L'Engle, Madeleine

Madeleine L'Engle (b. 1918) is a prolific writer whose fictional works address spiritual questions in a manner that appeals to children of many ages. She is best known for her “Time Trilogy,” especially A Wrinkle in Time (which won the esteemed Newbery Award in 1963) and for her series about the Austin family (Meet the Austins, A Ring of Endless Light, etc.). L'Engle has also written novels for adults, several autobiographical pieces, books on scripture, and collections of prayers—some sixty books in all. Most of her books have remained in print, and L'Engle has inspired love and devotion among millions of readers over the past four decades. Both adults and children regard her as a multitalented and prolific writer. She's also much loved as a teacher, having given many workshops and lecture tours. Perhaps her most significant contribution to children and adolescent spirituality is the way she explores the common ground between Christian belief and science.

L'Engle addresses spirituality through a blend of psychological realism and science fiction. Often her protagonists are awkward young people who are wrestling with important questions of belief and ethics, such as: What is my purpose in life? What does it mean to love well? Who is God? What is God? What happens after death? Why is there suffering in the world? How can I know God?

In their journeys to understanding, her protagonists undergo paranormal experiences. For example, Meg Murry (in A Wrinkle in Time, first book in the “Time Trilogy”) is downcast because her father has disappeared for more than a year, presumably kidnapped. Then three eccentric women (possibly angels or witches in disguise) teach Meg how to time travel to another galaxy. This leads to many adventures and eventually to Meg's heroic rescue of her father and her little brother, Charles Wallace Murry.

Another example is Vicky Austin, the 16-year-old in A Ring of Endless Light who is wrestling with her own emerging sexuality and with the harsh reality of the deaths of several people she knows. When she discovers a talent for communicating with the dolphins that swim near her summer home (telepathy), they lead her to a deeper faith in God. Perhaps because she herself was an awkward, lonely child, L'Engle often portrays misfits and outsiders who grow into heroes.

L'Engle's work expresses her devotion to the Christian tradition and her deep love of, and delight in, the Bible. Her beliefs are orthodox, but often with an innovative, contemporary spin that affirms the common ground between science and Christianity. Christian themes include a loving, guiding God; the centrality of love and forgiveness; God's presence in the ordinary; the importance of moral choices; Christians as “light bearers”; the dignity of all people; and the importance of justice. Her work appeals to readers of many traditions, including Roman Catholics, Evangelicals, and many who are not Christian. Indeed, most of her fans probably do not think of her as a religious writer.

L'Engle also conveys a deep love of the arts and science. She believes that great artists, musicians, and scientists are as important to deepening spirituality as are great evangelists. Many of her characters are scientists, and scientific facts play important roles in her plots. For example, in writing A Wrinkle in Time, she [Page 258]researched quantum physics to accurately portray Meg Murry traveling through a tesseract or “time wrinkle” to another galaxy. Her theological ideas have been compared to those of Teilhard de Chardin. She sees God as the great Mystery and Creator, a source of endless fascination.

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