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A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle.[2] First published in 1962,[3] the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.[4][a] The main characters – Meg Murry, Charles Wallace Murry, and Calvin O'Keefe – embark on a journey through space and time, from galaxy to galaxy, as they endeavor to rescue the Murrys' father and fight The Black Thing that has intruded into several worlds.

A Wrinkle in Time
First-edition dust jacket
AuthorMadeleine L'Engle
IllustratorEllen Raskin (1960s editions)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult, science fantasy
PublisherAriel Books
Publication date
January 1, 1962
OCLC22421788
LC ClassPZ7.L5385 Wr 1962[1]
Followed byA Wind in the Door 

The novel offers a glimpse into the war between light and darkness, and good and evil, as the young characters mature into adolescents on their journey.[5] The novel wrestles with questions of spirituality and purpose, as the characters are often thrown into conflicts of love, divinity, and goodness.[5] It is the first book in L'Engle's Time Quintet, which follows the Murry family and O'Keefe.

L'Engle modeled the Murry family on her own. B.E. Cullinan noted that L'Engle created characters who "share common joy with a mixed fantasy and science fiction setting".[6] The novel's scientific and religious undertones are therefore highly reflective of the life of L'Engle.[7]

The book has inspired a 2003 television film directed by John Kent Harrison, and a 2018 theatrical film directed by Ava DuVernay, both produced by The Walt Disney Company.

Background edit

Raised in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, author Madeleine L'Engle began writing at a young age.[8] After graduating from boarding school in Switzerland, she attended Smith College, where she earned a degree in English.[9] In addition to writing, L'Engle also gained experience as an actor and playwright.[8] At age forty, she nearly abandoned her career as a novelist, but continued to write after her publication of Meet the Austins.[8]

L'Engle wrote A Wrinkle in Time between 1959 and 1960.[10] In her memoir, L'Engle explains that the book was conceived "during a time of transition".[11] After years of living in rural Goshen, Connecticut where they ran a general store, L'Engle's family, the Franklins, moved back to New York City, first taking a ten-week camping trip across the country. L'Engle writes that "we drove through a world of deserts and buttes and leafless mountains, wholly new and alien to me. And suddenly into my mind came the names, Mrs Whatsit. Mrs Who. Mrs Which."[11] This was in the spring of 1959. When asked for more information in an interview with Horn Book magazine in 1983, L'Engle responded

I cannot possibly tell you how I came to write it. It was simply a book I had to write. I had no choice. It was only after it was written that I realized what some of it meant.[12]

L'Engle has also described the novel as her "psalm of praise to life, [her] stand for life against death."[12]

Additionally, L'Engle drew upon her interest in science. The novel includes references to Einstein's theory of relativity and Planck's quantum theory.[8]

A Wrinkle in Time is the first novel in the Time Quintet, a series of five young-adult novels by L'Engle.[13] Later books include A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time.[13] The series follows the adventures of Meg Murry, her youngest brother Charles Wallace Murry, their friend Calvin O'Keefe, and her twin siblings Sandy and Dennys Murry.[13] Throughout the series, family members band together to travel through time as they attempt to save the world from the grasps of evil.[13]

Publication history edit

Upon completion in 1960, the novel was rejected by at least 26 publishers, because it was, in L'Engle's words, "too different," and "because it deals overtly with the problem of evil, and it was really difficult for children, and was it a children's or an adults' book, anyhow?"[3][11]

In "A special message from Madeleine L'Engle", L'Engle offers another possible reason for the rejections: "A Wrinkle in Time had a female protagonist in a science fiction book",[14] which at the time was rare.

After trying "forty-odd" publishers (L'Engle later said "twenty-six rejections"), L'Engle's agent returned the manuscript to her. Then at Christmas, L'Engle threw a tea party for her mother. One of the guests happened to know J.C. Farrar of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and he insisted that L'Engle should meet with him.[14] Although the publisher did not, at the time, publish a line of children's books, Farrar met L'Engle, liked the novel, and ultimately published it under the Ariel imprint.[14]

In 1963, the book won the Newbery Medal, an annual award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American children's literature. The book has been continuously in print since its first publication. The hardback edition is still published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. The original blue dust jacket by Ellen Raskin was replaced with new art by Leo and Diane Dillon, with the publication of A Swiftly Tilting Planet in 1978. The book has also been published in a 25th anniversary collectors' edition (limited to 500 signed and numbered copies), at least two book club editions (one hardback, one Scholastic Book Services paperback), as a trade paperback under the Dell Yearling imprint, and as a mass market paperback under the Dell Laurel-Leaf imprint. The cover art on the paperback editions has changed several times since its first publication.[15]

The book was reissued by Square Fish in trade and mass market paperback formats in May 2007, along with the rest of the Time Quintet. This new edition includes a previously unpublished interview with L'Engle as well as a transcription of her Newbery Medal acceptance speech.[16]

Plot summary edit

One night, thirteen-year-old Meg Murry meets an eccentric new neighbor, Mrs. Whatsit, who refers to something called a tesseract. Meg later finds out it is a scientific concept her father was working on before his mysterious disappearance. The following day, Meg, her child genius brother Charles Wallace, and fellow schoolmate Calvin visit Mrs. Whatsit's home, where the equally strange Mrs. Who and the voice of the unseen Mrs. Which promise to help Meg find and rescue her father.

Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which turn out to be supernatural beings who teleport Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe through the universe by means of a tesseract, a fifth-dimensional phenomenon explained as folding the fabric of space and time; this form of travel is called tessering. Their first stop is the planet Uriel, a world inhabited by centaur-like beings who live in a state of light and love, fighting against the approaching darkness. There, the Mrs. Ws demonstrate to the children how the universe is under attack from an evil being that appears particularly clearly on Uriel as an overwhelming dark cloud, called The Black Thing. They then take the children to Orion's Belt to visit the Happy Medium, a far-seeing person with a crystal ball through which they are shown that Earth is partially covered by the darkness, although great religious figures, philosophers, scientists, and artists, have been fighting against it. Mrs. Whatsit is revealed to be a former star, who exploded in an act of self-sacrifice to fight the darkness.

The three Mrs. Ws tesser the children to the edge of the inhabited part of a dark planet named Camazotz, which has succumbed to The Black Thing, and where the Mrs. Ws cannot themselves enter. Meg's and Charles Wallace's father, Alex Murry, is imprisoned in a nearby city because he refused to yield to the group mind that causes inhabitants to behave in a mechanical way. When they reach the CENTRAL Central Intelligence building, Charles Wallace deliberately allows himself to be hypnotized, in order to find where their father is kept. Controlled by the group mind, Charles Wallace takes Meg and Calvin to the place where Meg's father is being held prisoner. He then takes them to IT, the disembodied brain with powerful telepathic abilities that controls the planet. Using special powers from Mrs. Who's glasses, Meg is able to reach her father, who tessers Calvin, Meg, and himself to the adjacent planet Ixchel, before IT can control them all. Charles Wallace is left behind, still under the influence of IT, Meg is paralyzed from contact with The Black Thing during the trip, and Dr. Murry suffers broken ribs. The inhabitants of Ixchel are beast-like, with featureless faces, tentacles, and four arms. Despite their frightening appearance, they prove to be both wise and gentle; one cures Meg's paralysis, prompting Meg to nickname it "Aunt Beast".

The trio of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which arrive on Ixchel, before Alex Murry has recovered, and assign the rescue of Charles Wallace to Meg alone. Arriving at the building where IT resides, she finds Charles Wallace still under IT's control. Inspired by hints from the Mrs. Ws, Meg focuses all her love on Charles Wallace and is able to free him from IT, at which point Mrs. Which remotely tessers Meg and Charles Wallace off Camazotz.

They all then tesser back to Earth, to the edge of the forest near the Murry home, and back to the moment in time just after the Mrs. Ws and the children originally left Earth. Then the Mrs. Ws vanish.[b]

Characters edit

Main characters edit

Margaret "Meg" Murry edit

Meg is the oldest child of scientists Alex and Kate Murry, about thirteen years old. Introduced on the first page of the book, she is the story's main protagonist. One of Kate Murry's "abnormal" children, she seems to have a temper and a difficult time focusing in school. She was portrayed by Katie Stuart in the 2003 film and by Storm Reid in the 2018 film.

