Item Detail
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28816
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9
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1
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English
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Irony in the Book of Mormon
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Journal of Book of Mormon Studies
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2003
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12
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2
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Provo, UT
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Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
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20-31, 111-112
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"The Book of Mormon appears replete with examples of verbal and dramatic irony, something unlikely to have been produced intentionally by Joseph Smith with his level of rhetorical and expressive skills. Dramatic irony occurs when an 'exceeding young' Nephi, who is 'large in stature,' admires the exquisite sword of Laban and then grapples with the distasteful command to kill Laban with that sword. Having passed the test, Nephi has matured into a man 'large in stature.' Dramatic irony also occurs in Abinadi's experience with King Noah and in the similar experiences of Alma and Korihor with the power of speech and silence. Verbal irony is apparent in Lehi's expectations for Laman to be like a river, 'continually running into the fountain of all righteousness,' and for Lemuel to be like a valley, 'firm and steadast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord.' Nephi also refutes his older brothers' false knowledge by reminding them of what they already know." [abstract provided]
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A Selective Bibliography of Book of Mormon Literary Features
Defending Ourselves, Offending Ourselves: Context and Commentary on the 1990s Theory Debates between the Historical and the Literary
Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon
Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and the American Renaissance : An Update
Killing Laban : The Birth of Sovereignty in the Nephite Constitutional Order
Mormon’s Narrative Strategies to Provide Literary Justice for Gideon
The Power of Evidence in the Nurturing of Faith
The Zoramites and Costly Apparel :
Symbolism and Irony
Voices from the Dust: Book of Mormon Insights