Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy

by Terryl L. Givens

Published in 1997, Terryl Givens's The Viper on the Hearth was widely praised as a landmark work--indeed, The Wall Street Journal hailed it as one of the five best books on Mormonism. Now, in the wake of a tidal wave of Mormon-inspired artistic, literary, and political activity--ranging from the Broadway hit The Book of Mormon, to the HBO series Big Love, to the political campaign of Mitt Romney--Givens presents an updated edition that addresses the continuing presence and reception of the Mormon image in contemporary culture. The Viper on the Hearth showed how nineteenth- and twentieth-century American writers frequently cast the Mormon as a stock villain in such fictional genres as mysteries, westerns, and popular romances. If today some authors like Tom Clancy use Mormon as shorthand for clean cut and patriotic, earlier writers more often depicted the Mormons as a violent and perverse people--the viper on the hearth--who sought to violate the domestic sphere of the mainstream. Givens is the first to reveal how popular fiction constructed an image of the Mormon as a religious and social Other. The list of authors includes both American and English writers, from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes mystery to Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage, from Robert Louis Stevenson's The Dynamiter to Jack London's Star Rover. For this edition, Givens has expanded the final chapter, shedding further light on the Mormon presence in contemporary American culture, with insightful discussions of topics ranging from the musical, The Book of Mormon, to the political campaigns of Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman.

Genres: Religion, Lds, History, Nonfiction, Mormonism

253 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Terryl L. Givens was born in upstate New York, raised in the American southwest, and did his graduate work in Intellectual History (Cornell) and Comparative Literature (Ph.D. UNC Chapel Hill, 1988), working with Greek, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and English languages and literatures. As Professor of Literature and Religion, and the James A. Bostwick Professor of English at the University of Richmond, he teaches courses in Romanticism, nineteenth-century cultural studies, and the Bible and Literature. He has published in literary theory, British and European Romanticism, Mormon studies, and intellectual history.

Dr. Givens has authored several books, including The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy (Oxford 1997); By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion (Oxford 2003); People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture (Oxford 2007); The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2009); and When Souls had Wings: Pre-Mortal Life in Western Thought (2010). Current projects include a biography of Parley P. Pratt (with Matt Grow, to be published by Oxford in 2011), a sourcebook of Mormonism in America (with Reid Neilson, to be published by Columbia in 2011), an Oxford Handbook to Mormonism (with Phil Barlow), and a two volume history of Mormon theology. He lives in Montpelier, Virginia.

Reviews

[Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

"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)

[Joelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why does everyone hate the Mormons? The first half of the book goes into some of the cultural conditions in the early days of the church that led to the friction between Mormons and "Gentiles." The second part deals with how Mormons have been portrayed in fiction and how a society that is supposed to value freedom of religion or at least tolerate heterodoxy can rationalize that kind of characterization. It is scholarly and dense in parts, but I thought it was very interesting and I learned a lot.

[Greg Diehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. I'll confess to a not-so-subtle literary "bromance" I've developed with Givens. He couples wit with wisdom and isn't afraid to bring Mormon doctrine into the full light of day to facilitate a thoughtful and academically rigorous discussion. Well-played (and well-written) Mr. Givens.

[Kathleen Ianziti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 2013 updated edition.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up another Terryl Givens book this week, while we still wait on his biography of Eugene England. I believe the last book I read by him was Feeding the Flock? I had to go back a bit to some of his earlier work: Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy (ooooh, it has heresy in the title). On the range of devotional to scholarly, this one is definitely scholarly. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was a good book, but the genre itself took a down a few notches in my book. I'm all for well-stocked bibliographies and quality research, but the language puts you to sleep! OK, rant over. Let's get to some content.

The book's title comes from a common portrayal of Mormonism in nineteenth century media: a viper (representing a threat to American culture/society) on the hearth (demonstrating how this threat is so close to home). One of the central questions the book asks (and one many Mormons like to comment on in Sunday School lessons) is: why do people hate us so much? Like, more than other marginalized groups and religions? And it's a fair question. Givens admits some danger in pondering this question too much: we really do have a persecution complex. But Givens also points out that we really did historically receive a lot more hate than other groups out there. Shakers had crazy doctrines too: why didn't they get equal treatment by the Protestant mainstream? Some of Givens' theses are really quite interesting:

Mormons, unlike other groups, didn't have geographical or ethnic space with which to distance it as a threat to American culture (aka we're white and could be your next-door neighbor).