Charles Wallace Murry edit

Charles Wallace is the youngest Murry child, at six years old. Charles Wallace speaks only to his family, but can empathically or telepathically read certain people's thoughts and feelings. He was portrayed by David Dorfman in the 2003 film and by Deric McCabe in the 2018 film.

Calvin O'Keefe edit

Calvin is the third oldest of Paddy and Branwen O'Keefe's eleven children: a tall, thin, red-haired 14-year-old high school junior. He was portrayed by Gregory Smith in the 2003 film, and by Levi Miller in the 2018 film.

Supernatural characters edit

 
Hardcover art by Leo and Diane Dillon, showing the "Mrs Ws".

Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which edit

The Mrs. Ws are immortal beings who can travel across large stretches of both space and time by dematerializing and rematerializing ("tessering"). They are all capable of shapeshifting, but appear as elderly women for almost all of the story.

Mrs. Whatsit is the youngest of the Mrs. Ws (despite being 2,379,152,497 years, 8 months, and 3 days old), and has the most interaction with the children. In a past life she was a star, and when reminded, still grieves for the loss of life on her former planets, when the star she was, died.

Mrs. Who communicates by quoting (and translating) literary sayings in Latin, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, and Greek. When the Mrs. Ws leave the group on Camazotz, for no immediately obvious reason, Mrs. Who loans Meg her glasses.

Mrs. Which is the leader of the three women, the oldest of them, and the most skilled at tessering. However, she has nearly forgotten what a body is like, so has difficulty maintaining a solid form, and because of this does make a mistake while tessering to Camazotz. She is usually business-like and unemotional towards the children.

IT edit

 
Book cover art (1976) by Richard Bober

"IT" is the telepathic brain that controls the planet of Camazotz. IT appears as a giant-sized, disembodied human brain, housed in a transparent jar. While IT usually speaks through one of its pawns (such as the Man with Red Eyes) IT can speak directly to people via telepathy. IT is either an avatar or a servant of The Black Thing.

The Black Thing edit

The Black Thing, a formless, shadowy being, is the source of all evil in the universe.

Secondary characters edit

Dr. Alexander "Alex" Murry edit

Alex Murry, the father of the Murry children, is a physicist who is researching tesseracts and their relation to the mysteries of the space / time continuum. At the start of the novel, he has been missing for some time.

Dr. Katherine "Kate" Murry edit

Katherine Murry, the mother of the Murry children, is a microbiologist. She is considered beautiful by the Murry children and others, having "flaming red hair", creamy skin, and violet eyes with long dark lashes.

Sandy and Dennys Murry edit

Sandy (named after his father Alexander, also goes by "Xan") and his twin brother Dennys ("Den") are the middle children in the Murry family, older than Charles Wallace but younger than Meg. They are 10 years old and are depicted as inseparable at the time of this book. They are the only "normal" and socially accepted children in the Murry family.

Mrs. Buncombe edit

Mrs. Buncombe is the wife of the constable in Meg's hometown.

Mr. Jenkins edit

Mr. Jenkins is Meg's high-school principal who implies that her family is in denial about Dr. Alex Murry's true whereabouts.

Supporting alien characters edit

Happy Medium edit

The Happy Medium is human in appearance, but of uncertain gender. She uses her powers and a crystal ball to look at distant places and people. She prefers to look for happy events and her customary demeanor is jolly, but becomes sad upon viewing sad events. She lives in a cavern on a planet in Orion's Belt.

Aunt Beast edit

Aunt Beast is a nurturing creature who cares after Meg on the planet Ixchel, the next planet out from Camazotz, nursing Meg back towards wholeness after exposure to The Black Thing. "Aunt Beast" is a name created by Meg that the character accepts; her actual name, if any, is not given. She is a human-sized, furry, four-armed, eyeless gray creature with telepathic abilities. Instead of fingers she has numerous long, waving tentacles.

Analysis edit

Religion edit

The novel is highly spiritualized, with notable influences of divine intervention and prominent undertones of religious messages.[17] According to James Beasley Simpson, the overwhelming love and desire for light within the novel is directly representative of a Christian love for God and Jesus Christ.[17] Furthermore, the children encounter spiritual intervention, signaling God's presence in the ordinary, as well as the extendibility of God's power and love.[5] Madeleine L'Engle's fantasy works are in part highly expressive of her Christian viewpoint in a manner somewhat similar to that of Christian fantasy writer C.S. Lewis.[c] L'Engle's liberal Christianity has been the target of criticism from conservative Christians, especially with respect to certain elements of A Wrinkle in Time.[19]

L'Engle utilizes numerous religious references and allusions in the naming of locations within the novel. Camazotz is the name of a Mayan bat god, one of L'Engle's many mythological allusions in her nomenclature.[20] The name Ixchel refers to a Mayan jaguar goddess of medicine.[20] Uriel is a planet with extremely tall mountains, an allusion to the Archangel Uriel. It is inhabited by creatures that resemble winged centaurs. It is "the third planet of the star Malak (meaning 'angel' in Hebrew) in the spiral galaxy Messier 101", which would place it at roughly 21 million light-years from Earth. The site of Mrs Whatsit's temporary transformation into one of these winged creatures, it is the place where "the guardian angels show the questers a vision of the universe that is obscured on earth."[19](p 26) The three women are described as ancient beings who act as guardian angels.[19](p 26)

The theme of picturing the fight of good against evil as a battle of light and darkness is a recurring one. Its manner is reminiscent of the prologue to the Gospel of John, which is quoted within the book.[6] When the Mrs Ws reveal their secret roles in the cosmic fight against darkness, they ask the children to name some figures on Earth, a partially dark planet, who fight the darkness. They name Jesus and, later in the discussion, the Buddha is named as well.

Nevertheless, religious journalist Sarah Pulliam Bailey doubts whether the novel contains religious undertones.[7] Bailey explains that many readers somehow believe the novel promotes witchcraft, as opposed to alluding to Christian spirituality.[7] Bailey states that conservative Christians take offense, due to the novel's potential relativistic qualities, suggesting the various interpretations of religious allusions signals anti-Christian sentiments.[7] However, in her personal journal referencing A Wrinkle in Time, L'Engle confirms the religious content within the novel: "If I've ever written a book that says what I feel about God and the universe, this is it."[7]

Conformity edit

Themes of conformity and yielding to the status quo are prominent in the novel:

IT is a powerful dominant group that manipulates the planet of Camazotz into conformity. Even Charles Wallace falls prey and is hence persuaded to conform. It is thanks to Meg that she and her father and brother are able to break from conformity.[d]

According to Charlotte Jones Voiklis, the author's granddaughter, the story was not a simple allegory of communism; in a three-page passage that was cut before publication, the process of domination and conformity is said to be an outcome of dictatorship under totalitarian regimes, and of an intemperate desire for security in democratic countries.[22][23]

J. Fulton writes:

L'Engle's fiction for young readers is considered important partly because she was among the first to focus directly on the deep, delicate issues that young people must face, such as death, social conformity, and truth. L'Engle's work always is uplifting because she is able to look at the surface values of life from a perspective of wholeness, both joy and pain, transcending each to uncover the absolute nature of human experience that they share.[21](v 2, p 596)[e]

Conformity on Camazotz edit

Camazotz is a planet of extreme, enforced conformity, ruled by a disembodied brain called IT. Camazotz is similar to Earth, with familiar trees such as birches, pines, and maples, an ordinary hill on which the children arrive, and a town with smokestacks, which "might have been one of any number of familiar towns". The horror of the place arises from its ordinary appearance, endlessly duplicated. The houses are "all exactly alike, small square boxes painted gray", which, according to author Donald Hettinga, signals a comparison to "the burgeoning American suburbia", such as the post-war housing developments of Levittown, New York.[24][improper synthesis?] The people who live in the houses are similarly described as "mother figures" who "all gave the appearance of being the same".

