not the customary four plus a blank), execution became a dominant motif in the essay's first half. I believe, with Isaac Bashevis Singer, in the redemptive power of a dream. It's a theme in my religious culture. You know the dream I'm talking about, the one about the tree with delicious fruit, and seven fat kine come stampeding across the river towards it, chased by seven lean cannibal-kine. They sense that the tree will save them, and some of the fruit drops out of the tree and begins rolling toward the seven lean kine like a bowling ball, growing bigger and bigger, big as the whole earth while the seven fat kine calmly carry a man, his wife and her son to safety, having been instructed to do so in the dream they dreamt under their tree of life. Something poisoned Gary Gilmore's dreams. Five-year-olds shouldn't know about beheading, but death entered where it should have had no place. And later the brutality of prison (family) life poisoned Gary's art. Art could have been his salvation, should have saved his life. After some good behavior the Oregon prison warden arranged a work-study release for Gary. He was to attend college, art school (Mikal includes a self-portrait on page 395), with a possible early release and a probable "job placement at a Portland-area art or advertising firm" (302). But he didn't value his artistic possibilities, the sustenance they could have brought him. In a sense he threw them back at the warden as his parents sometimes threw food at each other. Mikal has a passage where Frank, Jr showed him some family photos, including one of a Thanksgiving turkey. >>>>> "I remember that turkey," Frank said. "I remember how good it looked sitting on the table while we waited for what seemed like hours to sit down and eat it. I remember Mom and Dad getting into a fight immediately. I remember Mom picking the turkey up and throwing it across the room, and I remember it hitting the floor--SPLAT!--and the dressing bouncing all over the place. I remember that bird sitting there on the floor the rest of the day, because nobody would pick it up, because they were too busy calling each other filthy names. I remember never getting to taste it." Frank put the photo down and sighed. "It had looked like such a nice turkey" (383-4). <<<<< A few more pictures and Frank shows Mikal, "the only picture I have of my father and Gary alone together." Gary is hugging his father tightly, cheek to cheek, "a look of broken need on his face." His father's reaction? "In that moment my father is pulling away from Gary's cheek, and he is wearing a look of barely disguised distaste" (384). I think about this when I am writing "Lucid Dreaming," and pose a sad, frightful question: Would Gary Gilmore, as a child my age, have stopped his father’s electric chair? Mikal opens the book with a dream in which the dead and living of his family are together. Only Mikal is happy to see his father. The rest fear he will spread death and ruin even to the dead. Sometimes he appears in the dream only so the others can convince him to remain dead. _"Lie down, Father, we say. Let us bury you again"_ (ix-x). A more frightful question: If Frank Gilmore had dreamed his son were being beheaded, would he have stopped the ax? Harlow Soderborg 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/web/. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 14:03:23 -0600 From: Jonathan Langford Subject: Re: [AML] Books By Your Bed I'm afraid I have a "bedside" of legendary proportions, extending all over the house. I'll confine myself here to books I have actually started and still have intentions of finishing, sometime, somewhere (excluding hypothetically work-related items such as the Tolkien criticism I'm currently trying to reread for a talk I'm to give in April). Dante, _Paradise Lost_. My great (and, until now, secret) shame as a medievalist *and* a reader of Italian is that I've never read this work. I have a facing-page-translation version, and am planning to work my way through it--but only am a few cantos into _The Inferno_ so far. Descent into hell, indeed. (Not that Dante's poetry is hell, just my own procrastinating ways...) Ann Fadiman, _Ex Libris_. A collection of short book-centered essays, gift from a friend. So far, it's excellent. As a would-be essayist myself, I turn green with envy as I turn the pages. Maybe I'll review for AML-List when I'm done, even though there's no Mormon connection. Plenty of literary connections, though... Edward Rutherford, _London_. A Christmas gift. By the author of _Sarum_ (which I also have not read). It's a very big book--one of those novels that starts with the geology of the area and takes one down the centuries in one geographic location. I've only just started. I have the selfish incentive that I think it may help me learn more about medieval cities, which I'm currently trying to research... Elizabeth Wayland Barber, _Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times_. The second subtitle says it all. A fascinating book, gift to my wife (at her request) from me, which I think I'll finish before she does. Henry