Mormonism in fiction

[_Corpsegrinder]

Joseph Smith is a re-occurring character on South Park. In addition to an appearance in an episode entitled “All About Mormons” he occasionally shows up as a member of The Super Best Friends, a group of super heroes made up of Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, Lau Dz, and Sea Man (who can breathe underwater and link telepathically with fish). Joseph Smith’s power: he can fly and has super ice breath.

[_cinepro]

Tom Clancy has had at least one LDS character in his books. I seem to remember one with an LDS POW in Vietnam.

[_sock puppet]

How often does Mormonism show up in fiction (or cinema) in an integral way? I can't think of too many instances.
It would seem that with the secrecy of the temple and the connections with masonry, polygamy, politics etc, Mormonism might show up as a plot driver or element of intrigue relatively often in fiction.

But does it?

For example, in Foucult's Pendulum, Eco includes so many groups related to the occult (the Knights Templar, the Gnostics, Rosicrucians, Freemasons, the Bogomils, the Jesuits, the Cathars and many more) that it is at least a little surprising to me that Mormonism is left out completely. Not even a mention as far as I can recall. No mention in Dan Brown's stuff either as far as I know (I don't read his stuff so I could be wrong).

Is it that Mormonism's image as boringly wholesome just overpowers the potentially darker occult stuff like the temple?
Is it too small, too young? What is it?

Or does it show up more than I think? I don't read a tenth as much fiction as some people here so maybe that's it.

Great OP and topic, Tarski. It made me think, however, of fiction in Mormonism. But that is silly to think that fiction could be a subset of Mormonism when in reality, they are different descriptors for the same set.

[_Doctor Scratch]

There was quite a lot of Mormon fiction written in the late 19th century. A good deal of it was salacious and trashy and it featured Mormon polygamists as the villains. A bit later on, an LDS bishop is the antagonist in Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage, which, if I'm not mistaken, was a best-seller in the early part of the 20th century. As for more modern stuff: probably the best example is Big Love (I assume you're counting TV and movies). Mormonism also (sort of) figures into novels like Judith Freeman's Red Water (which deals with polygamous wives and MMM) and Brady Udall's The Lonely Polygamist. Brian Evenson has also written about Mormonism, most notably in The Parted Veil, which is an extremely creepy book. (Evenson, you might recall, was booted out of BYU because some student complained to the GAs about his work.)

[_Patriarchal gripe]

Tom Clancy has had at least one LDS character in his books. I seem to remember one with an LDS POW in Vietnam.

I remember him singing "Come, Come Ye Saints" in the Hanoi Hilton, or some such scene.

[_Some Schmo]

There's also Orgazmo.

Matt Stone and Trey Parker love doing mo related themes and references. They also declared in one of their South Park episodes that moism was the correct answer for getting into heaven.

[_why me]

Or does it show up more than I think? I don't read a tenth as much fiction as some people here so maybe that's it.

Well, I don't know. During hollywood's cowboy heyday, a couple Mormon plots were present in the westward migration. And now of course, we have had polygamous shows. I think that the point is: there is nothing much to attack about the mainstream Mormon church these days for hollywood to put into some plot.

[_Quasimodo]

Well, I don't know. During hollywood's cowboy heyday, a couple Mormon plots were present in the westward migration.

Of course, the Movie "Brigham Young". I had totally forgotten about that one. 1940, Dean Jagger as BY. John Carradine as Porter Rockwell (looked it up on IMDB).

If ever there was Mormon fiction, this is it. It would run well today as an unintentional comedy. Kind of like "Reefer Madness".