Americanist approaches to the Book of Mormon /
Fenton, Elizabeth A.,1978-editor.
Hickman, Jared,editor.
As the sacred text of a modern religious movement of global reach, The Book of Mormon has undeniable historical significance. That significance, this volume shows, is inextricable from the intricacy of its literary form and the audacity of its historical vision. This landmark collection brings together a diverse range of scholars in American literary studies and related fields to definitively establish The Book of Mormon as an indispensable object of Americanist inquiry not least because it is, among other things, a form of Americanist inquiry in its own right-a creative, critical reading of "America." Drawing on formalist criticism, literary and cultural theory, book history, religious studies, and even anthropological field work, Americanist Approaches to The Book of Mormon captures as never before the full dimensions and resonances of this "American Bible."
Introduction: learning to read with The book of Mormon / Elizabeth Fenton and Jared Hickman -- Books buried in the earth: The book of Mormon, revelation, and the Humic foundations of the nation / Jillian Sayre -- The ghost and the machine: plates and paratext in The book of Mormon / R. John Williams -- Orson Pratt's enduring influence on The book of Mormon / Paul Gutjahr -- The book of Mormon and the Bible / Grant Hardy -- An American Book of Chronicles: pseudo-Bliblicism and the cultural origins of The book of Mormon / Eran Shalev -- "To read the round of eternity": speech, text, and scripture in The book of Mormon / Samuel Morris Brown -- "The writing of the fruit of thy loins": reading, writing, and prophecy in The book of Mormon / Laura Thiemann Scales -- Nephite secularization: or, picking and choosing in The book of Mormon / Grant Shreve -- Kinship, The book of Mormon, and modern revelation / Nancy Bentley -- How the Mormons became white: scripture, sex, sovereignty / Peter Coviello -- Nephites and Israelites: The book of Mormon and the Hebraic Indian theory / Elizabeth Fenton -- "Great cause to mourn": the complexity of The book of Mormon's presentation of gender and race / Kimberley M. Berkey and Joseph M. Spencer -- "We're going to take our land back over": indigenous positionality, the ethnography of reading, and The book of Mormon / Stanley J. Thayne -- The book of Mormon and the reshaping of covenant / Terryl Givens -- "Arise from the dust, my sons, and be men": masculinity and The book of Mormon / Amy Easton-Flake -- "I lead the way like Columbus": Joseph Smith, genocide, revelatory ambiguity / Zachary Macleod Hutchins -- Book of Mormon poetry / Edward Whitley.
As the sacred text of a modern religious movement of global reach, The Book of Mormon has undeniable historical significance. That significance, this volume shows, is inextricable from the intricacy of its literary form and the audacity of its historical vision. This landmark collection brings together a diverse range of scholars in American literary studies and related fields to definitively establish The Book of Mormon as an indispensable object of Americanist inquiry not least because it is, among other things, a form of Americanist inquiry in its own right-a creative, critical reading of "America." Drawing on formalist criticism, literary and cultural theory, book history, religious studies, and even anthropological field work, Americanist Approaches to The Book of Mormon captures as never before the full dimensions and resonances of this "American Bible."
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon.
Americanist approaches to the Book of Mormon