Anti-Mormon propaganda piggy-packed off tropes found in anti-Catholic propaganda, but couldn't be translated directly, because Mormonism was a home-grown phenomenon.

The development of new genres of literature allowed authors to get away with a lot that would be considered irresponsible today (passing off fictional accounts as autobiography for instance, when narrating experiences with Mormonism).

The meat of the book centers around portrayals of Mormonism in popular fiction. It hurts to read harsh attacks on your faith, but this book is mostly looking at literature from the nineteenth century-- and that distance in time actually gives it a comic effect. It's ridiculous what some people actually wrote about the Mormons. This is one of my favorites:

They came to a square chamber, which was lighted by flaring, smoking torches. In a semi-circle at one end of the chamber sat twelve cloaked and cowled figures, their garments of somber black... Then the figure that wore the bear's head... stood and read from the... Mormon bible.

There was something that felt a little different in this book when compared to some of the others Givens has written, and it's kind of hard to describe, but I'll try. Givens has done a lot of doctrinal work, I would say, to make you proud of Mormon doctrine and history, but he does it by re-interpreting it. For instance, his book on The Good Who Weeps establishes a Mormon conception of God that you may not even has known was there, all from the Pearl of Great Price. And his The Christ Who Heals takes the emphasis off Christ as remitting sins and more as a healer of wounds. In addition, I feel that he does a lot of ministering to the marginalized within the Church, making room for those who doubt, or who experience their faith differently. But this didn't feel quite like it was in that vein. Instead, it felt more like a retrenchment into us-against-the-world Mormonism.

For instance when explaining why society reversed itself and now accept Mormons in its mainstream, he makes this comment:

[TV networks and other commentators on Mormonism] clearly engage in the use of deviance as a mirror in which the viewer's tolerance and generosity of spirit may be reflected-- or at least interrogated. The outrageousness of the transgression becomes the measure of the liberalism of spirit that can accommodate it. Difference has not been embraced-- it has been prostituted to the parade of pluralism.

I'm not saying there isn't truth to that statement: the idea that modern toleration is actually a game of one-upmanship in how crazy we can go in acceptance. But it didn't necessarily feel like Givens'... brand? Maybe someone else can explain it better, but that's all I got.

Either way, well-researched book, and one that will get you thinking.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This is therefore a book about fiction and its political uses." -- from the introduction.

A survey of anti-Mormonism in 19th then 20th centuries. While the author focuses on "literature of intolerance" in its fictional forms of anti-Mormonism, as well as anti-Catholicism, and other groups, he gives us a concise explanation for the "anti-" sentiments which I highly recommend to all readers.

Good to know: Authors who indulged in anti-Mormon fiction included Harriet Beecher Stow, Zane Grey, and Arthur Conan Doyle.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terryl Givens has written many great church books. This one is more on the scholarly side. A fascinating run through the history of anti-mormon writing. The ideas and methodology of the 19th century continue into the 21st century. I found a (signed!) used copy at Sam Weller Books a couple of weeks ago. Highly recommend.

[Ted Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Thought provoking. Makes sense of the different but continuing antagonism seen today against Mormonism. But a real slog to get through.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy" by Terryl Givens is a classic text in Latter-day Saints studies specifically and American religion generally. It is immensely fascinating for anyone interested in religion in American life, about the way religions interact, and the influence of literature on a society. Meticulously research and argued, the book is divided into two parts. Part 1 looks at the ferocity of anti-Mormon activism in the 19th century. According to Givens, Mormonism was especially targeted by American society for critique and violence. The community was forced to move nearly half a dozen times, had extermination orders issued against them, had their land and property seized, and even had their prophet killed by a mob. Givens argues that we need to take the possibility of theological disagreement between Mormonism and the wider Protestant society seriously. The fierceness of the conflict in the 19th century occurred because Mormonism enacted the story of Early Christianity and, in doing so raised questions about the veracity of the mainstream Christian story. It also made real theological claims that set it apart from the rest of the Christian world. In short, they were "heretics." I find this argument compelling because I think it corrects a trend in much scholarship to downplay theological conflicts between religions and pointing to more "legitimate" sources of conflict. For followers of a religion, the religious claims are real and they are important and to downplay them shows a bias from a more secular academy.

