Eric A. Eliason’s The J. Golden Kimball Stories is a book with a dual purpose. It is "the first work of folklore scholarship to focus on [Kimball’s] oral narrative cycle” (xv) as well as simply a story collection. Eliason’s "hope [is] that scholars as well as a popular audience in search of a good laugh will find value in this work" (xv) of scholarship/stories. While it is somewhat doubtful that popular audiences peruse the lists of university presses, it is to the credit of the University of Illinois Press that they have managed to place the book for sale with Deseret Book, the bookstore that is most popular with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is also important for both the average and the scholarly reader that the back of the book-cover notes that "this publication is neither sponsored nor endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
Jonathan Golden Kimball was born on June 26, 1853, to Christeen Golden and Heber C. Kimball. Heber C. Kimball was one of the first apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was held in great esteem. J. Golden Kimball joked that he was born into Church leadership. Unfortunately, Heber died when J. Golden was quite young. In order to support his mother and family, he became a mule skinner. J. Golden picked up some rough language from the mule skinners, not known for their delicacy. The colorful language stayed with him throughout his life even during his leadership in The Church. He is well-known and loved by general members for both his faith and his unorthodoxy. Golden is an excellent folkloric figure for those unfamiliar with his religious heritage.
Can a book aimed at two audiences ultimately succeed with either? In the preface, Eliason encourages those without a scholarly bent to skip the preface and introductory material and read the stories themselves. Hopefully few readers will make that choice. Context is such an important aspect of folklore that the stories seem somewhat lackluster for readers without a basic understanding of why and when the stories are told. And J. Golden Kimball was anything but boring.
Eliason points out that "genuine and spurious ’Goldenisms’ would die out equally fast if they ever stopped resonating with the concerns of contemporary Mormons” (11). Unfortunately, to find out what those concerns are it is necessary to delve into the excellent notes Eliason provides at the end of the book. This may be needed even for Latter-day Saints first stumbling upon the J. Golden Kimball stories.
Eliason is well-versed with humor and the role it plays in folklore. He discusses a variety of approaches and ultimately draws the conclusion that "only with the new and old folkloristic approaches together can one understand J. Golden Kimball as an example of what might be called a performer-hero" (33). In addition to being a performer-hero, Kimball is also viewed as a type of trickster. "Because tricksters are often important deities (or close thereto), it is not surprising that a Mormon trickster is a General Authority--one of God’s anointed representatives" (41).
Eliason’s preface, introduction, and notes are insightful and delightful reading. The book would have benefitted by having some of this material mixed in with the stories themselves, but if you do not mind going back and forth from the stories to the notes, you will be introduced to a delightful and important joke cycle.
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[Review length: 574 words • Review posted on June 5, 2008]