The Literary Book of Mormon Dr. Gideon Burton Brigham Young University Presentation to the Association for Mormon Letters BYU Student Chapter February 15, 2007

Reasons for Reading the Book of Mormon as Literature Provides proof of the historicity of the book

Provides proof of the historicity of the book

It’s Egyptian! “ The first three verses of 1 Nephi…are a typical colophon , a literary device that is highly characteristic of Egyptian compositions, such as in the Bremer-Rhind Papyrus. Nephi gives first his name, than the merits of his parents with special attention to the learning of his father and an avowal that the record is true, and “I make it with mine own hand.” Egyptian literary writings regularly close with the formula iw-f-pw “thus it is” as does Nephi 11” –Franklin S. Harris

“ The first three verses of 1 Nephi…are a typical colophon , a literary device that is highly characteristic of Egyptian compositions, such as in the Bremer-Rhind Papyrus. Nephi gives first his name, than the merits of his parents with special attention to the learning of his father and an avowal that the record is true, and “I make it with mine own hand.” Egyptian literary writings regularly close with the formula iw-f-pw “thus it is” as does Nephi 11” –Franklin S. Harris

It’s Hebrew! “The second type [of Hebrew literary forms found in the Book of Mormon] is antithetical parallelism in which the thought of the first line is emphasized, or confirmed by a contrasted thought expressed in the second line: To be carnally minded is death, And to be spiritually-minded is life eternal” --Franklin S. Harris

“The second type [of Hebrew literary forms found in the Book of Mormon] is antithetical parallelism in which the thought of the first line is emphasized, or confirmed by a contrasted thought expressed in the second line:

To be carnally minded is death, And to be spiritually-minded is life eternal”

--Franklin S. Harris

It’s Middle Eastern! Lehi’s desert poems in 1 Nephi 2:9-10 are a literary form Hugh Nibley as identified as an Arabic quasida . – adapted from Richard Dilworth Rust and Donald Perry, “Book of Mormon as Literature”

Lehi’s desert poems in 1 Nephi 2:9-10 are a literary form Hugh Nibley as identified as an Arabic quasida .

– adapted from Richard Dilworth Rust and Donald Perry, “Book of Mormon as Literature”

Reasons for Reading the Book of Mormon as Literature Provides proof of its historicity Literature is sophisticated, so if our scripture is impressive, then so are we Mormons Better appreciate the book’s creation Better understand its doctrines Better feel its effects

Provides proof of its historicity

Literature is sophisticated, so if our scripture is impressive, then so are we Mormons

Better appreciate the book’s creation

Better understand its doctrines

Better feel its effects

Literary Activities Record Keeping Drafting Revising / Correcting Translating Redacting Editing Publishing Transmitting

Record Keeping

Drafting

Revising / Correcting

Translating

Redacting

Editing

Publishing

Transmitting

Dramatic Literary Oratorical Overlapping Fields of Discourse Poetical Linguistic

Narrative Genres Journal / Diary Family histories Political histories Annals of military campaigns Epic Parable / Allegory Detective story

Journal / Diary

Family histories

Political histories

Annals of military campaigns

Epic

Parable / Allegory

Detective story

Literary Elements Setting Plot (including flashbacks / foreshadowing) Characters / Characterization Dialogue Figurative Language Imagery Symbolism Dramatization Narrator and Narrative commentary Allusions

Setting

Plot (including flashbacks / foreshadowing)

Characters / Characterization

Dialogue

Figurative Language

Imagery

Symbolism

Dramatization

Narrator and Narrative commentary

Allusions

Linguistic Elements (Diction—level of words and phrases) Word pairs (“great and terrible” “signs and wonders”) Merisms (“nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples”) Idioms (“make bare his arm”; “ends of the earth”) Aphorisms (“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things”) Antithetical pairings (“Jew and Gentile”; “choose life or death”; “mortality raised to immortality”; “to act for themselves and not to be acted upon”)

Word pairs (“great and terrible” “signs and wonders”)

Merisms (“nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples”)

Idioms (“make bare his arm”; “ends of the earth”)

Aphorisms (“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things”)

Antithetical pairings (“Jew and Gentile”; “choose life or death”; “mortality raised to immortality”; “to act for themselves and not to be acted upon”)

Figurative Language Schemes Anadiplosis Parallelism Antithesis Climax Parenthesis Tmesis Apposition Repetition Tropes Metaphors Similes Apostrophe Personification Hyperbole Exergasia Polysyndeton