W. Blackburn compared Camazotz to "an early sixties American image of life in a communist state", which Blackburn later dismissed.[25]

Feminism edit

A Wrinkle in Time has also received praise for empowering young female readers.[26] Critics have celebrated L'Engle's depiction of Meg Murry, a young, precocious heroine whose curiosity and intellect help save the world from evil.[27] The New York Times has described this portrayal as "a departure from the typical 'girls' book' protagonist – as wonderful as many of those varied characters are".[28]

In doing so, L'Engle has been credited for paving the way for other bright heroines, including Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter book series, as well as Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games trilogy.[27] Regarding her choice to include a female protagonist, L'Engle has stated in her acceptance speech upon receiving the Margaret Edwards Award, "I'm a female. Why would I give all the best ideas to a male?"[27]

Reception edit

At the time of the book's publication, Kirkus Reviews said:

Readers who relish symbolic reference may find this trip through time and space an exhilarating experience; the rest will be forced to ponder the double entendres.[29]

According to The Horn Book Magazine:

Here is a confusion of science, philosophy, satire, religion, literary allusions, and quotations that will no doubt have many critics. I found it fascinating ... It makes unusual demands on the imagination and consequently gives great rewards.[30]

In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1956 to 1965, librarian Carolyn Horovitz wrote:

There is no question but that the book is good entertainment and that the writer carries the story along with a great deal of verve; there is some question about the depth of its quality.[31]

In a 2011 essay for Tor.com, American author and critic Mari Ness called A Wrinkle in Time

a book that refuses to talk down to its readers, believing them able to grasp the difficult concepts of mathematics, love and the battle between good and evil. And that's quite something.[32]

A 2004 study found that A Wrinkle in Time was a common read-aloud book for sixth-graders in schools in San Diego County, California.[33] Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' top 100 books for children."[34] It was one of the "Top 100 chapter books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.[35]

In 2016, the novel saw a spike in sales after Chelsea Clinton mentioned it as influential in her childhood in a speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[36]

Controversy edit

A Wrinkle in Time is on the American Library Association list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990–2000 at number 23.[37] The novel has been accused of being both anti-religious and anti-Christian for its inclusion of witches and crystal balls, and for containing "New Age" spiritual themes that do not reflect traditional Christian teachings.[38][39]

According to USA Today, the novel was challenged in a school district in the state of Alabama due to the "book's listing the name of Jesus Christ together with the names of great artists, philosophers, scientists, and religious leaders when referring to those who defend Earth against evil."[38] The novel was also challenged in 1984 by an elementary school in Polk City, Florida when parents claimed that the novel promoted witchcraft.[40]

Regarding this controversy, L'Engle told The New York Times:

It seems people are willing to damn the book without reading it. Nonsense about witchcraft and fantasy. First I felt horror, then anger, and finally I said, 'Aw, the hell with it.' It's great publicity, really.[41]

Audio books edit

In 1994, Listening Library released an unabridged, 4 cassette audio edition read by the author.[42]

On January 10, 2012, Audible released a 50th anniversary edition recorded by Hope Davis.[43]

 
From left: David Dorfman as Charles Wallace Murry, Katie Stuart as Meg Murry, and Gregory Smith as Calvin O'Keefe on the planet Uriel

Film adaptations edit

In 2003, a television adaptation of the novel was made by a collaboration of Canadian production companies, to be distributed in the United States by Disney. The movie was directed by John Kent Harrison, with a teleplay by Susan Shilliday. It stars Katie Stuart as Meg Murry, Alfre Woodard as Mrs. Whatsit, Alison Elliott as Mrs. Who, and Kate Nelligan as Mrs. Which. In an interview with MSNBC / Newsweek, when L'Engle was asked if the film "met her expectations", she said, "I have glimpsed it ... I expected it to be bad, and it is."[44]

A theatrical feature film adaptation of the novel, by Walt Disney Pictures, was released in 2018. The film was directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell. It stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Storm Reid, Michael Peña, and Zach Galifianakis.[45][46]

Plays edit

An adaptation by James Sie premiered at the Lifeline Theatre in Chicago in 1990, and returned to the stage in 1998 and 2017.[47]

John Glore adapted the novel as a play that premiered in 2010. It was written for 6 actors playing 12 parts. One actor plays Mrs Whatsit, the Man with Red Eyes, and Camazotz Man. Similarly, another performer plays the characters of Dr. Kate Murry, Mrs Who, Camazotz Woman, and Aunt Beast. The stage adaptation premiered in Costa Mesa, California, with productions in Bethesda, Maryland; Cincinnati; Philadelphia; Orlando; Portland, Oregon; and other cities.[48][49]

An adaptation by Tracy Young premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in April 2014, with productions at colleges and theaters around the U.S.[50]

Opera edit

In 1992, OperaDelaware (known for frequently adapting children's books) staged an opera based on A Wrinkle in Time written by Libby Larsen with a libretto by Walter Green. The review in Philly.com stated: "The composer does not place arias and set pieces, but conversational ensembles with spoken dialogue that made the young daughter's climactic but concise song about familial love all the more imposing."[51][52]

Graphic novel edit

In 2010, Hope Larson announced that she was writing and illustrating the official graphic novel version of the book. This version was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in October 2012.[53][54]

Further reading edit

  • Soares, Manuela (2003). A Reading Guide to A Wrinkle in Time. Scholastic BookFiles. ISBN 0-439-46364-5.
  • Chase, Carole F. (1998). Suncatcher: A study of Madeleine L'Engle and her writing. Innisfree Press. p. 170. ISBN 1-880913-31-3.

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ The biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award for children's writing was inaugurated in 1956, recognizing a single book published during the preceding two years. Since the first three renditions – that is, from 1962 – it has recognized a living author for a lasting contribution, considering his or her complete works. Nevertheless, a "Runner-Up List" with single book titles was published from 1960–1964.[55]
  2. ^ The effect of Meg's rescue of Charles Walace on IT and the fate of the people of Camazotz are not shown or described (although Meg hopefully wonders if IT would shrivel up and die if she could love it). After they vanish at the end of the book, the three Mrs. Ws never re‑appear in L'Engle's stories.
  3. ^ L'Engle was herself the official writer-in-residence at New York City's Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine, which is known for its prominent position in the liberal wing of the Episcopal Church.[18]
  4. ^ ... the importance of both individual initiative and family interaction is a thematic thread. L'Engle made both the Murry adults highly talented, both intellectually and scientifically. This was atypical of fiction published in the 1950s, when the book was written. Female characters rarely were featured as intellectuals or scientists. L'Engle has been praised for this departure as well as for her creation of strong female characters. Critics even suggested that in making Meg the protagonist in A Wrinkle in Time, L'Engle opened the door for the many female protagonists who have appeared in more recent fantasy and science fiction.   — J. Fulton (2002)[21](v 2, p 597–598)
  5. ^ Madeleine L'Engle's view of the universe was changed by the work of such well-known physicists as Albert Einstein and Max Planck. She expressed her new perspective in A Wrinkle in Time ...   — J. Fulton (2002)[21](v 2, p 596)