Petroski, _To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design_. A very good book about engineering, by an engineer, for both engineers and those of us who aren't. Frances and Joseph Gies, _Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel: Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages_. I told you I'm doing research on this... Cyril Kornbluth?, _Gunner Caid_. A book lent to me by a friend six months ago, which I feel the need to read before I return. Can't find it right now. Agatha Christie, _By the Pricking of My Thumbs_. A Tommy and Tuppence book. Gene Wolfe, _Nightside the Long Sun_. Wolfe may be the most important living writer in science fiction; but oh, my goodness, the energy he requires. This is the first of a four-book (I think) series. Linda Hoffman Kimball (ed.), _Saints Well Seasoned_. I owe a review of this book to AML-List from several years ago... Philip Pullman, _His Dark Materials_ series (_The Golden Compass_, _The Subtle Knife_, _The Amber Spyglass_). A present to my (turning ) 13-year-old son. Fascinating YA fantasy, but (from what I have seen so far) very dark. I may put this aside for a long time before finishing... Wayne Booth, _The Company We Keep: An Ethics of Fiction_. Thought-provoking, well-written, but rather long. James Thomson, _The City of Dreadful Night_. The most beautiful depressing long poem I know. And I'm sure there's more... jlangfor@pressenter.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 14:54:58 -0500 From: "Kristy Thomas" Subject: RE: [AML] Life in Mormon Culture Who ARE all of you saying that Mormon culture is boring???? "Blecch"???? Cum'on guys, it's time to take a step back and look at this from another perspective. We are living in the greatest era of all time, and we have waited all eternity to be HERE now. Are you saying that living the Mormon life is BORING to you? To me it is so exciting, and pregnant with possibilities to do the greatest things ever done in history. We are building God's kingdom on earth, and to me that makes for great literary possibilities. I think it's time to stop looking at it from the world's perspective and let the world start seeing OURS. Wow, did I just say all that? Hmmm...I guess you hit a nerve! :-) Kristy Thomas (yes this is my first posting) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 13:17:27 -0700 From: "Jacob Proffitt" Subject: RE: [AML] Life in Mormon Culture - ---Original Message From: Christopher Bigelow > <<>> > > I agree with this statement because Mormonism is trying to > appeal to everybody and be translatable all over the world. [snip] Sure, blech. The interesting thing shouldn't be the culture, though. The interesting thing should be the people you associate with in the church and the gospel precepts we teach. The people are wonderful and complex and have so many facets (some tied to the church, some not) and the gospel is just a fantastic and interesting field that I can't see how that will ever pale. I don't care much about Mormon culture. But I care a great deal about the people in my ward, what makes them tick, why they do the things they do, and how I can learn from them. Plenty non-blech. Jacob Proffitt - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 17:56:33 -0500 From: "robert lauer" Subject: Re: [AML] Ayn RAND, _Atlas Shrugged_ Eric Dixon wrote: >Finally, a corrective note. Robert Lauer wrote: > > >Actually this is a widely circulated mistake. Rand's follows did NOT >found > >the Libertarian Party. (Though that Party's founders say that they admire > >Rand's work. Their magazine, LIBERTY, routinely prints features on >different > >aspects of Objectivist philosophy. > >I'm a contributing editor for Liberty magazine, and can vouch for the fact >that Liberty is in no way affiliated with the Libertarian Party. In fact, >the LP is pretty steamed at us for printing so much about their recent >leadership scandals -- big & controversial news in the libertarian world, >which most of you have probably never heard of at all. A tempest in a >teacup... I stand corrected. The magazine I meant to refer to is--I believe--REASON.Now that I think of it, I may be wrong there as well. I know I'm getting old when I can't remember the title of a magaizne I read whenever I see a copy of it on the newstand. ROB.LAUER _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 16:39:40 -0700 From: Melissa Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] Annual Movie Tabulation On Fri, 18 Jan 2002 14:07:38 -0700, Cathy Wilson wrote: >This is not one of this year's films, but did anyone like "The Fifth >Element?" > >Back in the badold years my family didn't have TV and didn't watch = movies. >Ya know, Babylon-the-Great stuff. (Probably you DON'T know. Just as = well). >Anyhow, I have a 15-year cultural gap. So I only just recently got to = see >"The Fifth Element." And now it's one of my favorite movies. Anyone = else >like this one? > Shhhh! You're not allowed to admit you like it! :) I like it a lot. I've heard plenty about how flawed it was, but for some reason the big, colorful, frenetic wildness