But now we do not see as we did: our eyes have become flesh.-The First Book of Adam and Eve Halfw... more But now we do not see as we did: our eyes have become flesh.-The First Book of Adam and Eve Halfway up the mountain Adam planted his legs against the slant of the hill. He took a moment to catch his breath. He didn't have the strength he'd had in the Garden of Eden. He didn't have the spirit, either. He took up a handful of leaves from the blanket of dead foliage under his feet. He made a fist and the leaves crackled into fragments. The trees in the valley were bare. The fruits were gone. The flowers had withered. Each night had grown colder than the night before. He'd left the camp early that morning, at first daylight, without rekindling the fire. Eve lay asleep when he left, beautiful and serene. He didn't want to speak to her. He set out along the edge of a stream, walking toward the foothills. Lucifer's hosts were swirling in his head like a cloud of flies. "Go!" the voices said. "Fly!" Adam did not hold his ears and rebuke them. He walked toward the mountain. There was a ledge halfway up. "Fly," the voices said, and Adam followed them. From the ledge he would be able to see the world as God did-from above, from a distance. He followed the course of the stream, up the mountain, to the ledge, where the water gurgled from a rock, pouring out like soft laughter from the earth. The sky above grew black as a great flock of birds flew overhead, flying south, fleeing the cold. It was the third flock he had seen in as many days. "Go," the voices said. "Fly." Adam knelt at the fountain of water. He put his hand down in the opening, reaching in to his elbow. The water splashed around his arm, cool and quick. The cavity was barely bigger than his fist, but beyond its mouth, the opening was deep and wide. When the voices cried, "Watch out!" Adam jerked his arm from the fountain. He jumped to his feet and spun around, expecting to see Lucifer himself, expecting to hear the laughter of the hosts. But no one was there. He was alone. His heart pounded, and he was afraid. In the Garden there had been no fear. In the Garden, all the days were the
In a publishing market that demands very specific genres such as science fiction or self-help, fi... more In a publishing market that demands very specific genres such as science fiction or self-help, finding authors who strive for literary excellence with little regard for marketability can present a small challenge-but they are out there. In this review essay, Jack Harrell introduces readers to a few such examples within Mormon literature.
The adult creative writer, a phenomenological study /by Jack Harrell
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the meaning and essence of the subje... more The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the meaning and essence of the subjective creative writing experience in the context of the writing realm, as perceived by adult creative writers. Through a purposeful sampling method, nine adult creative writers were chosen to participate in taped interviews in which they described their creative writing experiences. The participants, both male and female, were published writers of poetry, fiction, drama, or creative non-fiction. The results of the study describe the adult creative writing experience. The experience is solitary work at the edges of the day. It is a realm of familiarity and experience where safety and trust, risk and failure contribute to the creative moment. Shaped by the underpaint of the writing environment and the writer's history, and fed by accumulated life experience, the adult creative writing realm is a place of mystery, reason, and flow where the writer attains a heightened sense of meaning. ...
Hank Toy’s Devil
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 2012
The Thirteenth Article of Faith as a Standard for Literature
itself. He also taught us that truth could be effectively communicated through fiction. In the ye... more itself. He also taught us that truth could be effectively communicated through fiction. In the years since, I've heard many people say, "I don't read fiction; I'm only interested in the truth. " Experience has shown me that the person who says this misunderstands both fiction and truth. My research for this paper took me through decades of Mormon writings. Time and again I marveled at the substantive work of those who came before us. Yes, the decade of the 1970s was "The Dawning of a Brighter Day, " as England wrote in the pages of BYU Studies in 1982, a period of exciting literary growth among Mormons, but every decade of Mormonism has had its proponents of literature and thought. The intellectual life of the early Saints in Nauvoo featured formal public debating sessions. Early Utah periodicals regularly sponsored poetry, fiction, and essay contests. In 1948, P. A. Christensen published his collection of essays All in a Teacher's Day. I don't think a Mormon lover of literature today could gainsay the things Christensen said way back in 1948. Yet it seems that every generation must learn the same lessons for itself. I wouldn't dare to predict the future of Mormon literary theory. Perhaps Mormons are simply too practical to develop an acrossthe-ranks interest in such esoteric pursuits. But Mormon theology, faith, and culture, I believe, are strong enough to bear the weight of this effort. If Mormons don't advance in literary studies, I believe the fault will rest with us, not the religion.
Jack Harrell, an author of short stories and other fiction, describes his search for a Mormon lit... more Jack Harrell, an author of short stories and other fiction, describes his search for a Mormon literary theory, finding in Mormon literature a foundation of meaning and ethics that may belong in the post-postmodern movement.
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