Comments on: Startling Stories

By: Glenn Smith

Glenn Smith — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:05:19 +0000

The dime novel and penny dreadful of Brigham Young’s day made strong use of negative Mormon caricatures. Using the search words ~ dime novels Mormon ~ found several sites discussing that genre of fiction. Here is one that may explain why Pres. Young was upset.

http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Mormons%2C_Image_of#Fiction

and from a review at Amazon.com
Zane Grey, Riders of the Purple Sage

The other remarkable thing about the book is its attitude toward the Mormon religion. The hero is an avowed “killer of Mormons”. The LDS church is depicted as essentially brutal and tyrannical. This, I suppose, reflects a prejudice of the time, but I wonder how present-day members of that church regard this novel.

By: Eliezer

Eliezer — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:29:04 +0000

Fascinating! I think it's important to be occasionally confronted with a bit of unpleasantness to learn from the past and avoid living in a fragile white-washed worldview. And we're not the only ones to include a little secular learning in a religious publication.

By: Anne (U.K)

Anne (U.K) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:27:20 +0000

Life was a lot more brutal then, and children saw much more of that side of life than today’s children ever will. (unless in gaming, and we all know that’s not real). I expect children then probably found those tales thrilling, although I must admit, a tad bizarre for a church publication!

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:26:45 +0000

Oh, sure. It’s not like there was a steady diet of this kind of stuff. The articles are mostly church-related, and the general interest articles like these are supposed to be carry quite a broad sampling of topics.

By: Moniker Challenged

Moniker Challenged — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:21:14 +0000

By the way, I’m guessing they dabbled in peaceful arts such as horticulture, bird watching, naturalism, and apothecary tricks as well, right?

By: Moniker Challenged

Moniker Challenged — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:17:25 +0000

Um, maybe I’m not understanding the morals of these tales properly. They came off a little “Thank God we’re His chosen people– not like these absolutely stupid, cut-rate savages” to my sensibilities. Not that Mormons cornered the market on racist paternalism! Or bad literature for children. I vote for the Arabian Nights (and Grimm). But I guess it’s against the rules to mix entertainment value with gore

By: Stephen Taylor

Stephen Taylor — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:22:41 +0000

I really enjoyed Pres. Young’s assessment of Romantic/Gothic popular fiction. Re vampires, things ain’t changed much.

By: Ben Pratt

Ben Pratt — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:15:49 +0000

Kevin: Awesome.

By: kevinf

kevinf — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:54:35 +0000

Ben,

Had I been a young boy in the 1870′s, I probably would have had a much different reaction.

1. I’d love to go to France! They have squirrels there too, don’t they? And guillotines?
2. Maybe not China.
3. I’d love to go sailing, especially to Cuba!

You have to know that my Dad was in the habit of following fire engines and ambulances with Mom, my two brothers and I in the car. Saw a few cool fires that way. Also, my secret desire is to be a Stormchaser in Oklahoma. My wife wants no part of it.

By: kevinf

kevinf — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:38:15 +0000

No one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Reminds me of the rather more violent and frightening original versions of the old European fairy tales, which didn’t usually have happy endings. Kind of “Scared Straight”, 19th Century versions.

Was it President Packer who famously said “not all truths are of the same value?”

On the other hand, would the New Era get better readership if it devoted more page space to zombies and, ahem, Vampires??