of it just thrilled me. And = I like Gary Oldman as a bad guy or a good guy, either way. We have it on = DVD. There is no Mormon reference here. I tried to think of one, but there isn't. Melissa Proffitt - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 14:45:49 -0700 From: "Jacob Proffitt" Subject: [AML] Discussing Lit in the Church (was: Life in Mormon Culture) It's taken me a while to formulate a response to this post because I have two reactions that mixed together weirdly and I needed time (and Melissa's help) pulling them apart. - ---Original Message From: Lisa Downing > I then begin to ask the Lord for directives. I can't say > I received revelation, but I did prayerfully weigh all the > stories published to that date and chose one. Forgive me, > but I don't remember the title, and my copy is in our bedroom > where my husband is already snoozing. I can tell you that I > photocopied and passed out to all the RS the story in the > humor edition, the one about the convert branch president who > socks a Christian preacher in the nose. Courageous of me, > huh? (Hey, who said "stupid?") > Now, I'm living here in the buckle of the Bible belt: > Around here the locals are trying to set a good example for > me, a deceived soul. And I know for a fact that there isn't > a sister in our RS who hasn't gone in circles with some > Christian neighbor in an attempt to prove her own > Christianity (a foolhardy and needless endeavor). I chose > this story because I held out hope--though slight-- that the > RS might identify and even chuckle over the character's misadventure. > But I wasn't surprised in the least when I received two > phone calls, one from the counselor, one from the RS > President, in which I was told that there had been > "complaints." The sisters were understandably convinced that > it was a story about a bishop who had lost his testimony. I > suggested that I ought to be allowed to proceed with the Home > Enrichment discussion so that I could show that the character > "lost his place," not his testimony, and encourage the women > to think through why these things happen and what our > responsibility is or is not when they do, etc, etc. My > argument must have been effective because the RS President > abandonned this approach and told me that the story wasn't > appropriate because it contained a curse word. Bitch. > (The word, not the RS President.) I was then asked not to > be offended, but > they (the presidency plus my bishop) had prayed and knew that > the Lord didn't want me to teach a Home Enrichment meeting on > LDS literature. This is an interesting episode, though I'm sure painful for you personally. The thing is that I don't like that story ("The Chastening") at all. It's an example of stories in the Irreantum that make me hesitate to read it. Just so I can be complete, I'll give you my analysis of the story first: First off, it kind of wants to be one of those humorous quirky small-town stories. That's my reaction as I began it. The thing is, it just isn't all that funny (to me) and I kept waiting for it to fall into line with the genre it most resembles (quirky small-town story) but it never did. Which is fine as far as it goes, but then it got to the branch president punch-out. Where I cheered. "Good for him." I thought. But then, the story took such a drastic turn for the worse. Not only was Robbie's immediate personal reaction so very, um, dumb (just packing up everything and leaving), but then a stake presidency arrives and releases him--obviously in reaction to the episode. I don't know a stake presidency on the planet who will release a branch president for a simple, understandable, human reaction. Let alone a stake presidency who has to provide for a small branch and a branch president who is actively engaged in his branch. Robbie helped them gain visibility, counter the prejudice of their community, and actually fulfilled his calling. He shouldn't have punched the pastor, true. And that probably set the PR effort back some, but Robbie's reaction was perfectly human and would have gone a long way to convince people that Mormons were normal, that they would stick up for their beliefs, and that they are willing to talk to people when asked. The story asks me to believe that there is no tolerance in the opinion of church leaders for a simple screw-up. And then, to cap it off, we end the story with Robbie sneaking out back to suck down a six-pack. The story may have LDS trappings, but there is no forgiveness, no atonement, no grace in it. In short it is a faithless story with no sign of the gospel anywhere in it. What point is chastening (the title of the story) when it is so out of proportion to the offense and there is no growth, no forgiveness, no increase of love shown afterwards? Bah and double bah. Those are my objections to the story. The problem is, my initial reaction to your post is that the R.S. sisters in your ward also dislike the story, so obviously, they must have disliked it for the same reason I do. That's not necessarily the case. I mean, their initial argument that it is about a