References edit

  1. ^ A Wrinkle in Time. LC Online Catalog. U.S. Library of Congress. 1962. ISBN 9780374386139. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  2. ^ "The Mystery Behind 'A Wrinkle in Time' Cover Art Is Solved". NY Times. September 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b L'Unji, Madeleine (2007). Go Fish: Questions for the Author. A Wrinkle in Time (Report). New York, NY: Square Fish. p. 236. ISBN 978-0-312-36754-1.
  4. ^ Chase, Carole F. (1998). Suncatcher: A study of Madeleine L'Engle and her writing. Philadelphia, PA: Innisfree Press. p. 170. ISBN 1-880913-31-3.
  5. ^ a b c Thomas (2006). "L'Engle, Madeleine". In Dowling, E.M.; Scarlett, W.G. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications – via Credo Reference.
  6. ^ a b Cullinan, Bernice E. (2005). "L'Engle, Madeleine". In Cullinan, B.E.; Person, D.G. (eds.). Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. London, UK: Continuum – via Credo Reference.
  7. ^ a b c d e Bailey, Sarah Pulliam (March 8, 2018). "Publishers rejected her, Christians attacked her: The deep faith of A Wrinkle in Time author Madeleine L'Engle". Biography in Context. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 29, 2018 – via Gale Group.
  8. ^ a b c d Martin, Douglas (September 8, 2007). "Madeleine L'Engle, writer of children's classics, is dead at 88". The New York Times (obituary). ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  9. ^ "14 things to know about Madeleine L'Engle's life and legacy". Office of Alumnae Relations. alumnae.smith.edu. Smith College. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  10. ^ L'Engle, Madeleine (1987) [1962]. A Wrinkle in Time (25th anniversary collectors' limited ed.). New York, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. pp. viii–ix.
  11. ^ a b c L'Engle, Madeleine (January 1972). A Circle of Quiet. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. pp. 5–6, 21, 66, 217–218. ISBN 0-374-12374-8.
  12. ^ a b Melcher, Michael (September 8, 2007). "What I Learned from Madeleine L'Engle". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d Gooding, Richard (2021). ""We do not have whims on the moon": A Wrinkle in Time, The Lotus Caves, and the Problem of American Exceptionalism in 1960s Science Fiction for Children". The Lion and the Unicorn. 45 (3): 291–308. doi:10.1353/uni.2021.0025. ISSN 1080-6563. S2CID 248406307.
  14. ^ a b c L'Engle, Madeleine (2004). . A Wrinkle in Time. Teachers @ Random. Random House. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  15. ^ "A Wrinkle in Time's cover art". AbeBooks. June 3, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  16. ^ "It's time to read A Wrinkle in Time". Square Fish Books. 2007. from the original on March 3, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2007.
  17. ^ a b Simpson, J.B. (1988). "Humankind – Religion – Spirituality". Simpson's Contemporary Quotations. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin – via credoreference.com.
  18. ^ Chan, Sewell (November 30, 2008). "Repaired after fire, cathedral reopens". The New York Times.
  19. ^ a b c d e Hettinga, Donald (May–June 1998). "A wrinkle in faith: The unique spiritual pilgrimage of Madeleine L'Engle". Books & Culture: A Christian Review. Christianity Today.
  20. ^ a b Stott, Jon (Fall 1977). "Midsummer night's dreams: Fantasy and self-realization in children's fiction". The Lion and the Unicorn. 1 (2): 25–39. doi:10.1353/uni.0.0401. S2CID 145776252.; cited by Hettinga[19](pp 27, 30)
  21. ^ a b c Fulton, Jean C. (2002). . In Fiona Kelleghan (ed.). Classics of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature. Vol. 2. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press. p. 596. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  22. ^ "A Wrinkle in Time excerpt". The Wall Street Journal.
  23. ^ Maloney, Jennifer (April 16, 2015). "A new Wrinkle in Time". The Wall Street Journal.
  24. ^ Hettinga, Donald R. (1993). Presenting Madeleine L'Engle. New York, NY: Twayne Publishers. p. 27. ISBN 0-8057-8222-2.
  25. ^ Blackburn, William (1985). "Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time: Seeking the original face". Touchstones: Reflections on the Best in Children's Literature. 1: 125. Cited by Hettinga[19](p 27)
  26. ^ Doll, Jen (January 30, 2017). "11 Young-Adult Books for Stoking the Feminist Fire". The Strategist. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  27. ^ a b c Escobar, Natalie (January 2016). "The remarkable influence of A Wrinkle in Time". Smithsonian magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  28. ^ Paul, Pamela (January 27, 2012). "A Wrinkle in Time and its sci-fi heroine". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  29. ^ "A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle". Kirkus Reviews. March 1, 1962. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  30. ^ "What did we think of ... ?". The Horn Book Magazine. January 24, 1999. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  31. ^ Horovitz, Carolyn (1965). "Only the Best". In Kingman, Lee (ed.). Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books: 1956-1965. Boston: The Horn Book, Incorporated. p. 159. LCCN 65-26759.
  32. ^ Ness, Mari (December 15, 2011). "There is such a thing as a tesseract: A Wrinkle in Time". Tor.com. Macmillan. from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  33. ^ Fisher, Douglas; et al. (2004). (PDF). The Reading Teacher. 58 (1): 8–17. doi:10.1598/RT.58.1.1. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  34. ^ "Teachers' top 100 books for children". National Education Association. 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  35. ^ Bird, Elizabeth (July 7, 2012). . A Fuse #8 Production (blog). School Library Journal. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  36. ^ Brogan, Jacob (July 29, 2016). "The book Chelsea Clinton touted as her childhood favorite is now outselling Trump's Art of the Deal". Slate. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  37. ^ . Banned Books Week. American Library Association. 2007. Archived from the original on April 4, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2007.
  38. ^ a b Matheson, Whitney (September 29, 2004). "Some of the best books in life are ... banned?". USA Today. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  39. ^ Baron, Henry J. (October 1993). "Wrinkle on Trial" (PDF). Christian Educators Journal. 33 (1): 10–11.
  40. ^ Nicolaou, Elena (March 2018). "Why is A Wrinkle In Time still so frequently banned?". Refinery29. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  41. ^ "Why was A Wrinkle in Time book banned - movie trailer, cast and UK release date". Metro. March 6, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  42. ^ L'Engle, Madeleine (1994). A Wrinkle in Time (audiobook ed.). Listening Library. ISBN 0-8072-7587-5.
  43. ^ L'Engle, Madeleine (January 10, 2012). A Wrinkle in Time. Davis, Hope; du Vernay, Ava (narrators); L'Engle, Madeleine (introduction) (audible 50th ann. ed.). Random House Audio. ISBN 9780307916600. ISBN 030791660X
  44. ^ Henneberger, Melinda (May 7, 2003). "'I dare you': Madeleine L'Engle on God, 'The da Vinci Code' and aging well". Newsweek. MSNBC. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  45. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 1, 2016). "Zach Galifianakis, Andre Holland, and Pan star Levi Miller join A Wrinkle in Time". Variety. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  46. ^ Gettell, Oliver (November 1, 2016). "A Wrinkle in Time adds Zach Galifianakis, André Holland, Rowan Blanchard". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  47. ^ Bommer, Lawrence (October 15, 1998). "A Wrinkle in Time". The Chicago Reader. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  48. ^ Carpenter, Susan (February 28, 2010). "Wrinkle in Time takes leap to South Coast Rep stage". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  49. ^ Wren, Celia (December 9, 2010). "A Wrinkle wrought smoothly for the stage". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
  50. ^ "A Wrinkle in Time". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. 2014 season plays. Ashland, OR. 2014.
  51. ^ Webster, Daniel (March 30, 1992). "'Wrinkle In Time' At Playhouse, Premiered By Operadelaware". Philly.com. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  52. ^ . libbylarsen.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  53. ^ "A first look at Hope Larson's A Wrinkle in Time". Comic Book Resources. 2010. from the original on August 29, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  54. ^ Arrant, Chris (August 31, 2010). "Hope Larson talks comics". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  55. ^ Glistrup, Eva (2002). "Half a century of the Hans Christian Andersen awards". The Hans Christian Andersen Awards, 1956–2002. International Board on Books for Young People / Gyldendal. pp. 14–21, esp. 15–16. Retrieved July 22, 2013 – via Austrian Literature Online (literature.at). This source does not identify those runners-up or report their number.

