The Image of Mormonism in French Literature

Part II

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This essay describes what 1920s French literature had to say about Mormons—none of it very favorable. Guillaume Apollinaire (La Femme Assise) attributed to the Mormons the rolling, jerking, and shouting characteristic of certain fundamentalist sects. He was drawn to Mormons as a subject for his writing because of the exotic eroticism that he associated with polygamy. Pierre Benoit (Le Lac Salé) wrote the dramatic tale of a woman tricked into marrying a false Mormon as his second wife. André Maurois (La Vie de Joseph Smith) satirized the divine aspect of Joseph Smith’s calling as prophet. True, René Guénon had an ambiguous attitude toward Mormons, and Charles Cestre actually offered praise. But overall, French writers saw Mormonism solely as a source of original and strange raw materials, and they amused themselves at Mormonism’s expense.

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Print ISSN: 2837-0031
Online ISSN: 2837-004X