Ok, let's get this over with. I'm sure not everyone is going to like what I have to say here.
The first book I read from my 2018 book list was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, and I didn't like it. Sue me.
I chose to begin with A Wrinkle in Time because I've only ever read positive reviews of it, it was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1963, and it's touted as a charming book for children which presents lovely and beautiful ideas. How can we go wrong?
In A Wrinkle in Time, we meet Meg Murry and her family. Meg's parents are scientists and her father has mysteriously disappeared. Meg has twin brothers and a baby brother Charles Wallace who is completely brilliant but is considered stupid by most people because they can't understand him. Through a series of events, Meg and Charles Wallace meet Calvin O'Keefe and the three of them end up on an adventure through time and space to find Meg's father and battle against the cosmic Black Thing that is trying to take over the entire universe. With the help of the nebulous entities Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which, they eventually end up on the planet of Camazotz where they have to defeat IT in order to survive their brave mission.
First of all, I found the "lovely" and "beautiful" ideas presented in this book to be muddled and half-developed at best. This made more sense to me as I read more about the author herself. L'Engle was an Episcopalian and believed in universal salvation. She once wrote that "All will be redeemed in God's fullness of time, all, not just the small portion of the population who have been given the grace to know and accept Christ. All the strayed and stolen sheep. All the little lost ones." While this is a nice, happy thought, it's not true and it leads a person into dangerous theological territory.
Oh Hannah, do we have to drag the author's faith into this recap?
Well, yes. Yes, we do. Because L'Engle incorporates Scripture throughout A Wrinkle in Time, and when an author does that, I as a Christian need to think critically about what she's communicating about Christianity and hold her body of work up to the light of the Bible as a whole. And I have to say, A Wrinkle in Time puts forth wrong ideas and if people grasp at L'Engle's "beautiful" ideas instead of the truth, they will be led astray.
Jesus was not just another warrior in a long line of warriors including philosophers, scientists, poets, and even stars (*eye-roll*) against the Darkness. He was and is the ultimate Conqueror and Victor over evil. He has already overcome the Darkness (praise God!) and we, while we certainly stand against it with Him, have nothing to do with the actual conquering of it. Yes, Love is powerful, but to know true Love you have to know the true God. Love doesn't come from within: we love because He first loved us. (1 John 4)
A quote that kept coming to my mind while I was writing this post and trying to work through the reasons I didn't appreciate this story is, "Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right." (C.H. Spurgeon) While there were a lot of "beautiful" ideas in this book that seemed almost right, they weren't right. And the distinction between the two is important.
A quote that kept coming to my mind while I was writing this post and trying to work through the reasons I didn't appreciate this story is, "Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right." (C.H. Spurgeon) While there were a lot of "beautiful" ideas in this book that seemed almost right, they weren't right. And the distinction between the two is important.
Theological reasons aside, I did not enjoy the sci-fi aspects of the book, and honestly, I didn't find Meg a likable character. The book did nothing for me, I had to push my way through to the end, and I have absolutely zero interest in reading any of the other books in the quintet or anything else by Madeleine L'Engle for that matter.
Zero stars and I would not recommend.
Have you read A Wrinkle in Time? Did you like it? Is it your favorite book from childhood? If you're a Christian, what do you think of the theological implications in the book? Am I being too harsh?
I read this when I was young like 5th or 6th grade, and I don’t remember picking up on that. I don’t think that you’re being too picky about it if you can back it up with Scripture. I’m kinda curious if I reread it as an adult if I would change my opinion on it. But no it wasn’t my favorite book from my childhood. Green Eggs and Ham will forevermore hold that honor.
ReplyDeleteYou’re not being too harsh. It is a Psycho-trip of a book and while some may really enjoy it I definitely didn’t. People can have different opinions on books though. It’s ok 😊
ReplyDeleteHaha! "Psycho-trip of a book"—exactly! Thanks, buddy!
DeleteProbably not going to read this, now. Lol. But it wasn't on any of my lists at this point. 😘
ReplyDeleteWell, I personally don't think you're missing anything! :)
DeleteI read this when I was young like 5th or 6th grade, and I don’t remember picking up on that. I don’t think that you’re being too picky about it if you can back it up with Scripture. I’m kinda curious if I reread it as an adult if I would change my opinion on it. But no it wasn’t my favorite book from my childhood. Green Eggs and Ham will forevermore hold that honor.
ReplyDeleteI think the implications are subtle enough that children won't pick up on them, but reading it as an adult is frustrating because she tries to include so much that no one ends up liking it. I was reading more about it and the book ultimately received harsh criticism from Christians, atheists, the scientific community, AND secular society because she failed to take a clear stance on anything and it was a pretty jumbled mess. But there are die-hard fans out there who will also go down swinging about how great it is. So....to each his own, I guess.
DeleteGreen Eggs and Ham!! Our favorite Dr. Seuss books were Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now? and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. :)
P.S. I got your comment in my e-mail but it never showed up on the blog (weird), so I reposted it.
I read this one ages ago in elementary school and really don't remember anything about it. All I remember is feeling 'meh' about it as a child, so I haven't had a ton of interest in rereading it. I'm also thinking I'll skip the movie. As others have said, it's totally cool to have differences of opinions. We're not a hive mind. Lol.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the affirmation! I just have a few friends who love this book and one who even puts this in her Top 5 of all time and I don't. get. it.
DeleteL'Engle was just another universalist attempting to push a non-coherent argument on mankind through what was considered a children's book. No child I know who dove into reading it came up asking for more. Nice review, Hannahbelle.
ReplyDelete"Non-coherent" is so right. Thanks. :)
Deletewe've spoken about this before, but i'll re-iterate here: sci-fi/fantasy as a genre, for me, works much better on a visual medium. while i agree with opinions here on the "theology" (or lack thereof) of the book, there is a lot of imagination in this work that's worth mining for a more cohesive, streamlined take on the story, that would frankly be visually breathtaking and stimulating. and some of the ideas, if packaged into something that chose a stance, could spark great conversation. this is why i'm interested in the upcoming film adaptation.
ReplyDeleteYeah, we have talked about this before, and I agree with you to an extent. I think sci-fi particularly works better on screen, but not necessarily fantasy. When you're creating something that has nothing in common with this world (Star Wars for example), sure, a visual portrayal is easier to grasp. But if you're creating another world with landscapes or beings similar to our own (think Narnia), I'll take the books.
DeleteANYWAY, I'm not interested in this particular film because I did not enjoy the book in the slightest and on top of that, the only stance I can see Disney taking with this is "girl power, follow your heart, blah blah blah" and I just don't see it being great.
But I'll be interested to hear what you think and whether or not you think it's worth watching.