Part Two explores the breadth of anti-Mormon literature in the 19th and 20th century to show how this heresy was articulated. Givens places the proliferation of anti-Mormon literature into the context of a broader literary flourishing. He argues that the Latter-day Saints essentially filled certain stock roles in popular literature. This process allowed American society to "other" a group that by all outward appearances appeared normal. What is most interesting is how this literature had an impact on political and religious rhetoric, with members of the US Congress picking up salacious claims from novels to justify attacks against the Latter-day Saints. I enjoyed this study immensely. I think is is essential read for any scholars of American religion and anyone interested in religion and literature generally.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Givens uses Mormonism to illustrate how popular literature has traditionally been used to marginalize and thus demonize minorities. It is a very fine study.�
Perhaps the most interesting (to me) twist is that while in the 19th century, the main thrust was to turn Mormons, in the minds of readers, into something distinctly OTHER than mainstream, thus dinstancing them prior to demonizing them, in the latter end of the 20th century, that has almost reversed. In a day when the OTHER is now being exalted (diversity, pluralism, etc.) The center and mainstream, which Mormonism has largely now reached, is the new vilified position! What will the 21st century bring?

[Sharman Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as accessible as Givens' later books, but I appreciated his take on how new religions (or peoples), if seen as threatening, are made into "the Other," thereby justifying their mistreatment. He focuses on American religions, and in particular, the Mormons, to show how the literary milieu of the mid-1800s fueled intolerance and violence against newcomers. He cites numerous passages from anti-Mormon "literature" that would fail the tests of credibility today, but were taken at face value at the time.

[M.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great analysis of anti-Mormon rhetoric and literature from the late nineteenth century until today. I am very glad that I got the updated version as it contained analysis of the Book of Mormon musical and Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. A valuable book for Mormons and for anyone who wants to understand why and how a religious group can be belittled in the popular media, even in our pluralistic modern society.

I also wrote a little more about what I learned from this book on my blog here.

[Steve Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many of us, understanding other religions is a challenge. Mormons, in particular, have been the butt of jokes and violence for many years. Written by a Latter-Day Saint, this book helps to see how it feels to be on the other side of religious intolerance simply for believing what one does. It is an important book for that fact alone. I frequently blog about religious topics, and I said more about this book in this blog post: Sects and Violence in the Ancient World.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A study of how Mormons have been viewed and understood by the American public as a whole, the second half--comprising studies of how Mormons have been portrayed in popular fiction--is less compelling that the first, and highly recommended half, wherein the author studies how Americans have reconciled their pluralism with their desire for homogeniety, and how Mormons (and other groups, such as the Catholics and immigrants) have been contextualized and treated.

[Debbie Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good book for understanding some of the anti-Mormonism themes throughout church history. I'm not sure how well non-LDS people would enjoy it, though. Still, it brought up many good issues and thoughts, and also helped in understanding the context of anti-Mormon thoughts. It also showed similar persecution among other faiths, which was really interesting, too.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

If one can ignore a sprinkling of apologia, some insubstantial assertions at odds with the author's academic chops, and a tendency to quarrel with old critics rather than analyze anti-Mormon propaganda within the context of post-bellum frontier isolation, you will find no other piece of LDS literature that is as balanced, self-analytical and revealing

[Emily]

I had to buy this for a class at BYU, but then toward the end of the semester the professor decided to skip that part of the class. It was way too late to return the book, so I have been stuck with it for years.

[Dan Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant history, looking not only at the ways Mormons were deemed alien and traitorous, but also how fiction is a forum for hashing out cultural views. This is one of those books you have to read more than once to truly appreciate, I suspect.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work - Givens is a true scholar and brilliant mind

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish every single person I knew would at least read the first half of this book. I learned so much.

[Marci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting view of religious history of America.

[Jason]

Yes, quite.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

How fiction influenced and reflected popular attitudes about Mormons. Scholarly, stuffy, long and heavy. Sentences seem very forced to give an air of erudition.