{"id":{"repo_id":"umkc","oai_identifier":"oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/68011"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/umkc/oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/68011","repository":{"repo_id":"umkc","name":"University of Missouri - Kansas City","base_url":"https://mospace.umsystem.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The Work and the Glory: Historical Fiction and Cultural Narrative in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints","abstract":"In October 1838, Governor Lilburn Boggs of Missouri sanctioned the extermination of the “Mormon” settlers who had been pouring into the state beginning in 1831. His infamous “Extermination Order” quickly put an end to the Mormon War and successfully expelled all Mormons from Missouri. Although the Mormon War became a mere footnote in Missouri history, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have, for over a century, used these stories not only to create a deeper connection to their past but also to inform their collective identity as “modern-day pioneers.” This thesis explores the ways in which author Gerald N. Lund uses the novel series The Work and the Glory to disseminate knowledge of the Mormon War to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In applying a theoretical framework of cultural narrative and collective identity to this case study, this thesis brings Lund’s historical fiction into a larger academic conversation about how authors use historical fiction to represent mass atrocities. This project shows that, although historical fiction is a palatable way to present uncomfortable topics to broader audiences, historical novelists are in danger of creating generalized histories that downplay the multi-faceted nature of historical figures as well as romanticize and distort tragic, real-life events. More importantly, this thesis shows how the author understands and makes sense of genocide through historical fiction. It suggests that scholars of comparative genocide should use more unfamiliar events such as the Mormon War to help better understand the ways in which contemporaries use past atrocities to inform their worldview. It also suggests that the community of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should broaden their understanding of the Mormon War beyond their worldview that Mormon history is somehow separate from the larger narrative of American History.","abstract_html":"In October 1838, Governor Lilburn Boggs of Missouri sanctioned the extermination of the “Mormon” settlers who had been pouring into the state beginning in 1831. His infamous “Extermination Order” quickly put an end to the Mormon War and successfully expelled all Mormons from Missouri. Although the Mormon War became a mere footnote in Missouri history, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have, for over a century, used these stories not only to create a deeper connection to their past but also to inform their collective identity as “modern-day pioneers.” This thesis explores the ways in which author Gerald N. Lund uses the novel series The Work and the Glory to disseminate knowledge of the Mormon War to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In applying a theoretical framework of cultural narrative and collective identity to this case study, this thesis brings Lund’s historical fiction into a larger academic conversation about how authors use historical fiction to represent mass atrocities. This project shows that, although historical fiction is a palatable way to present uncomfortable topics to broader audiences, historical novelists are in danger of creating generalized histories that downplay the multi-faceted nature of historical figures as well as romanticize and distort tragic, real-life events. More importantly, this thesis shows how the author understands and makes sense of genocide through historical fiction. It suggests that scholars of comparative genocide should use more unfamiliar events such as the Mormon War to help better understand the ways in which contemporaries use past atrocities to inform their worldview. It also suggests that the community of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should broaden their understanding of the Mormon War beyond their worldview that Mormon history is somehow separate from the larger narrative of American History.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cline, Randi Leigh"],"institution":"University of Missouri -- Kansas City","degree_name":"M.A. (Master of Arts)","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"History (UMKC)","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Bergerson, Andrew Stuart"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019","date_published":"2019","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:16:44Z","subjects":["Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- History"],"languages":["en_US"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10355/68011","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Bergerson, Andrew Stuart"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cline, Randi Leigh"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2019-05-09T14:23:30Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-05-09T14:23:30Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2019"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Missouri -- Kansas City"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["History (UMKC)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A. (Master of Arts)","Graduate Certificate in Holocaust Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Missouri--Kansas City"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- History"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_US"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10355/68011"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Title from PDF of title page viewed May 16, 2019","Dissertation advisor: Andrew Bergerson","Vita","Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-62)","Thesis (M.A.)--Department of History. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2019"]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In October 1838, Governor Lilburn Boggs of Missouri sanctioned the extermination of the “Mormon” settlers who had been pouring into the state beginning in 1831. His infamous “Extermination Order” quickly put an end to the Mormon War and successfully expelled all Mormons from Missouri. Although the Mormon War became a mere footnote in Missouri history, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have, for over a century, used these stories not only to create a deeper connection to their past but also to inform their collective identity as “modern-day pioneers.” This thesis explores the ways in which author Gerald N. Lund uses the novel series The Work and the Glory to disseminate knowledge of the Mormon War to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In applying a theoretical framework of cultural narrative and collective identity to this case study, this thesis brings Lund’s historical fiction into a larger academic conversation about how authors use historical fiction to represent mass atrocities. This project shows that, although historical fiction is a palatable way to present uncomfortable topics to broader audiences, historical novelists are in danger of creating generalized histories that downplay the multi-faceted nature of historical figures as well as romanticize and distort tragic, real-life events. More importantly, this thesis shows how the author understands and makes sense of genocide through historical fiction. It suggests that scholars of comparative genocide should use more unfamiliar events such as the Mormon War to help better understand the ways in which contemporaries use past atrocities to inform their worldview. It also suggests that the community of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should broaden their understanding of the Mormon War beyond their worldview that Mormon history is somehow separate from the larger narrative of American History."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Work and the Glory: Historical Fiction and Cultural Narrative in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Bergerson, Andrew Stuart"],"dc:creator":["Cline, Randi Leigh"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2019-05-09T14:23:30Z"],"dc:date.available":["2019-05-09T14:23:30Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2019"],"dc:description":["Title from PDF of title page viewed May 16, 2019","Dissertation advisor: Andrew Bergerson","Vita","Includes bibliographical references (pages 59-62)","Thesis (M.A.)--Department of History. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2019"],"dc:description.abstract":["In October 1838, Governor Lilburn Boggs of Missouri sanctioned the extermination of the “Mormon” settlers who had been pouring into the state beginning in 1831. His infamous “Extermination Order” quickly put an end to the Mormon War and successfully expelled all Mormons from Missouri. Although the Mormon War became a mere footnote in Missouri history, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have, for over a century, used these stories not only to create a deeper connection to their past but also to inform their collective identity as “modern-day pioneers.” This thesis explores the ways in which author Gerald N. Lund uses the novel series The Work and the Glory to disseminate knowledge of the Mormon War to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In applying a theoretical framework of cultural narrative and collective identity to this case study, this thesis brings Lund’s historical fiction into a larger academic conversation about how authors use historical fiction to represent mass atrocities. This project shows that, although historical fiction is a palatable way to present uncomfortable topics to broader audiences, historical novelists are in danger of creating generalized histories that downplay the multi-faceted nature of historical figures as well as romanticize and distort tragic, real-life events. More importantly, this thesis shows how the author understands and makes sense of genocide through historical fiction. It suggests that scholars of comparative genocide should use more unfamiliar events such as the Mormon War to help better understand the ways in which contemporaries use past atrocities to inform their worldview. It also suggests that the community of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should broaden their understanding of the Mormon War beyond their worldview that Mormon history is somehow separate from the larger narrative of American History."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10355/68011"],"dc:language.iso":["en_US"],"dc:publisher":["University of Missouri -- Kansas City"],"dc:subject":["Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- History"],"dc:title":["The Work and the Glory: Historical Fiction and Cultural Narrative in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["History (UMKC)"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A. (Master of Arts)","Graduate Certificate in Holocaust Studies"],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Missouri--Kansas City"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:16:44Z"}