External links edit

  • . The Open Critic (review). Archived from the original on September 26, 2007.
  • A Wrinkle in Time title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  • A Wrinkle in Time (TV) (mini) at IMDb  
  • "A Wrinkle in Time". Official book site for the May 2007 release. May 2007.
Awards
Preceded by Newbery Medal recipient
1963
Succeeded by

wrinkle, time, film, adaptations, 2003, film, 2018, film, book, cosmology, wrinkles, time, young, adult, science, fantasy, novel, written, american, author, madeleine, engle, first, published, 1962, book, newbery, medal, sequoyah, book, award, lewis, carroll, . For the film adaptations see A Wrinkle in Time 2003 film and A Wrinkle in Time 2018 film For the book on cosmology see Wrinkles in Time A Wrinkle in Time is a young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L Engle 2 First published in 1962 3 the book won the Newbery Medal the Sequoyah Book Award the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and was runner up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 4 a The main characters Meg Murry Charles Wallace Murry and Calvin O Keefe embark on a journey through space and time from galaxy to galaxy as they endeavor to rescue the Murrys father and fight The Black Thing that has intruded into several worlds A Wrinkle in TimeFirst edition dust jacketAuthorMadeleine L EngleIllustratorEllen Raskin 1960s editions CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenreYoung adult science fantasyPublisherAriel BooksPublication dateJanuary 1 1962OCLC22421788LC ClassPZ7 L5385 Wr 1962 1 Followed byA Wind in the Door The novel offers a glimpse into the war between light and darkness and good and evil as the young characters mature into adolescents on their journey 5 The novel wrestles with questions of spirituality and purpose as the characters are often thrown into conflicts of love divinity and goodness 5 It is the first book in L Engle s Time Quintet which follows the Murry family and O Keefe L Engle modeled the Murry family on her own B E Cullinan noted that L Engle created characters who share common joy with a mixed fantasy and science fiction setting 6 The novel s scientific and religious undertones are therefore highly reflective of the life of L Engle 7 The book has inspired a 2003 television film directed by John Kent Harrison and a 2018 theatrical film directed by Ava DuVernay both produced by The Walt Disney Company Contents 1 Background 2 Publication history 3 Plot summary 4 Characters 4 1 Main characters 4 1 1 Margaret Meg Murry 4 1 2 Charles Wallace Murry 4 1 3 Calvin O Keefe 4 2 Supernatural characters 4 2 1 Mrs Whatsit Mrs Who and Mrs Which 4 2 2 IT 4 2 3 The Black Thing 4 3 Secondary characters 4 3 1 Dr Alexander Alex Murry 4 3 2 Dr Katherine Kate Murry 4 3 3 Sandy and Dennys Murry 4 3 4 Mrs Buncombe 4 3 5 Mr Jenkins 4 4 Supporting alien characters 4 4 1 Happy Medium 4 4 2 Aunt Beast 5 Analysis 5 1 Religion 5 2 Conformity 5 2 1 Conformity on Camazotz 5 3 Feminism 6 Reception 6 1 Controversy 6 2 Audio books 6 3 Film adaptations 6 4 Plays 6 5 Opera 6 6 Graphic novel 7 Further reading 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External linksBackground editRaised in the Upper East Side of Manhattan author Madeleine L Engle began writing at a young age 8 After graduating from boarding school in Switzerland she attended Smith College where she earned a degree in English 9 In addition to writing L Engle also gained experience as an actor and playwright 8 At age forty she nearly abandoned her career as a novelist but continued to write after her publication of Meet the Austins 8 L Engle wrote A Wrinkle in Time between 1959 and 1960 10 In her memoir L Engle explains that the book was conceived during a time of transition 11 After years of living in rural Goshen Connecticut where they ran a general store L Engle s family the Franklins moved back to New York City first taking a ten week camping trip across the country L Engle writes that we drove through a world of deserts and buttes and leafless mountains wholly new and alien to me And suddenly into my mind came the names Mrs Whatsit Mrs Who Mrs Which 11 This was in the spring of 1959 When asked for more information in an interview with Horn Book magazine in 1983 L Engle responded I cannot possibly tell you how I came to write it It was simply a book I had to write I had no choice It was only after it was written that I realized what some of it meant 12 L Engle has also described the novel as her psalm of praise to life her stand for life against death 12 Additionally L Engle drew upon her interest in science The novel includes references to Einstein s theory of relativity and Planck s quantum theory 8 A Wrinkle in Time is the first novel in the Time Quintet a series of five young adult novels by L Engle 13 Later books include A Wind in the Door A Swiftly Tilting Planet Many Waters and An Acceptable Time 13 The series follows the adventures of Meg Murry her youngest brother Charles Wallace Murry their friend Calvin O Keefe and her twin siblings Sandy and Dennys Murry 13 Throughout the series family members band together to travel through time as they attempt to save the world from the grasps of evil 13 Publication history editUpon completion in 1960 the novel was rejected by at least 26 publishers because it was in L Engle s words too different and because it deals overtly with the problem of evil and it was really difficult for children and was it a children s or an adults book anyhow 3 11 In A special message from Madeleine L Engle L Engle offers another possible reason for the rejections A Wrinkle in Time had a female protagonist in a science fiction book 14 which at the time was rare After trying forty odd publishers L Engle later said twenty six rejections L Engle s agent returned the manuscript to her Then at Christmas L Engle threw a tea party for her mother One of the guests happened to know J C Farrar of Farrar Straus and Giroux and he insisted that L Engle should meet with him 14 Although the publisher did not at the time publish a line of children s books Farrar met L Engle liked the novel and ultimately published it under the Ariel imprint 14 In 1963 the book won the Newbery Medal an annual award given by the Association for Library Service to Children a division of the American Library Association to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American children s literature The book has been continuously in print since its first publication The hardback edition is still published by Farrar Straus amp Giroux The original blue dust jacket by Ellen Raskin was replaced with new art by Leo and Diane Dillon with the publication of A Swiftly Tilting Planet in 1978 The book has also been published in a 25th anniversary collectors edition limited to 500 signed and numbered copies at least two book club editions one hardback one Scholastic Book Services paperback as a trade paperback under the Dell Yearling imprint and as a mass market paperback under the Dell Laurel Leaf imprint The cover art on the paperback editions has changed several times since its first publication 15 The book was reissued by Square Fish in trade and mass market paperback formats in May 2007 along with the rest of the Time Quintet This new edition includes a previously unpublished interview with L Engle as well as a transcription of her Newbery Medal acceptance speech 16 Plot summary editOne night thirteen year old Meg Murry meets an eccentric new neighbor Mrs Whatsit who refers to something called a tesseract Meg later finds out it is a scientific concept her father was working on before his mysterious disappearance The following day Meg her child genius brother Charles Wallace and fellow schoolmate Calvin visit Mrs Whatsit s home where the equally strange Mrs Who and the voice of the unseen Mrs Which promise to help Meg find and rescue her father Mrs Whatsit Mrs Who and Mrs Which turn out to be supernatural beings who teleport Meg Charles Wallace and Calvin O Keefe through the universe by means of a tesseract a fifth dimensional phenomenon explained as folding the fabric of space and time this form of travel is called tessering Their first stop is the planet Uriel a world inhabited by centaur like beings who live in a state of light and love fighting against the approaching darkness There the Mrs Ws demonstrate to the children how the universe is under attack from an evil being that appears particularly clearly on Uriel as an overwhelming dark cloud called The Black Thing They then take the children to Orion s Belt to visit the Happy Medium a far seeing person with a crystal ball through which they are shown that Earth is partially covered by the darkness although great religious figures philosophers scientists and artists have been fighting against it Mrs Whatsit is revealed to be a former star who exploded in an act of self sacrifice to fight the darkness The three Mrs Ws tesser the children to the edge of the inhabited part of a dark planet named Camazotz which has succumbed to The Black Thing and where the Mrs Ws cannot themselves enter Meg s and Charles Wallace s father Alex Murry is imprisoned in a nearby city because he refused to yield to the group mind that causes inhabitants to behave in a