branch president who loses his testimony is refutable (I'm not sure they're wrong, despite Robbie's claim that he nursed his testimony in private--he was also nursing his six-pack in private), but their argument could also be their way of expressing the same disgust with the story that I felt but without being able to defend it more definitively on the spot. My assumption was that you had not actively defined their true concern, too busy trying to refute what they *were* able to articulate. i.e. that they had to resort to the swearing because that was irrefutable and an easy cop-out when they couldn't make you believe their real concern. That was an inaccurate assumption on my part, and it took me some time to ferret it out. I think the swearing in the story was perfectly reasonable, believable, and required by the story, even if it *had* ended in a way I'd have approved. Their swear-word objection is an example of things I dislike when discussing art with family and friends. It is silly, too easily dismissing things that are lovely and of good report. It's just that with this story, I don't think it *is* lovely or of good report--in fact, "The Chastening" represents what I hate about a lot of so-called LDS literature. So I wonder what their real objections were and I'm sorry that you were so personally rejected. I don't think I'd have liked it as an Enrichment night discussion (assuming I could participate :), but even if I didn't, I think it could have made a very valuable lesson on literature. Frankly, with a reaction that strong, it would have made for an engaging discussion and had a high probability of bringing the sisters out of their usual reluctance to disagree with somebody, particularly a teacher. It would probably have been a worth while lesson, I think, and I regret that it was cancelled. Frankly, even if it was a "disaster", the sisters should be strong enough to weather a little excitement in their lessons. They certainly put up with enough boredom... > But would I perhaps consider an LDS classic, The Christmas Box? > I said no. I hung up. And this time I felt no guilt. > The announced literature class simply vanished, according to > the Lord's will. What remained was a barrier of awkwardness > felt throughout the RS. > So, does it take courage to "liven things up" or to > effect change? I suppose. But seeing as I've never seen > change or, for that matter, anything remotely lively in the > 20-some years I've been a Latter-day Saint, I'm not sure that > courage is what it takes. > Probably it'll take a revelation. Don't get me started on _The Christmas Box_, though I should probably read the thing before I express my displeasure too forcefully. It's just as well the class simply vanished. I'm sure that if I were to try to teach a class on _The Christmas Box_, I would offend a lot more members than I would with a story that had a few swear words and (what I consider to be) a faithless perspective. So does it take courage to "liven things up?" Undoubtedly. It's an endeavor that I'm actively engaged in, though. Interestingly, Melissa and I discussed that very topic this Sunday. My point of view is that you have to be careful how you go about it. You have to do two things that are really hard to do and you get *no* appreciation for your efforts. First, you have to pick your battles. Twice this Sunday, I let comments about how flawed science is just pass me by. The comments were made by people in a way to allow them to ignore things they find uncomfortable and give them an out for not trying to understand complex concepts. It was anti-intellectual in a side-wise way and I typically take pains to undermine that kind of statement. But it just wasn't the time for it this Sunday. I just swallowed it because I don't want to be the obligatory contrarian and the comments (both times) were tangential to the actual point of the discussion. If you react strongly to everything that violates some personal agenda, you eventually become defined by that agenda and people will stop listening to you even when you have something important to add. So I try to make sure that I expend my contrarian efforts when the stakes are high enough to justify taking the public risk. Please don't think I'm not vocal, because I surely am. I just try to make my comments count as much as I can. Second, If you really want to help people understand something, you have to start out by figuring out where they currently are. So when it comes to people asking about LDS Lit., I take pains to figure out what their starting point is (usually zero--or worse, High School English). That way, I can gauge my comments in a way to help them take what I consider to be the next important step. For most members and literature, the next step is to learn critical thinking skills and how to apply them to things they read--i.e. going from I liked it so it is good to I liked it for these reasons and it might or might not be good for these (potentially other) reasons. I try to bear testimony that analysis is worth it and that it *enhances* and doesn't detract from the reading