Exploring 'A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle: Author, Themes, and Genre
Delve into the world of "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle, a timeless classic that combines elements of science fiction and fantasy. Discover the life of the author, Madeleine L'Engle, her inspirations, and the essential questions raised in the novel. Explore themes of love, fear, empowerment, and imagination through the imaginative characters who go beyond the real world. Unravel the mysteries of time travel and the difference between science fiction and fantasy in this captivating tale.
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A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L Engle
About the Author, Madeleine L Engle (pronounced Lengle) Born Madeleine L Engle Camp on November 29, 1918 Mother-pianist Father-journalist & writer-fought in WWI Since his lungs were damaged by mustard gas during war, family moved where air was dry, easy to breath L Engle was lonely as an only child and wished for a larger family, which is why the characters in her novels had large families Her parents were busy with their many writer, artist, and musician friends, so L Engle entertained herself by writing stories She also grew up in a house full of books her parents read aloud often
More About Madeleine LEngle At age 12, L Engle was sent to a boarding school, which she hated, in the Swiss Alps At age 14, she moved back to the U.S., and sent to Ashley Boarding School in South Carolina, which she loved Her father died when she was 17 Spent 4 years at Smith College, graduating with honors in 1941 After college, she moved to Greenwich Village in NYC with 3 female friends She still wanted to write but worked in theater to pay her bills She died September 6, 2007, in Litchfield, CT
Essential Questions What does it mean to love? How can love overpower fear? How can children become empowered and demonstrate strong leadership? What can the imaginative characters who travel beyond the real world tell us about ourselves and the future? What is one s place in the universe? How can one find it and fit in there? Is time travel possible--why or why not? How do writers make readers believe in the worlds they create with their imaginations? How can writers describe settings so readers can easily imagine them? What is the difference between science fiction and fantasy?
Genres Science Fiction and Fantasy Science is one of L Engle s favorite subjects loves reading science books and using scientific ideas in her writing In A Wrinkle in Time, tesseracts are used to travel through time and space--she has several scientist friends who confirm tesseracts are real
Differences Between Sci-Fi and Fantasy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7CAvR7aSc Fantasy Sci-Fi Explores the impossible Invents Supernatural and magical occurrences that have no basis in science One of the oldest genres, found in ancient Greek myths, stories of monsters, magic, and gods Transcends our world Explores what is possible Draws on from what we know from reality and science Advanced technology, usually set in the future Relatively recent genre, dating back a century Expands our world
Time Period Influences: The Space Race The book was written in the early 1960s, when the idea of space exploration was new and exciting In the late 1950s, the first artificial satellite was sent into space by the Soviet Union, which launched a space race competition with the U.S. In 1961, the year the book was published, both nations sent manned rockets into space
Political Themes of the Time Life on the planet Camazotz is similar to what Americans thought life in the former Soviet Union was like at the time The U.S. and Soviet Union were in a Cold War a long period of hostility without actual war The U.S. was a democratic country in which the individual rights of every citizen was protected by the Constitution In the Soviet Union, many aspects of life were controlled by the government Soviets did not have freedom of speech or freedom of religion
Book Jacket (Plot) Plot (Book Jacket) It is a dark and stormy night. Meg Murray, her small brother, Charles Wallace, and their mother are in the kitchen for a midnight snack when a most disturbing visitor arrives. Wild nights are my glory, the unearthly stranger tells them. I just got caught in a downdrift and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I ll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract. Meg s father had been experimenting with this fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him. But can they outwit the forces of evil they will encounter on their heart-stopping journey through space?
Setting Meg s town her old-fashioned house/vacation home in a comfortable and quiet community in Anywhere, America Uriel, the 3rd planet of the star Malak A 2-dimension planet where the children can t breathe Orion s Belt Camazotz a planet taken over by the Dark Thing, domelike building that houses IT
Characters Protagonist Meg Murray 12-year-old girl, loyal and protective over her family Loving sister to Charles Wallace and loyal friend to Calvin Wears glasses and loves math Familiar with her faults: impatience, anger, stubbornness Loner doesn t fit into school
Friends and Family Charles Wallace Meg s 5-year-old brother Understands things no normal 5- year-old would Large vocabulary, enunciates clearly He is a genius, but people think he is dumb because he doesn t speak often Committed to loving his big sister and letting her know His faults include pride, arrogance, and too much trust in his abilities
Mrs. Murry Meg s mother Beautiful and intelligent Ph.Ds in biology and bacteriology Calm and capable with her children Honest with Meg that she is upset over their father s disappearance Defends her children no matter what and knows they are smart
Mr. Murray Meg s father A physicist who has been working for the government and missing for a long time No one knows where he is, but his family believes he is on a dangerous and secret mission
Sandy and Dennys Murray Meg s 10-year-old twin brothers Independent and self-sufficient Ordinary kids who contrast with Meg and Charles Wallace Fit in at school and are popular Protective over Meg and Charles Wallace
Calvin OKeefe Poorly dressed 14-year-old boy from a large, poor family Tall and skinny but athletic and popular Unhappiness is from home life, not school life Very close to Meg and Charles Wallace He isn t afraid of Meg s tears or doubts he protects her
Magical Helpers Mrs. Whatsit Strange neighbor who appears at the Murray house looking like a smallish tramp bundled in clothes The youngest of 3 ladies whom Calvin calls guardian angels The angel most closest to the children Her real form is a beautiful horse- like creature from the planet Uriel
Mrs. Who A plump little woman with enormous eyeglasses One of the 3 guardian angels She loves to use quotes to make her point
Mrs. Which The oldest and leader of the guardian angels Also the wisest and most powerful Not as friendly as her other sisters Escorts the children to the unknown realm She is a shadow rarely seen, but very much there
Aunt Beast A very tall, gray being with 4 arms and many waving tentacles Has only indentations where a human would have features like a nose, mouth, and eyes Body covered with soft fur, which gives a beautiful smell She talks through her tentacles, and heals Meg
Villains IT/the Dark Thing: A disembodied alien brain who is an evil shadow that takes over planets and people and deadens everything he touches The Man with the Red Eyes/Prime Coordinator: Taken over by IT speaks for IT Has gentle voice, but his eyes are horrible fiery red He tries to hypnotize Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin and take over their minds His lies and is not trustworthy
Conflicts Meg s problems fitting in at school Meg s father has been missing for a long time Meg s scary trip through outer space to find her father The Dark Thing that Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Who are fighting The Man with Red Eyes, IT, and other evils Meg and her friends find the courage to fight to try to rescue her father
ThemesAuthors Message Moral Responsibility The Power of Love, Especially Family Love The Responsible Use of Science and Technology The Conflict Between Good and Evil Coming of Age/Search for Identity Choices Love, Faith, Trust Daring to be Different Using Our Faults
Literary Techniques We Will Look At Allusions references to a mythological, historical, or literary person, place, or thing For example, Mrs. Who quotes, or alludes to many famous writers and texts throughout the book, including Shakespeare and the Bible Symbolism--the use of any object, person, place, or action that has a meaning in itself while standing for something larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value. For example, the light and darkness are symbols
