By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog

Professor Terryl Givens is the James A. Bostwick Chair of English at the University of Richmond. He is the author of By the Hand of Mormon, The Viper on the Hearth, and most recently The Latter-day Saint Experience in America. We invited him to guest post regarding his latest project.

I am currently involved in a project regarding which I would be happy to have input and suggestions from a larger LDS/academic community. John Tanner and I are working on a book that will be the first to attempt a comprehensive “history of pre-heaven.” With the working title “The Life Before: Pre-mortal Existence in Western Thought,” our study will be organized chronologically and topically, yet aim at much more than a survey or catalogue. We are attempting not only to document the presence of this idea historically but to attend to its meaning for those who embrace it, the reasons for its prevalence, the literary, cultural, ideological, and theological functions that is has served, and the reasons for its demise or disappearance at various times in Western history. Read the rest of this entry »

AP – Salt Lake City

Residents of Salt Lake City were greeted by an unusual sight Friday when nine figures cloaked in black chained themselves to the gate to the Salt Lake City LDS Temple Grounds.
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Dirty, nasty elderses they comes to our pond in their white shirtses. They wants it…my precious…they needs it. They asks us to listen to its messages. gollum!

But we likes them. They likes us. They eats our fishheadsess. We asks them riddles. The elderses are my friends. Read the rest of this entry »

Hi there!

I’m Boromir. I saw you at the Council, remember? I wanted to go to Gondor, silly me. But hey, that’s over now — we’re going to Mordor to get rid of that… what was it?

Oh, that Ring. Silly me, I’d completely forgotten! Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Esteemed Sirs:

I say, it was quite enough to suggest in a most recent article that the dwarves be revoked their beard cards. I nearly lost my second breakfast as I read your fine periodical.
It would have been a frightful mess for the staff at the Cougar Eat to clean up, I can tell you that. I shuffled off right quick to my dorm room in Helaman Holes to write you this letter with not a bit of delay. Read the rest of this entry »

Merry and Pippin sit under a tree in the Shire smoking the longbottom leaf. Sam has just married Rosie.

Merry: Did I ever tell you about my second cousin Rapscalion Brandybuck?

Pippin: Old Rap? I’ve heard of him.

Merry: You may think you have, Pip, but there’s something else. You know, he… he was a bit different to the other hobbits. Read the rest of this entry »

Many of you will no doubt remember my last, highly successful experiment in blending opposite species: the Uruk-Hai, which were a mixture of the races of Orc and Man. Many of you are only vaguely familiar with my exploits from the biased, inflammatory, and even libellous account written by J. R. R. Tolkien and filmed by Peter Jackson (Will the world never learn that pragmatism is a virtue? I was only working with Sauron in order to bring about change from the inside!). Read the rest of this entry »

Perhaps I’ve been unclear, folks. A beard, a funny hat, the ability to communicate with magical creatures — fair enough. I should have seen this coming. So, let me then just clarify, for the fans, for the kids. I AM NOT DUMBLEDORE, LOSERS! Read the rest of this entry »

I know, I know, Elrond actually said “Nine companions – so be it. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring.”

But I have to admit, the way he put it irked me not a little. Read the rest of this entry »