experience. It helps if you have a work that is easy to get into that doesn't violate too many cherished beliefs (like Dorothy Peterson's "The House" in the Autumn 2000 issue of Irreantum). That's because if they enjoy the story, they'll be more interested in discussing it. Then you can ask them to analyze what they liked, ask what they didn't, and start a discussion that will help them see what I find so exciting about discussing literature. Both picking your battles and trying to understand their starting point is hard to do and prone to errors. Further, it is typically an effort that isn't returned or appreciated--i.e. I try to understand what they are saying without them returning the favor. It is *really* hard to be generous and kind when you find yourself being judged harshly in return. It happens all the time when I discuss movies, books, or stories, though. It is tempting to just give up and let people wallow in self-imposed ignorance. And really, sometimes you have to do just that because there just isn't any way for you to help them take the next step--they aren't interested in it. But I keep trying because I care about literature and I care about the people I come in contact with. Jacob Proffitt - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 19:24:43 -0600 From: "Kumiko" Subject: [AML] Box Office Report Jan. 18 Feature Films by LDS/Mormon Filmmakers and Actors Weekend Box Office Report (U.S. Domestic Box Office Gross) Weekend of January 18, 2002 After 45 days in release "Ocean's Eleven" raked in another $5.7 million this weekend, bringing its total U.S. gross to $171.6 million. It was still in 6th place nationwide, down from 4th place last week. "Ocean's Eleven" has already become the top-grossing film in U.S. history featuring overtly LDS main characters. By the time you read this it will surpass the $172.8 million U.S. gross made by "Rain Man" in 1988. The main character in "Rain Man" was based on an actual Latter-day Saint, but the character (including the name) was changed, and there were no LDS references in the movie. Until now, "Ocean's Eleven" was NOT the top grossing film with LDS character(s) -- if one counted "Rain Man." But now there is no equivocation to the preeminent status of "Ocean's." (Unless you adjust for inflation.) "Behind Enemy Lines" was in 21st place, down from 17th last week. "Mulholland Drive" was in 33rd place, down from 29th last week. The 2002 Golden Globes Awards ceremony was held on Sunday, Jan. 20th. The Australians did quite well, but Latter-day Saints were pretty much shut out of the "win" column this year. "Mulholland Drive," co-produced and co-written by Joyce Eliason, did not win any of the Golden Globes for which it was nominated (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Musical Score, Best Screenplay). "Shrek," whose original producer was John Garbett (a Latter-day Saint, and the producer of "The Other Side of Heaven"), was nominated for Best Musical or Comedy, but lost to "Moulin Rouge." "Frasier," the series whose titular character was created by Mormon brothers Glen and Les Charles, was nominated for Best Television Comedy, but didn't win. Tom Hanks picked up a Golden Globe for "Band of Brothers," but Tom was only LDS for one year - -- when he was a five-year-old -- so that hardly counts. In the realm of "LDS Cinema" -- movies made by AND about Latter-day Saints... "The Other Side of Heaven" passed the $1 million marker in box office ticket sales. With sold-out theaters in many new venues in Idaho the film posted an impressive per-theater average and was ranked 34th nationwide for total ticket sales. This week's revenue finally makes "Heaven" the top-performing film made by AND about Latter-day Saints of the year 2001. If you feel some rumbling... That's Kurt Hale's new comedy "The Singles Ward" getting ready to ROCK YOUR WORLD! This film, the first LDS movie of 2002, premiers at Jordon Commons on January 30th, with all proceeds going to the National Kidney Foundation. Where else are you going to see Steve Young, Ruth Hale, Danny Ainge, Gordon Jump, Julie Stoffer, Lincoln Hoppe and Richard Dutcher in the same movie? Finally, point your web browsers to http://www.outofstepthemovie.com , to check out the official "Out of Step" movie website, now online. Here's a little secret you'll hear first: Many of key people behind this film are Canadian Latter-day Saints! Canadian director, Canadian musicians, Canadian choreographer, multiple Canadian actors. The Canucks should be proud: "Out of Step" looks like it will be a marvelously entertaining, thought-provoking and uplifting movie. [If table below doesn't line up properly, try looking at them with a mono-spaced font, such as courier - Ed.] Natl Film Title Weekend Gross Rank LDS/Mormon Filmmaker or Actor Total Gross Theaters Days - ---- ------------------------------ ------- ----- ---- 6 Ocean's Eleven $5,713,569 2,670 45 LDS characters: Malloy twins 171,624,204 21 Behind Enemy Lines 818,991 874 52 David Veloz (screenwriter) 56,981,726 33 Mulholland Drive 139,860 111 108 Joyce Eliason (producer/writer) 6,275,848 34 The Other Side of Heaven 130,577 43 38 Mitch Davis (writer/director) 1,035,149 John H. Groberg (author/character) Gerald Molen, John Garbett (producers) 37 Out Cold 77,800 180 61 A. J. Cook (female lead) 13,723,620 66 China: The Panda Adventure 8,332 6 178 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 1,823,855 69 Galapagos 6,354 4 815 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 12,107,230 75 Island of the Sharks 3,743 2 997 Alan Williams (composer) 10,592,938 79 Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man 3,035 3 626 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 13,036,719 100 All Access 124 1 290 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 993,040 - - Preston Hunter, www.adherents.