Comments on: MR: “Of Prophets and Jugglers”

By: smb

smb — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:27:11 +0000

Great review of what sounds like a poorly executed book.
I sort of liked Angels in America because despite its political shouting it was working on some difficult questions with intermittently compelling characters. This sort of sounds like the graphic novel to accompany Religulous. This essay serves as an excellent reminder that a critic can make of a novel more than it could otherwise be. It would be interesting to compare this type of prophetic parody with the intensely serious mimesis of someone like Gill (also in England and about whom I understand Matt Bowman has a forthcoming article).

By: Jonathan Green

Jonathan Green — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:03:07 +0000

Rosalynde, why does Self care about Mormonism? Did he hit upon it by chance, or does he have some experience with it?

By: Observer

Observer — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:39:48 +0000

Thanks Rosalynde, great review and discussion. I had seen a very brief description of this book a few years ago, and it recently came back to mind. I looked at length in vain trying to find the title so I could look into it more. I think this qualifies as a coincidence (or maybe a tender mercy).

By: Frank McIntyre

Frank McIntyre — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:00:14 +0000

That quote about Marlowe is priceless. I immediately shared it with a friend.

By: Rosalynde Welch

Rosalynde Welch — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:07:47 +0000

Nate, _Angels_ is very similar in the way it draws on powerful Mormon images and themes at the same time that it portrays Mormon characters negatively—repressed/simpleminded/hypocritical/crazy/whatever. But Kushner is working on broadly political issues, whereas Self is much more interested in religion per se; the entire novel is an extended (often tiresome) satire of religion generally.

If you compare it to “Big Love” (and I have only seen two or three episodes of the show, so take this with some salt), I think “The Book of Dave” offers a more interesting critique/exploration of Mormonism, in that it actually engages Mormon narratives and archetypes (specifically, the prophet) in a deep way; “Big Love” seemed to me only superficially about Mormons.

Mormonism works in theme-driven narrative better than in character-driven pieces, I’d say, because its history and symbolism is so much more interesting than its membership. :)

By: Nate Oman

Nate Oman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:38:15 +0000

RW: How do you think that it compares with other high- or middle-brow literary works of late that have used Mormon themes. Here I am thinking in particular of Angles in America…

By: Rosalynde Welch

Rosalynde Welch — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:44:10 +0000

Thanks, Dave. Self’s novel is a crazy weird parody of the Book of Mormon and other restoration themes, half science-fiction and half standard issue literary fiction. Mormons don’t come off so well, but restoration mythology drives the whole contraption, so there’s definitely something there for Mormons to chew on.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:48:34 +0000

If Rosalynde is publishing there, MR must be for real.

Being a man of simpler tastes than Renaissance literature, here is the line that caught my attention: “Heaven was a ski resort in the Rockies.” One can only hope.