fantasy

"It was a dark and stormy night." In her 1962 Newbery Medal winning novel "A Wrinkle in Time", Madeleine L'Engle uses this cliched opening to tell an uncliched tale about time travel, a tale that itself has marvellously stood the test of time. The protagonist Meg is a rather plain and ordinary looking girl from a rather extraordinary family. Meg's father and mother are brilliant scientists, and her father has been away for a considerable time on a secret government mission. But things start happening when that "dark and stormy night" brings the other-worldly Mrs. Whatsit to Meg's home, with her mysterious comment: "by the way, there *is* such a thing as a tessseract." (p18). A tesseract, we discover, is a fifth dimension which enables instantaneous travel to different places in the universe (p72). Meg, her genious five-year old brother Charles Wallace, and their new friend Calvin O'Keefe, are joined by Mrs. Watsit and her two companions, the classic-quoting Mrs. Which and the stammering Mrs. Who (whom Calvin later describes as "Guardian angels! Messengers of God!" p179) in a quest to rescue Meg's father.

The travellers from earth come to discover that Meg's father is in the center of a "grand and exciting battle" (p82), a cosmic battle between good and evil, fighting the Dark Thing which also threatens planet earth with its evil: "That is why your planet is such a troubled one." (p81) The wrinkle in time takes them to the planet Camazotz, which seems to be a play on the word "comatose" because all its inhabitants are victims of thoughtless conformity controlled by one mind, the IT (p132). Charles Wallace too falls under the spell of the enemy and IT's manipulating mind (p126). With the help of the three Mrs. Ws, can Meg and Calvin rescue both Meg's father and brother? Meg can only succeed if she recognizes the saving power of love (p194).

As a Christian, L'Engle is clearly using the cosmic battle against the Dark Thing as a metaphor of the battle between the kingdoms of Christ and Satan, with an explicit reference to John 1 that Jesus is the light shining in the darkness (p82). There are a few peculiarities, such as the inclusion of the occult in the form of the Happy Medium and her crystal ball on the side of good (p78ff) and the facade of witchcraft employed by the three Mrs Ws, as well as the bizarre list of humans who have fought on the side of good (p82). But on the whole, astute readers familiar with the Bible will find much deep spiritual meaning in the imagery and language that L'Engle uses. Charles is vulnerable because "he trusted too much to his own strength." (p155) Despite her weaknesses, Meg is commissioned to rescue Charles because "God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." (p189) "But of course we can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts." (p78) The apparently blind Aunt Beast says: "We look not at the things which are what you would call seen, but at the things which are not seen." And Meg's rejection of common scepticism about her Father's return ("Why don't you face facts about your father?") resembles the attitude that the Bride of Christ can have to her Bridegroom's return: "As long as she says Father *is* coming home, then I'll believe that." (p23) Meg's mother shares another pearl of wisdom about the humble attitude of believers: "I think that with our human limitations we're not always able to understand the explanations. But you see, Meg, just because we don't understand doesn't mean that the explanation doesn't exist." (p41).

Although the profound religious depth gives L'Engle's stories a lasting significance, the facts of theology never overpower the excitement of the fiction. When combined with identifiable characters, an imaginative and fantastic world, and an exciting plot, this combination of theology, science and fantasy is a formula for success. It's little wonder that "A Wrinkle In Time" has proven to be timeless, and worthy of being placed alongside Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, and above Harry Potter. This story may be forty years old, but it hasn't worn out its pleasure for either children or adults, and after all that time is still a winning story without wrinkles!

A WRINKLE IN TIME is one of those rare "children's" books that I keep in a consistent rotation to read every few years (Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry & The Phantom Tollbooth being two others). It is so much fun to read the novel as just a futuristic fantasy story, with touches of science and sociology thrown in: dimensions, misfits, love conquering hate, etc. Although overworked lately, time travel was quite state-of-the-art for when the book was written and published, and L'Engle approaches the topic from a scientific perspective, through the five dimentions, rather than a fantastic one. As successfully as L'Engle presents these timeless themes and ideas, she also does a spectacular job of presenting some major symbolism, very biblical and spiritual in nature, as well.

Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Who so clearly represent the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, respectively): Mrs. Which with her booming voice and mulit-lettered pattern of speech, clearly the leader of the triad; Mrs. Whatsit, taking on a human form despite her other-worldliness, being the mediator between Mrs. Which and the children; Mrs. Who, never quite appearing, represented only by her glasses, using the words of others to communicate whenever possible. It's beautiful. The obvious struggle between good and evil (with love being the ultimate weapon), the "fallen" stars, the Black Thing, and the mind control of IT all serve as classic biblical symbols. L'Engle uses multiple scripture references, particularly through Mrs. Who's quotes, to convey her messages of love, hope, and strength. She does all of this with a remarkable subtlety and tact. She does not intend to offend, nor does she---the story stands by itself. If one wants to delve deeper, however, the symbolism is there to be dug out.

Truly great books can be read many times on different levels, with different reactions and interpretations from different readers. Ms. L'Engle provides readers of all ages, reading levels, backgrounds, and thinking skills with a gold mine of material in this book and its sequels (none of which quite match this one for overall quality, although they are well worth reading!).

I read this a long time ago, but it's still really good! Read it! Anyway, that's not my real point.

Would all those people who are complaining about the "lack of scientific substance" stop?!?!?! This isn't supposed to be a scientific journal! It's a NOVEL! What do novels do? Tell stories! NOT give scientific facts.

So, with that aside, I recommend this book to everyone.

Have fun reading!