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 21:21:51 -0700 From: "Nan McCulloch" Subject: Re: [AML] Ayn RAND, _Atlas Shrugged_ Thanks Robert for your response. This is interesting stuff. I read _Atlas Shrugged_ in the late 50's or early 60's and I, like most people I knew, was caught up in the cold war thinking. This book influenced my thinking during that time and with this mindset, I read _The Fountainhead_ and _Anthem._ I can see my understanding of Ayn Rand's philosophy is very shallow. I need to read her essays and other writings. Thanks. Nan McCulloch - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 21:34:54 -0700 From: "Alan Rex Mitchell" Subject: Re: [AML] Mormon Satire Jonathan, You could post this on the list to show the possibilities, unless that is against policy. [MOD: Not only will I do that, I will also--on Chris's behalf (although he hasn't asked me)--invite feedback on whether this is the sort of thing that folks would welcome in _Irreantum_.] Alan Mitchell - ----- Original Message ----- > I'd love to see some stuff along these lines fleshed out Onion-style and > printed as a regular column in Irreantum, with an idea toward a future book > collection. Anyone want to collaborate? > > Chris Bigelow C.S. LEWIS REJECTS POSTHUMOUS BAPTISM WORLD OF SPIRITS-Literary Scholar, Christian Apologist, and Children's Novelist C.S. Lewis called a press conference Thursday to assure his public that he has not accepted proxy baptism rites by the Mormon Church. "I may be dead, but I'm still kicking," said the author of Mere Christianity, and several fantasy books including the still popular The Chronicles of Narnia. Representatives of the Church of JC-LDS remain optimistic. Neal A. Maxwell, the late Apostle, Literature Aficionado, and contemporary of Lewis, responded, "We are hopeful that Jack Lewis will eventually come around. He is such an awesome man-his whole family, really." The family issue remains a sticking point for Lewis, whose wife, Joy, accepted Mormon baptism in 1960. Although she periodically sends angelograms, her position in the resurrected celestial realm makes personal contact problematic. "I believe that if she really wanted me to be with her, she could have waited three years," said the author of Surprised by Joy. Through a Celestial spokesangel, the Jew-turned-Anglican-turned-Mormon Joy Lewis issued a statement that reiterated her well-known position encouraging her "till-death-do-you-part" husband to accept the rites. "It only seems proper that, if Henry the Eighth is here, Jack should be here, too. After all, Harry started the whole Anglican thing." Maxwell said the Church JC-LDS does not criticize specific churches, and pointed out that the Church has worked with the Anglicans on several projects, including the rehabilitation of Oscar Wilde, providing the Tabernacle Choir for the wedding of Virginia Wolfe, and the Temple sealing of Guinevere with her fabled husband, Arthur, King of Britain. Lewis also stated his misgivings about his proxy rites being performed at several temples in the western USA in the past decades. "There is a temple in London. Why not London?" Another sticking point for Lewis was the backwater history of the nineteenth-century Church JCLDS. "We used to make fun of the Mormons with their several wives and long beards and lack of education. I'm having a hard time reconciling what I knew back then with their pious image here." But Lewis admits he respects their work ethic. "We can't even get our Anglican spirits to go hometeaching." For now, Lewis has plenty to keep him busy, as evidenced by this daily postbag. While a fraction of the post is from admirers of his children's novels and apologetic books, as a former professor he has the usual hate mail from colleagues arguing his theories of medieval and renaissance literature. Not to mention the workload from netherworld-Lewis is inundated with mail from fans of his farcical The Screwtape Letters, in which a high-ranking imp writes letters of advice to his upstart nephew. "I meant it as warning to Christians about temptation, and now the other side is using it as a training manual," Lewis complained. In fact, management guru Steven R. Covey recently advised Lucifer to use Lewis's book in conjunction his own handbook, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #587 ******************************