the concept of mormonism always fascinates -as in a completely fabricated ideology that millions of people (well... Americans) believe in - but I've never really got past the obvious mockery stage of analysis, so your piece is a really good read.
A for Instance: the moment in here that Joseph smith cries out My Lord. Corresponds to the willful fabrication by the Christ church over what Jesus was saying on Golgotha. That Father, why have you forsaken me was intended likely by the authors to be the beginning of the 89 or 91rst psalm in which the psalmist begins by moaning and ends up com-pliant to gods' caprices.
Thanks so much for this focus on Mormon history. I knew most of it, but did learn some new details. It's all quite close to home as my great-great-grandfather was Benjamin Franklin Johnson, an early convert to the Mormon church, member of the Council of 50, and early Utah settler, who likely heard the King Follett Address in person.
Still trying to wrap my head around this - not so much your Mormon obsession, which seems perfectly reasonable to me, but the fact that you have already finished two novels on the theme - in addition to Torch (if I remember that title correctly?)
For what its worth, here is a bit of Mormon trivia I came across researching my current book: Brigham Young, as you no doubt know - was a carpenter. He developed a particular type of lattice truss (many small crisscrossing members) later patented by the Remington Company of Philadelphia. Similar trusses were used to construct the arched roof of the Tabernacle in Salt Lake. Nails were scarce and the construction is mostly notched and pegged, with green rawhide wrapped around the ends of each member to prevent the ends from splitting.
When it came time to add a gallery for additional seating, there was a problem of headroom in the back rows, so the balcony was held off the wall about three feet. That turns out to be the secret to the extraordinary acoustics of the tabernacle - sound waves travel unimpeded behind the balcony, with no interfering reflections.
The diva Adelina Patti sang there - at her own request - in 1884, simply because she had heard that the acoustics were so good. Dankmar Adler was sent west by his clients for the Chicago Auditorium to research the acoustics of the Tabernacle (around 1886) and incorporated the detail of the detached balconies in every subsequent hall he designed.
So yes, the Mormons do seem to pop up in unexpected places...
Thanks Stan! Wow, I had no idea about any of that re Young. I knew that he was an extremely practical guy with a good head on his shoulders - and much of the current Mormon reputation for stability and solidity owes itself to his influence.
Yeah, I wrote one more Mormon-themed novel a while ago and one this year. (They're actually both primarily about different things, but Mormonism weaves through - and both took a certain amount of research).
Yeah, all good here. As you might have gathered, I am working on a narrative non-fiction book, based on some of the characters uncovered during the Kingdom House research.
I've recently gone down a rabbit hole resarching Edward Marshall, a war correspondent who married a Broadway actress, was shot in the back and paralyzed in the Spanish-American war, was sued for libel by Henry Ford, and may have been a spy for British Intelligence before the US entered WWII. The link is that he married Margaret Davies Sullivan (author of 'Goddess of the Dawn' - don't ask) after her divorce from the architect Louis Sullivan.
But I have to say, I was intrugued to hear about your cold-war novel. Anyplace to read that?
the concept of mormonism always fascinates -as in a completely fabricated ideology that millions of people (well... Americans) believe in - but I've never really got past the obvious mockery stage of analysis, so your piece is a really good read.
A for Instance: the moment in here that Joseph smith cries out My Lord. Corresponds to the willful fabrication by the Christ church over what Jesus was saying on Golgotha. That Father, why have you forsaken me was intended likely by the authors to be the beginning of the 89 or 91rst psalm in which the psalmist begins by moaning and ends up com-pliant to gods' caprices.
Psalm 22
Thanks so much for this focus on Mormon history. I knew most of it, but did learn some new details. It's all quite close to home as my great-great-grandfather was Benjamin Franklin Johnson, an early convert to the Mormon church, member of the Council of 50, and early Utah settler, who likely heard the King Follett Address in person.
Still trying to wrap my head around this - not so much your Mormon obsession, which seems perfectly reasonable to me, but the fact that you have already finished two novels on the theme - in addition to Torch (if I remember that title correctly?)
For what its worth, here is a bit of Mormon trivia I came across researching my current book: Brigham Young, as you no doubt know - was a carpenter. He developed a particular type of lattice truss (many small crisscrossing members) later patented by the Remington Company of Philadelphia. Similar trusses were used to construct the arched roof of the Tabernacle in Salt Lake. Nails were scarce and the construction is mostly notched and pegged, with green rawhide wrapped around the ends of each member to prevent the ends from splitting.
When it came time to add a gallery for additional seating, there was a problem of headroom in the back rows, so the balcony was held off the wall about three feet. That turns out to be the secret to the extraordinary acoustics of the tabernacle - sound waves travel unimpeded behind the balcony, with no interfering reflections.
The diva Adelina Patti sang there - at her own request - in 1884, simply because she had heard that the acoustics were so good. Dankmar Adler was sent west by his clients for the Chicago Auditorium to research the acoustics of the Tabernacle (around 1886) and incorporated the detail of the detached balconies in every subsequent hall he designed.
So yes, the Mormons do seem to pop up in unexpected places...
Thanks Stan! Wow, I had no idea about any of that re Young. I knew that he was an extremely practical guy with a good head on his shoulders - and much of the current Mormon reputation for stability and solidity owes itself to his influence.
Yeah, I wrote one more Mormon-themed novel a while ago and one this year. (They're actually both primarily about different things, but Mormonism weaves through - and both took a certain amount of research).
It's been a while! Hope all's well!
- Sam
Yeah, all good here. As you might have gathered, I am working on a narrative non-fiction book, based on some of the characters uncovered during the Kingdom House research.
I've recently gone down a rabbit hole resarching Edward Marshall, a war correspondent who married a Broadway actress, was shot in the back and paralyzed in the Spanish-American war, was sued for libel by Henry Ford, and may have been a spy for British Intelligence before the US entered WWII. The link is that he married Margaret Davies Sullivan (author of 'Goddess of the Dawn' - don't ask) after her divorce from the architect Louis Sullivan.
But I have to say, I was intrugued to hear about your cold-war novel. Anyplace to read that?