| This thesis evaluates portrayals of Mormon women and their agency in three genres; antipolygamy novels, diaries, and reform memoirs. Anti-Mormon and anti-polygamy novels started
being published very soon after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as
the Mormon Church) publicly acknowledged its practice of polygyny, usually called polygamy
or plural marriage, in 1852. These novels depicted Mormon women either as abused and helpless
non-agents, or villains who used their agency for immoral purposes. Mormon polygamous wives’
diaries and firsthand accounts describe a more complicated relationship with their religion and
autonomy, prompting discussions of new models of agency. Reform-minded ex-Mormon women
also wrote of their own experiences within the polygamous system, focusing on narratives of
their suffering and lack of agency within Mormonism and how they became fully agentive
women upon their departure from Utah. In an attempt to broaden the discussion about what the
definition of agency and what models of agency are applicable in discussions of women in
highly patriarchal religions, this thesis analyzes fictional writings and firsthand narratives for
themes of female agency in their depictions of the actions and beliefs of Mormon women as they
lived within the confines of Mormon polygamy.
Key Words: Mormon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mormon women,
Mormon women’s history, Mormon polygamy, agency, female agency, anti-polygamy novels,
diaries, reform memoirs, nineteenth century |