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Glenn Beck, the soapbox orator of cable television, has done more, save Sheri Dew only, for the greatness of Mormon literature, than any other person that ever lived.<\/p>\nGlenn Beck, the soapbox orator of cable television, has done more, save Sheri Dew only, for the greatness of Mormon literature, than any other person that ever lived.<\/p>\n
One of the more irritating exercises of Mormon tribal self-loathing is the parlor game called Where, O Where is Great Mormon Literature?<\/em> This inevitably leads to the discussion of what is and is not Mormon Literature, usually with the end result that Mormon Literature Worthy of the Name must involve adultery and\/or drinking coffee within 100 miles of St. George (but not closer than 10 miles to I-15). The authors of Mormon Literature (worthy of the name) should have been excommunicated at least once, if at all possible. Also, the Golden Age of Mormon Literature occurred in 1957. Sorry, you missed it, but you can still find copies of the out-of-print classics at obscure bookstores everywhere.<\/p>\n What\u2019s irritating about this is not just the tiresome discussion of what truly qualifies as Literature<\/em> and who truly qualifies as Mormon<\/em>, but that it overlooks entirely how \u2018greatness\u2019 in literature is constructed. Mormons can determine the boundaries of Mormonness, and just about any sequence of words on paper can be construed as literature, but literary greatness is largely out of our control, with the consequence that the Mormon literature that attracts the notice of book critics for the New York Times is most often the kind of Mormon literature that is comprehensible to them: exit narratives.<\/p>\n Which brings us to Glenn Beck. I\u2019ve never watched his television program, but I gather that he says controversial things, and that I would likely disagree with his political views. Beck has, however, used his platform to promote books that he likes, so much so that he\u2019s become something like the Oprah of thriller novels<\/a>, and publishers are starting to notice. I have no idea if any of the Beck-promoted novelists are Mormons, or if there is any recognizably Mormon aesthetic in Beck\u2019s selections, so what he has done so far for the greatness of Mormon literature might not amount to much at all\u2014except he\u2019s created a position for himself where he has the ability to do so, which is more than just about anyone else has done.<\/p>\n