Schemes

Anadiplosis

Parallelism

Antithesis

Climax

Parenthesis

Tmesis

Apposition

Repetition

Tropes

Metaphors

Similes

Apostrophe

Personification

Hyperbole

Exergasia

Polysyndeton

Poetical Genres Psalm Lamentation Lyric poetry

Psalm

Lamentation

Lyric poetry

Literary Lamentations Ah, love, let us be true To one another! for the world, which seems To lie before us like a land of dreams, So various, so beautiful, so new, Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain; And we are here as on a darkling plain Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, Where ignorant armies clash by night. – from Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach”

Ah, love, let us be true

To one another! for the world, which seems

To lie before us like a land of dreams,

So various, so beautiful, so new,

Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,

Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;

And we are here as on a darkling plain

Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,

Where ignorant armies clash by night.

– from Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach”

Literary Lamentations Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits and Are melted into air, into thin air: And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep. – from The Tempest , by Shakespeare

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,

As I foretold you, were all spirits and

Are melted into air, into thin air:

And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,

The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve

And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff

As dreams are made on, and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep.

– from The Tempest , by Shakespeare

Literary Lamentations I conclude this record....by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days. – Jacob from the Book of Mormon (Jacob 7:26)

I conclude this record....by saying that

the time passed away with us, and also

our lives passed away

like as it were unto us a dream,

we being a lonesome and a solemn people,

wanderers,

cast out from Jerusalem,

born in tribulation,

in a wilderness, and

hated of our brethren,

which caused wars and contentions;

wherefore, we did mourn out our days.

– Jacob from the Book of Mormon (Jacob 7:26)

Rhetorical genres Speeches Sermons Political Oratory Military Addresses Debates Interviews

Speeches

Sermons

Political Oratory

Military Addresses

Debates

Interviews

Rhetorical Elements Rhetorical Modes Exposition Narration Description Types of Discourse Direct / Indirect Reported Narratives Questions

Rhetorical Modes

Exposition

Narration

Description

Types of Discourse

Direct / Indirect

Reported Narratives

Questions

Onomastics (Naming) Multiple Names of Christ: 60 names New names: Irreantum, curelom, deseret, urim & thummim, rameumptom, liahona Conventions of naming places and people

Multiple Names of Christ: 60 names

New names: Irreantum, curelom, deseret, urim & thummim, rameumptom, liahona

Conventions of naming places and people

Literary Themes and Motifs Obey and prosper (conceptual motif) Wars and contentions Pride Land of Promise Fleeing Naming Preserving Remembering Visitations of angels (plot motif) Sword / word Imagistic motifs

Obey and prosper (conceptual motif)

Wars and contentions

Pride

Land of Promise

Fleeing

Naming

Preserving

Remembering

Visitations of angels (plot motif)

Sword / word

Imagistic motifs

The Functions of Form Being aware of formal features of a sacred text attunes one to the various functions and effects of those forms that condition the understanding and appreciation of the text.

Being aware of formal features of a sacred text attunes one to the various functions and effects of those forms that condition the understanding and appreciation of the text.

Any difference? The Red Wheelbarrow so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. --William Carlos Williams The Red Wheelbarrow So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. --William Carlos Williams

The Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens.

--William Carlos Williams

The Red Wheelbarrow

So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.

--William Carlos Williams

What effects from the forms? Chaptering? Paragraphing? Versification? Layout?

Chaptering?

Paragraphing?

Versification?

Layout?

Function of Layout: Chiasmus A B B A

A B

B A

Book of Mormon manuscript

Book of Mormon 1830 (1 st ) edition

Special Attention through Verses

The Psalm of Nephi (1)

The Psalm of Nephi (1)

The Psalm of Nephi (2)

Book of Mormon 1980 Church Edition

1830 Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon Golden Plates

Book of Mormon Manuscript of English Translation

Book of Mormon A Reader’s Edition, ed. Grant Hardy (University of Illinois, 2003)

Illustrated Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon Digital Audio Edition

Book of Mormon Family Study Edition

The Book of Mormon Non-English Translations

Book of Mormon Scholarly Edition

Golden Plates Graphic Novel edition

The Literary Book of Mormon Dr. Gideon Burton Brigham Young University Presentation to the Association for Mormon Letters BYU Student Chapter February 15, 2007