Mormon Literature Database - Diary / Journal

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Diary / Journal \| View all Works in this Category	59 total items.
Description Although not a mainstream genre of belletristic literature, the diary or journal is being studied more and more as literary document. This database does not attempt to be a comprehensive guide to Mormon diaries and journals, but includes mostly those for which a case has been made regarding their literary merit. (For further information, see the bibliography cited below).
Associated Genres History,
Genre History As William Mulder has argued, diaries and journals are part of the "subliterature" upon which Mormon literature is built. Important early examples include Wilford Woodruff's nearly daily record of over sixty years; Eliza R. Snow's "Trail Diary"; George Laub's Nauvoo journal; Mary Goble Pay's reminiscence of the 1856 handcart tragedy; Joseph Millett's diary. In more recent times the Personal Essay or Memoir has become a more prominent method for sharing personal experience, though Latter-day Saints are probably more diligent than ever before in keeping private journals or diaries.
Bibliography Davis Bitton, ed., Guide to Mormon Diaries and Autobiographies (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1977).