mechanical way When they reach the CENTRAL Central Intelligence building Charles Wallace deliberately allows himself to be hypnotized in order to find where their father is kept Controlled by the group mind Charles Wallace takes Meg and Calvin to the place where Meg s father is being held prisoner He then takes them to IT the disembodied brain with powerful telepathic abilities that controls the planet Using special powers from Mrs Who s glasses Meg is able to reach her father who tessers Calvin Meg and himself to the adjacent planet Ixchel before IT can control them all Charles Wallace is left behind still under the influence of IT Meg is paralyzed from contact with The Black Thing during the trip and Dr Murry suffers broken ribs The inhabitants of Ixchel are beast like with featureless faces tentacles and four arms Despite their frightening appearance they prove to be both wise and gentle one cures Meg s paralysis prompting Meg to nickname it Aunt Beast The trio of Mrs Whatsit Mrs Who and Mrs Which arrive on Ixchel before Alex Murry has recovered and assign the rescue of Charles Wallace to Meg alone Arriving at the building where IT resides she finds Charles Wallace still under IT s control Inspired by hints from the Mrs Ws Meg focuses all her love on Charles Wallace and is able to free him from IT at which point Mrs Which remotely tessers Meg and Charles Wallace off Camazotz They all then tesser back to Earth to the edge of the forest near the Murry home and back to the moment in time just after the Mrs Ws and the children originally left Earth Then the Mrs Ws vanish b Characters editFor appearances of these characters in other novels by L Engle see Major characters in the works of Madeleine L Engle Main characters edit Margaret Meg Murry edit See also Meg Murry Meg is the oldest child of scientists Alex and Kate Murry about thirteen years old Introduced on the first page of the book she is the story s main protagonist One of Kate Murry s abnormal children she seems to have a temper and a difficult time focusing in school She was portrayed by Katie Stuart in the 2003 film and by Storm Reid in the 2018 film Charles Wallace Murry edit See also Charles Wallace Murry Charles Wallace is the youngest Murry child at six years old Charles Wallace speaks only to his family but can empathically or telepathically read certain people s thoughts and feelings He was portrayed by David Dorfman in the 2003 film and by Deric McCabe in the 2018 film Calvin O Keefe edit See also Calvin O Keefe Calvin is the third oldest of Paddy and Branwen O Keefe s eleven children a tall thin red haired 14 year old high school junior He was portrayed by Gregory Smith in the 2003 film and by Levi Miller in the 2018 film Supernatural characters edit nbsp Hardcover art by Leo and Diane Dillon showing the Mrs Ws Mrs Whatsit Mrs Who and Mrs Which edit The Mrs Ws are immortal beings who can travel across large stretches of both space and time by dematerializing and rematerializing tessering They are all capable of shapeshifting but appear as elderly women for almost all of the story Mrs Whatsit is the youngest of the Mrs Ws despite being 2 379 152 497 years 8 months and 3 days old and has the most interaction with the children In a past life she was a star and when reminded still grieves for the loss of life on her former planets when the star she was died Mrs Who communicates by quoting and translating literary sayings in Latin Spanish Italian German French Portuguese and Greek When the Mrs Ws leave the group on Camazotz for no immediately obvious reason Mrs Who loans Meg her glasses Mrs Which is the leader of the three women the oldest of them and the most skilled at tessering However she has nearly forgotten what a body is like so has difficulty maintaining a solid form and because of this does make a mistake while tessering to Camazotz She is usually business like and unemotional towards the children IT edit nbsp Book cover art 1976 by Richard Bober IT is the telepathic brain that controls the planet of Camazotz IT appears as a giant sized disembodied human brain housed in a transparent jar While IT usually speaks through one of its pawns such as the Man with Red Eyes IT can speak directly to people via telepathy IT is either an avatar or a servant of The Black Thing The Black Thing edit The Black Thing a formless shadowy being is the source of all evil in the universe Secondary characters edit Dr Alexander Alex Murry edit Alex Murry the father of the Murry children is a physicist who is researching tesseracts and their relation to the mysteries of the space time continuum At the start of the novel he has been missing for some time Dr Katherine Kate Murry edit Katherine Murry the mother of the Murry children is a microbiologist She is considered beautiful by the Murry children and others having flaming red hair creamy skin and violet eyes with long dark lashes Sandy and Dennys Murry edit See also Sandy and Dennys Murry Sandy named after his father Alexander also goes by Xan and his twin brother Dennys Den are the middle children in the Murry family older than Charles Wallace but younger than Meg They are 10 years old and are depicted as inseparable at the time of this book They are the only normal and socially accepted children in the Murry family Mrs Buncombe edit Mrs Buncombe is the wife of the constable in Meg s hometown Mr Jenkins edit Mr Jenkins is Meg s high school principal who implies that her family is in denial about Dr Alex Murry s true whereabouts Supporting alien characters edit Happy Medium edit The Happy Medium is human in appearance but of uncertain gender She uses her powers and a crystal ball to look at distant places and people She prefers to look for happy events and her customary demeanor is jolly but becomes sad upon viewing sad events She lives in a cavern on a planet in Orion s Belt Aunt Beast edit Aunt Beast is a nurturing creature who cares after Meg on the planet Ixchel the next planet out from Camazotz nursing Meg back towards wholeness after exposure to The Black Thing Aunt Beast is a name created by Meg that the character accepts her actual name if any is not given She is a human sized furry four armed eyeless gray creature with telepathic abilities Instead of fingers she has numerous long waving tentacles Analysis editReligion edit The novel is highly spiritualized with notable influences of divine intervention and prominent undertones of religious messages 17 According to James Beasley Simpson the overwhelming love and desire for light within the novel is directly representative of a Christian love for God and Jesus Christ 17 Furthermore the children encounter spiritual intervention signaling God s presence in the ordinary as well as the extendibility of God s power and love 5 Madeleine L Engle s fantasy works are in part highly expressive of her Christian viewpoint in a manner somewhat similar to that of Christian fantasy writer C S Lewis c L Engle s liberal Christianity has been the target of criticism from conservative Christians especially with respect to certain elements of A Wrinkle in Time 19 L Engle utilizes numerous religious references and allusions in the naming of locations within the novel Camazotz is the name of a Mayan bat god one of L Engle s many mythological allusions in her nomenclature 20 The name Ixchel refers to a Mayan jaguar goddess of medicine 20 Uriel is a planet with extremely tall mountains an allusion to the Archangel Uriel It is inhabited by creatures that resemble winged centaurs It is the third planet of the star Malak meaning angel in Hebrew in the spiral galaxy Messier 101 which would place it at roughly 21 million light years from Earth The site of Mrs Whatsit s temporary transformation into one of these winged creatures it is the place where the guardian angels show the questers a vision of the universe that is obscured on earth 19 p 26 The three women are described as ancient beings who act as guardian angels 19 p 26 The theme of picturing the fight of good against evil as a battle of light and darkness is a recurring one Its manner is reminiscent of the prologue to the Gospel of John which is quoted within the book 6 When the Mrs Ws reveal their secret roles in the cosmic fight against darkness they ask the children to name some figures on Earth a partially dark planet who fight the darkness They name Jesus and later in the discussion the Buddha is named as well Nevertheless religious journalist Sarah Pulliam Bailey doubts whether the novel contains religious undertones 7 Bailey explains that many readers somehow believe the novel promotes witchcraft as opposed to alluding to Christian spirituality 7 Bailey states that conservative Christians take offense due to the novel s potential relativistic qualities suggesting the various interpretations of religious allusions signals anti Christian sentiments 7 However in her personal journal referencing A Wrinkle in Time L Engle confirms the religious content within the novel If I ve ever written a book that says what I feel about God and the universe this is it 7 Conformity edit Themes of conformity and yielding to the status quo are prominent in the novel IT is a powerful dominant group that manipulates the planet of Camazotz into conformity Even Charles