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Nineteenth-century American writers frequently cast the Mormon as a stock villain in such fictional genres as mysteries, westerns, and popular romances. The Mormons were depicted as a violent and perverse people - the 'viper on the hearth' - who sought to violate the domestic sphere of the mainstream. While other critics have mined the socio-political sources of anti-Mormonism, Givens is the first to reveal how popular fiction, in its attempt to deal with the sources and nature of this conflict, constructed an image of the Mormon as a religious and social 'Other'.
Nineteenth-century American writers frequently cast the Mormon as a stock villain in such fictional genres as mysteries, westerns, and popular romances. The Mormons were depicted as a violent and perverse people - the 'viper on the hearth' - who sought to violate the domestic sphere of the mainstream. While other critics have mined the socio-political sources of anti-Mormonism, Givens is the first to reveal how popular fiction, in its attempt to deal with the sources and nature of this conflict, constructed an image of the Mormon as a religious and social 'Other'.
Terryl L. Givens did graduate work at Cornell University in
intellectual history and at UNC Chapel Hill, where he received his
PhD in comparative literature. He holds the Jabez A. Bostwick Chair
of English and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the
University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in
nineteenth-century studies and the Bible's influence on Western
literature. His writing has been praised by the New York Times
as
"provocative reading," and his numerous books include When Souls
Had Wings, a history of the idea of premortal life in Western
thought, as well as The God Who Weeps (with Fiona Givens) and
Wrestling the Angel.
"A wonderfully thought-through look at the interrelationships
between fiction, religion, and the culture of humor/hostility....It
represents a significant contribution to our understanding of
literary relations."--Larry H. Peer, Brigham Young University
In this fascinating study, he examines how Mormons have been
constructed as the great and abominable "other". Interestingly,
although the religion was once scorned for its weirdness,"it is now
because Mormons occupy what used to be the center that they fall
into contempt"(164).--Utah Historical Quarterly
"The prose, illustrations, and overall construction of the book are
aesthetically pleasing. The exemplary scholarship significantly
enriches Mormon historiography....Few books succeed, as this one
does, in stimulating thought far beyond their own scope."--Journal
of Mormon History
"Contains provocative insights into American culture, LDS identity,
nineteenth-century literature, rhetorics of oppression, and
religious formation....I highly recommend this book."--Religious
Studies Review
"This is the first full explanation of why Mormons have been
demonized by a nation that prides itself on open toleration of all
faiths. Givens carefully appraises every past explanation for the
printed attacks and physical persecutions that occurred from the
1830s onward, as newspapers, novels, and satires convinced a
'tolerant' public that Mormons should not be tolerated. He then
makes a convincing argument that the primary affront the Mormons
offered was
theological: their anthropomorphic picture of God and of his
continuing personal revelations to the one true church. The book is
thus an impressive achievement that should interest not just
Mormons or
other religious believers but anyone who cares about how
'freedom-loving,' 'tolerant' Americans turned 'heretics' into
subhuman monsters deserving destruction."--Wayne Booth, University
of Chicago (Emeritus)
"...a powerful and compelling thesis...[an] ingenious reading...For
a great reading experience in thoughtful and independently
conceived religious and cultural thinking rare in Mormon studies,
turn to this recent addition in the excellent 'Religion in America
Series,' published by Oxford University Press."--Journal of
American Ethnic History
"A wonderfully thought-through look at the interrelationships
between fiction, religion, and the culture of humor/hostility....It
represents a significant contribution to our understanding of
literary relations."--Larry H. Peer, Brigham Young University
"The Viper on the Hearth by Terryl L. Givens is a remarkably lucid
and useful study of the patterns of American prejudices against the
Mormon people. It provides also a valuable paradigm for the study
of all religious "heresy"."--Harold Bloom
"This work is a model of significant interdisciplinary
study."--Western American Literature
"[Givens] precisely situates the literature in American and Mormon
history....he is the first to survey anti-Mormon writing
thoroughly."--The Journal of American History
"Given's survey of histories and historians...is impressive. It
enriches our perspective on such thought-provoking questions as
whether Mormons comprise a religion, an ethnic group, or "a
people," and why that matters."--Western Historical Quarterly
"The book is thoroughly documented and Givens writes with a
graceful style. This is an excellent example of both historical and
literary scholarship."--American Historical Review
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