Apartment 51

Madeleine L’Engle was an influential writer of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Although most of her most popular books are children’s books, her stories are read by all ages and in many languages as well. A Wrinkle in Time was a children’s book, but with the deep psychological and religious matter plus the complicated scientific aspects, it is appropriate for older ages too. L’Engle was open with delving into religious thoughts and obstacles in her writing, which received criticism from her secular readers and the extremely Christian readers. But through her diverse audiences, descriptive writing style, and her unique twist on reality, L’Engle created works that challenge traditional literature. She brought to life her own life experiences with plots and characters that had a deviation from normal life. This juxtaposition of the cold-hard truth and the artistic license she relied so heavily upon, made her stand out as an influential and gifted writer (Kort).

Named after her grandmother who went by “Mado,” Madeleine L’Engle was born in New York City to Madeleine and Charles Wadsworth Camp. L’Engle went to school in Switzerland before returning to the States to be close to her elderly grandparents in Florida (Follett’s). L’Engle was accused of plagiarizing a poem she wrote in grade school, and her concentrated interest on writing took a toll on her grades (Pamela). She performed on Broadway, ran a general store in Connecticut, and had a family. She attended many colleges to receive a doctorate in a number of different subjects (“About”).

A Wrinkle in Time was one of L’Engle’s most popular and influential books. Published in 1962 after rejection by at least 26 publishers, it dealt with compelling social issues and things outside the normal of children’s literature. When L’Engle was writing it, she had no clear audience in mind, just humanity in general. Perhaps this is why it is so universal. It can be interpreted by various ages, cultures and religions. There are Greek, Italian, and French quotes in the book which make it more challenging. It also mentions quantum mechanics and mega parsecs. This proves L’Engle’s belief that science goes hand in hand with religion (Abernathy). The book is influenced not by a certain religion, but it does delve into the divine and a major theme is good vs. evil. It continues to be published today and a movie adaptation was produced in 2003. This Disney movie didn’t achieve lasting, widespread popularity, but it did interest more youth to read the book. It received a Newbery Medal one year after its publication (Follett’s).

Criticism for A Wrinkle in Time came about because of the controversy over the role of religion in the book. The secular critics claimed it was too religious. Many Christians claimed it wasn’t religious at all. Some found the strange but kind witches in the story evil and saw the otherworldly settings L’Engle created as demonic or too odd. L’Engle adopted a little girl of family friends who had died (Pamel, she also directed the local Congressional church choir. She believed in salvation for every single soul and did a lot of her writing at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where she was buried. However, L’Engle did not distinguish herself as a Christian writer. She claimed “I’m a writer. No adjectives. Christian is second,” (Abernathy). L’Engle won the Regina Medal, a library association sponsored by the catholic church. She went BYU in 1984 and got an Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Theology from Berkeley Divinity School, Berkeley, California (Abernathy). Because of the heated debate over L’Engle’s use of the divine, she is one of the Top Ten Banned Writers in America. While some schools have banned her books, others use A Wrinkle in Time in their curriculum. The reception of this book proves the influence of itself. In 2007, an online poll by the National Education Association named A Wrinkle in Time as one of "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." It was also a "Top 100 Chapter Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal (“A Wrinkle”).

The literary devices in the book are diverse but have a common style and language. The point of view is limited omniscient. Meg is the main character and the story is limited to her situation, thoughts and position throughout the story. A key literary device is imagery. Her descriptions of winged centaurs have to be just as convincing as how she describes Meg’s normal bed-time snack. She uses foil as a strengthener to the theme between good and evil. In her classic opening line “It was a dark and stormy night,” readers see the use of foreshadowing. She uses suspense to keep the reader interested and probe the plot along. Characterization is thorough but pure. L’Engle gives the reader enough information to imagine the character in their own mind.

The influence of A Wrinkle in Time is huge. The novel was turned into a movie, a play, a graphic novel and an opera. The book is in its 66^th printing and The fact that the book was a Sci-fi book with a female protagonist was revolutionary, especially for the 60s (Pamela). A female heroine is slightly more uncommon and its also uncommon for the main girl to not have a serious romantic relationship. The novel manages to be not just a ‘girl book’ even though the main character is a girl.

L’Engle’s use of science fiction motifs, strong imagery and intriguing themes set her apart from other writers as more modern, influential writer. A Wrinkle in Time challenge views of the traditional role of religious matters in literature and opened new possibilities for the success of female heroines. Whether the book is heralded as an avant-garde piece of art or as an evil book filled with ‘New Age’ content that “challenges religious beliefs,” (“A Wrinkle”) it is without question that A Wrinkle in Time influenced the generation it was published in and today’s generation, despite different issues in their societies.