Wallace falls prey and is hence persuaded to conform It is thanks to Meg that she and her father and brother are able to break from conformity d According to Charlotte Jones Voiklis the author s granddaughter the story was not a simple allegory of communism in a three page passage that was cut before publication the process of domination and conformity is said to be an outcome of dictatorship under totalitarian regimes and of an intemperate desire for security in democratic countries 22 23 J Fulton writes L Engle s fiction for young readers is considered important partly because she was among the first to focus directly on the deep delicate issues that young people must face such as death social conformity and truth L Engle s work always is uplifting because she is able to look at the surface values of life from a perspective of wholeness both joy and pain transcending each to uncover the absolute nature of human experience that they share 21 v 2 p 596 e Conformity on Camazotz edit Camazotz is a planet of extreme enforced conformity ruled by a disembodied brain called IT Camazotz is similar to Earth with familiar trees such as birches pines and maples an ordinary hill on which the children arrive and a town with smokestacks which might have been one of any number of familiar towns The horror of the place arises from its ordinary appearance endlessly duplicated The houses are all exactly alike small square boxes painted gray which according to author Donald Hettinga signals a comparison to the burgeoning American suburbia such as the post war housing developments of Levittown New York 24 improper synthesis The people who live in the houses are similarly described as mother figures who all gave the appearance of being the same W Blackburn compared Camazotz to an early sixties American image of life in a communist state which Blackburn later dismissed 25 Feminism edit A Wrinkle in Time has also received praise for empowering young female readers 26 Critics have celebrated L Engle s depiction of Meg Murry a young precocious heroine whose curiosity and intellect help save the world from evil 27 The New York Times has described this portrayal as a departure from the typical girls book protagonist as wonderful as many of those varied characters are 28 In doing so L Engle has been credited for paving the way for other bright heroines including Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter book series as well as Katniss Everdeen of the Hunger Games trilogy 27 Regarding her choice to include a female protagonist L Engle has stated in her acceptance speech upon receiving the Margaret Edwards Award I m a female Why would I give all the best ideas to a male 27 Reception editAt the time of the book s publication Kirkus Reviews said Readers who relish symbolic reference may find this trip through time and space an exhilarating experience the rest will be forced to ponder the double entendres 29 According to The Horn Book Magazine Here is a confusion of science philosophy satire religion literary allusions and quotations that will no doubt have many critics I found it fascinating It makes unusual demands on the imagination and consequently gives great rewards 30 In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal winning books from 1956 to 1965 librarian Carolyn Horovitz wrote There is no question but that the book is good entertainment and that the writer carries the story along with a great deal of verve there is some question about the depth of its quality 31 In a 2011 essay for Tor com American author and critic Mari Ness called A Wrinkle in Time a book that refuses to talk down to its readers believing them able to grasp the difficult concepts of mathematics love and the battle between good and evil And that s quite something 32 A 2004 study found that A Wrinkle in Time was a common read aloud book for sixth graders in schools in San Diego County California 33 Based on a 2007 online poll the National Education Association listed the book as one of its Teachers top 100 books for children 34 It was one of the Top 100 chapter books of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal 35 In 2016 the novel saw a spike in sales after Chelsea Clinton mentioned it as influential in her childhood in a speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention 36 Controversy edit A Wrinkle in Time is on the American Library Association list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990 2000 at number 23 37 The novel has been accused of being both anti religious and anti Christian for its inclusion of witches and crystal balls and for containing New Age spiritual themes that do not reflect traditional Christian teachings 38 39 According to USA Today the novel was challenged in a school district in the state of Alabama due to the book s listing the name of Jesus Christ together with the names of great artists philosophers scientists and religious leaders when referring to those who defend Earth against evil 38 The novel was also challenged in 1984 by an elementary school in Polk City Florida when parents claimed that the novel promoted witchcraft 40 Regarding this controversy L Engle told The New York Times It seems people are willing to damn the book without reading it Nonsense about witchcraft and fantasy First I felt horror then anger and finally I said Aw the hell with it It s great publicity really 41 Audio books edit In 1994 Listening Library released an unabridged 4 cassette audio edition read by the author 42 On January 10 2012 Audible released a 50th anniversary edition recorded by Hope Davis 43 nbsp From left David Dorfman as Charles Wallace Murry Katie Stuart as Meg Murry and Gregory Smith as Calvin O Keefe on the planet Uriel Film adaptations edit Further information A Wrinkle in Time 2003 film and A Wrinkle in Time 2018 film In 2003 a television adaptation of the novel was made by a collaboration of Canadian production companies to be distributed in the United States by Disney The movie was directed by John Kent Harrison with a teleplay by Susan Shilliday It stars Katie Stuart as Meg Murry Alfre Woodard as Mrs Whatsit Alison Elliott as Mrs Who and Kate Nelligan as Mrs Which In an interview with MSNBC Newsweek when L Engle was asked if the film met her expectations she said I have glimpsed it I expected it to be bad and it is 44 A theatrical feature film adaptation of the novel by Walt Disney Pictures was released in 2018 The film was directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell It stars Oprah Winfrey Reese Witherspoon Mindy Kaling Chris Pine Gugu Mbatha Raw Storm Reid Michael Pena and Zach Galifianakis 45 46 Plays edit An adaptation by James Sie premiered at the Lifeline Theatre in Chicago in 1990 and returned to the stage in 1998 and 2017 47 John Glore adapted the novel as a play that premiered in 2010 It was written for 6 actors playing 12 parts One actor plays Mrs Whatsit the Man with Red Eyes and Camazotz Man Similarly another performer plays the characters of Dr Kate Murry Mrs Who Camazotz Woman and Aunt Beast The stage adaptation premiered in Costa Mesa California with productions in Bethesda Maryland Cincinnati Philadelphia Orlando Portland Oregon and other cities 48 49 An adaptation by Tracy Young premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in April 2014 with productions at colleges and theaters around the U S 50 Opera edit In 1992 OperaDelaware known for frequently adapting children s books staged an opera based on A Wrinkle in Time written by Libby Larsen with a libretto by Walter Green The review in Philly com stated The composer does not place arias and set pieces but conversational ensembles with spoken dialogue that made the young daughter s climactic but concise song about familial love all the more imposing 51 52 Graphic novel edit In 2010 Hope Larson announced that she was writing and illustrating the official graphic novel version of the book This version was published by Farrar Straus amp Giroux in October 2012 53 54 Further reading editSoares Manuela 2003 A Reading Guide toA Wrinkle in Time Scholastic BookFiles ISBN 0 439 46364 5 Chase Carole F 1998 Suncatcher A study of Madeleine L Engle and her writing Innisfree Press p 170 ISBN 1 880913 31 3 See also edit nbsp Children s literature portal nbsp Speculative fiction portal Tunnel Through Time WormholeNotes edit The biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Award for children s writing was inaugurated in 1956 recognizing a single book published during the preceding two years Since the first three renditions that is from 1962 it has recognized a living author for a lasting contribution considering his or her complete works Nevertheless a Runner Up List with single book titles was published from 1960 1964 55 The effect of Meg s rescue of Charles Walace on IT and the fate of the people of Camazotz are not shown or described although Meg hopefully wonders if IT would shrivel up and die if she could love it After they vanish at the end of the book the three Mrs Ws never re appear in L Engle s stories L Engle was herself the official writer in residence at New York City s Episcopal Cathedral of St John the Divine which is known for its prominent position in the liberal wing of the Episcopal Church 18 