Date of Award

Spring 2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

English

Program/Concentration

Creative Writing

Committee Director

Janet Peery

Committee Member

Michael Pearson

Committee Member

Sheri Reynolds

Call Number for Print

Special Collections; LD4331.E64 A46 2001

Abstract

Western Psalm is a memoir that focuses on Utah and the people of that land. It is an attempt to tell the story of one Mormon in the hopes that that one story will capture the larger story of Mormonism itself.

Western Psalm is a book about identity and how identity is shaped by history. It explores Utahan and Mormon histories and the effects those histories have upon individual character. Western Psalm is about the conflict between finding an individual identity while at the same time honoring and being true to the identities that history demands we acknowledge.

In other words, this memoir explores the responsibilities, pressures, and obligations that LDS history places upon the contemporary Mormon, and it hopes to answer the question of how modern-day Mormons can find individual identities while still honoring those histories.

Western Psalm also addresses parallels between the lives of modern Mormons and the lives of historical Mormons to expose the truth that our histories are inescapable.

In short, Western Psalm, and the story in it, is an ongoing quest for answers to the questions of how we can fulfill our obligations to God, history, and family while still continuing the quest for our own stories, our own Gods, and our own identities.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/yjdn-hz88

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