In his impassioned "Home Literature", Orson F. Whitney expressed his lofty dream of having "Miltons and Shakespeares" emerge from the growing community of saints. When compared against this ideal of greatness, it may be difficult to see Nephi Anderson's sprawling Added Upon as a literary victory. And it isn't. At least not from this criteria. Instead I choose to look at Added Upon from another criteria mentioned by Whitney- namely his injunction for LDS writers "not to follow after the world." In this respect, the novel is indeed a success.Anderson's faithfulness to this counsel not to write in a worldly way imposes some obvious disadvantages when he is to be placed under literary criticism. Critics after all, are most apt to critique the elements of Anderson's writing, such as light character development and accelerated plot structures that least figure into the overarching spiritual purpose of the novel. What they fail to notice is that Anderson never intends to impress his literary devices upon the reader, but that he instead chooses to minimalize these areas as he draws focus to the central message of his work- God's plan of salvation for His children.
What makes Added Upon great is not it's literary makeup but its devotion to the beautiful theme beneath it all- the gospel of Jesus Christ. Never once does Anderson hide his unwavering faith in the message amid literary conventions. Neither does he seek to impress with thrilling plot device. Rather he puts the truth as he sees it, simple and unadorned as it is, front and center. All in the hope that the reader will be converted not to device or form but to the underlying message of the work. And that is to be admired.