the importance of both individual initiative and family interaction is a thematic thread L Engle made both the Murry adults highly talented both intellectually and scientifically This was atypical of fiction published in the 1950s when the book was written Female characters rarely were featured as intellectuals or scientists L Engle has been praised for this departure as well as for her creation of strong female characters Critics even suggested that in making Meg the protagonist in A Wrinkle in Time L Engle opened the door for the many female protagonists who have appeared in more recent fantasy and science fiction J Fulton 2002 21 v 2 p 597 598 Madeleine L Engle s view of the universe was changed by the work of such well known physicists as Albert Einstein and Max Planck She expressed her new perspective in A Wrinkle in Time J Fulton 2002 21 v 2 p 596 References edit A Wrinkle in Time LC Online Catalog U S Library of Congress 1962 ISBN 9780374386139 Retrieved October 30 2016 The Mystery Behind A Wrinkle in Time Cover Art Is Solved NY Times September 6 2023 a b L Unji Madeleine 2007 Go Fish Questions for the Author A Wrinkle in Time Report New York NY Square Fish p 236 ISBN 978 0 312 36754 1 Chase Carole F 1998 Suncatcher A study of Madeleine L Engle and her writing Philadelphia PA Innisfree Press p 170 ISBN 1 880913 31 3 a b c Thomas 2006 L Engle Madeleine In Dowling E M Scarlett W G eds Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development Thousand Oaks CA SAGE Publications via Credo Reference a b Cullinan Bernice E 2005 L Engle Madeleine In Cullinan B E Person D G eds Continuum Encyclopedia of Children s Literature London UK Continuum via Credo Reference a b c d e Bailey Sarah Pulliam March 8 2018 Publishers rejected her Christians attacked her The deep faith of A Wrinkle in Time author Madeleine L Engle Biography in Context The Washington Post Retrieved November 29 2018 via Gale Group a b c d Martin Douglas September 8 2007 Madeleine L Engle writer of children s classics is dead at 88 The New York Times obituary ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved April 24 2019 14 things to know about Madeleine L Engle s life and legacy Office of Alumnae Relations alumnae smith edu Smith College Retrieved April 24 2019 L Engle Madeleine 1987 1962 A Wrinkle in Time 25th anniversary collectors limited ed New York NY Farrar Straus amp Giroux pp viii ix a b c L Engle Madeleine January 1972 A Circle of Quiet New York NY Farrar Straus amp Giroux pp 5 6 21 66 217 218 ISBN 0 374 12374 8 a b Melcher Michael September 8 2007 What I Learned from Madeleine L Engle The Huffington Post Retrieved April 24 2019 a b c d Gooding Richard 2021 We do not have whims on the moon A Wrinkle in Time The Lotus Caves and the Problem of American Exceptionalism in 1960s Science Fiction for Children The Lion and the Unicorn 45 3 291 308 doi 10 1353 uni 2021 0025 ISSN 1080 6563 S2CID 248406307 a b c L Engle Madeleine 2004 A special message from Madeleine L Engle A Wrinkle in Time Teachers Random Random House Archived from the original on April 27 2015 Retrieved April 19 2015 A Wrinkle in Time s cover art AbeBooks June 3 2021 Retrieved June 1 2022 It s time to read A Wrinkle in Time Square Fish Books 2007 Archived from the original on March 3 2007 Retrieved March 1 2007 a b Simpson J B 1988 Humankind Religion Spirituality Simpson s Contemporary Quotations Boston MA Houghton Mifflin via credoreference com Chan Sewell November 30 2008 Repaired after fire cathedral reopens The New York Times a b c d e Hettinga Donald May June 1998 A wrinkle in faith The unique spiritual pilgrimage of Madeleine L Engle Books amp Culture A Christian Review Christianity Today a b Stott Jon Fall 1977 Midsummer night s dreams Fantasy and self realization in children s fiction The Lion and the Unicorn 1 2 25 39 doi 10 1353 uni 0 0401 S2CID 145776252 cited by Hettinga 19 pp 27 30 a b c Fulton Jean C 2002 A Wrinkle in Time In Fiona Kelleghan ed Classics of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Vol 2 Pasadena CA Salem Press p 596 Archived from the original on January 3 2014 Retrieved December 26 2012 A Wrinkle in Time excerpt The Wall Street Journal Maloney Jennifer April 16 2015 A new Wrinkle in Time The Wall Street Journal Hettinga Donald R 1993 Presenting Madeleine L Engle New York NY Twayne Publishers p 27 ISBN 0 8057 8222 2 Blackburn William 1985 Madeleine L Engle s A Wrinkle in Time Seeking the original face Touchstones Reflections on the Best in Children s Literature 1 125 Cited by Hettinga 19 p 27 Doll Jen January 30 2017 11 Young Adult Books for Stoking the Feminist Fire The Strategist Retrieved April 29 2019 a b c Escobar Natalie January 2016 The remarkable influence of A Wrinkle in Time Smithsonian magazine Retrieved April 29 2019 Paul Pamela January 27 2012 A Wrinkle in Time and its sci fi heroine The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved April 29 2019 A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L Engle Kirkus Reviews March 1 1962 Retrieved June 21 2017 What did we think of The Horn Book Magazine January 24 1999 Retrieved December 28 2018 Horovitz Carolyn 1965 Only the Best In Kingman Lee ed Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books 1956 1965 Boston The Horn Book Incorporated p 159 LCCN 65 26759 Ness Mari December 15 2011 There is such a thing as a tesseract A Wrinkle in Time Tor com Macmillan Archived from the original on May 11 2022 Retrieved July 8 2022 Fisher Douglas et al 2004 Interactive read alouds Is there a common set of implementation practices PDF The Reading Teacher 58 1 8 17 doi 10 1598 RT 58 1 1 Archived from the original PDF on December 7 2013 Retrieved August 22 2012 Teachers top 100 books for children National Education Association 2007 Retrieved August 22 2012 Bird Elizabeth July 7 2012 Top 100 chapter book poll results A Fuse 8 Production blog School Library Journal Archived from the original on July 13 2012 Retrieved August 22 2012 Brogan Jacob July 29 2016 The book Chelsea Clinton touted as her childhood favorite is now outselling Trump s Art of the Deal Slate Retrieved April 2 2022 The 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990 2000 Banned Books Week American Library Association 2007 Archived from the original on April 4 2007 Retrieved April 17 2007 a b Matheson Whitney September 29 2004 Some of the best books in life are banned USA Today Retrieved April 2 2022 Baron Henry J October 1993 Wrinkle on Trial PDF Christian Educators Journal 33 1 10 11 Nicolaou Elena March 2018 Why is A Wrinkle In Time still so frequently banned Refinery29 Retrieved April 29 2019 Why was A Wrinkle in Time book banned movie trailer cast and UK release date Metro March 6 2018 Retrieved April 29 2019 L Engle Madeleine 1994 A Wrinkle in Time audiobook ed Listening Library ISBN 0 8072 7587 5 L Engle Madeleine January 10 2012 A Wrinkle in Time Davis Hope du Vernay Ava narrators L Engle Madeleine introduction audible 50th ann ed Random House Audio ISBN 9780307916600 ISBN 030791660X Henneberger Melinda May 7 2003 I dare you Madeleine L Engle on God The da Vinci Code and aging well Newsweek MSNBC Retrieved February 10 2010 Kroll Justin November 1 2016 Zach Galifianakis Andre Holland and Pan star Levi Miller join A Wrinkle in Time Variety Retrieved November 2 2016 Gettell Oliver November 1 2016 A Wrinkle in Time adds Zach Galifianakis Andre Holland Rowan Blanchard Entertainment Weekly Retrieved November 5 2016 Bommer Lawrence October 15 1998 A Wrinkle in Time The Chicago Reader Retrieved February 18 2016 Carpenter Susan February 28 2010 Wrinkle in Time takes leap to South Coast Rep stage The Los Angeles Times Retrieved April 2 2022 Wren Celia December 9 2010 A Wrinkle wrought smoothly for the stage The Washington Post Retrieved June 27 2011 A Wrinkle in Time Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2014 season plays Ashland OR 2014 Webster Daniel March 30 1992 Wrinkle In Time At Playhouse Premiered By Operadelaware Philly com Retrieved April 10 2011 Libby Larsen Opera libbylarsen com Archived from the original on May 1 2012 Retrieved May 22 2012 A first look at Hope Larson s A Wrinkle in Time Comic Book Resources 2010 Archived from the original on August 29 2010 Retrieved September 10 2010 Arrant Chris August 31 2010 Hope Larson talks comics Comic Book Resources Retrieved April 2 2022 Glistrup Eva 2002 Half a century of the Hans Christian Andersen awards The Hans Christian Andersen Awards 1956 2002 International Board on Books for Young People Gyldendal pp 14 21 esp 15 16 Retrieved July 22 2013 via Austrian Literature Online literature at This source does not identify those runners up or report their number External links edit A Wrinkle in Time The Open Critic review Archived from the original on September 26 2007 A Wrinkle in Time title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database A Wrinkle in Time TV mini at IMDb nbsp A Wrinkle in Time Official book site for the May 2007 release May 2007 Awards Preceded byThe Bronze Bow Newbery Medal recipient1963 Succeeded byIt s Like This Cat Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title A Wrinkle in Time amp oldid 1217599559, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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