Genre and LDS stories
Jun 2nd, 2007 by Fenevad
Thanks to frequent commenter Jessawhy, I have a link to a great list of funny sacrament meeting stories over on Mormon Mommy Wars. I think that this posting has a lot of relevance to Glenn’s recent posts on Mormon humor. Like any group, Mormons have their own genres (or types) of stories, that have some overall similarity in structure such that we can recognize them as a group. Many of the stories exemplify the incongruity theory that Glenn has discussed. I think most members have stories that fit the “sacrament meeting horror story” genre. Other genres include the “how I knew I was supposed to marry my wife/husband” and the “mission companion from hades.”
Genre is an important topic in the study of folklore and genre plays an important role in how we understand stories we are told. We have expectations about what will happen based on recognition of genre. Part of the humor of the stories I have linked to is that they violate the ideal sacrament meeting “script” and turn it on its head in various ways.
I would like to know what other genres of stories readers have encountered that are either uniquely Mormon or take on a particularly Mormon inflection when we get together. What sorts of stories do you tell that allow you to “narrate your Mormonness”?
I think this is a tough question. A lot of times we tell these stories without realize that we are “mormonizing” ourselves.
This isn’t really a story (well, it wasn’t when it happened — it is now), but several years ago my wife and I were with some non-Mormon friends, Steven and Rachel. Niether of them really knew much about what to expect from us as Mormons, and one day they came over with some coffee and offered us some. Without really thinking, my wife instinctively said, “No thank you — we don’t beleive in coffee.” Steven’s eyes lit up in a marvelous twinkle and he waved the cup around in front of her face (like saying “oooooohhh”) very slowly, and said, “well here it is, right here.”
This might fit better into your previous “Mormon folk speech” post in the way we use the word “belief” with things like rated-R movies (i.e. “We don’t believe in rated-R movies”) or pre-marital sex, etc etc, but as this experience has turned into a narrative, it is one that I share with people to describe a certain element of Mormonness.” What genre is it? Would “peculiar naiveté” count for anything?