A Shared Historicist Enterprise: Mormon History Through a Literary Lens

Keywords

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Mormon history, Historians, Novels, Historicism, Colonial literature, Short stories, Cultural identity

Abstract

Historians and literary historians are both involved in historicist enterprises and as such often ask complementary ques tions. For instance, a historian may ask what happened or what an event indicates about history, while a literary historian asks how an event has been interpreted and what that interpretation indicates about the interpreters. Recognizing that all texts arise from an individual's subjective experience, literary historians are quick to note that they, too, are subjective interpreters, though they may strive for objectivity. As Mormon historians, we must be particularly vigilant in acknowledging our own paradigms, thereby imposing less of our current understanding of Mormon theology and history onto people and texts of the p

Original Publication Citation

“A Shared Historicist Enterprise: Mormon History through a Literary Lens.” Journal of Mormon History 38.2 (Spring 2012). 114-19.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2012

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6201

Publisher

JSTOR

Language

English

College

Religious Education

Department

Ancient Scripture

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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