Madeleine L'Engle

Madeleine L'Engle (b. November 29, 1918 in New York City) is best known for her children's books, particularly the Newbery Award-winning A Wrinkle in Time, and its sequels, A Wind In The Door, Many Waters, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, etc. She is also the author of several books for adults, including a memoir of her marriage to actor Hugh Franklin, called Two-Part Invention. Her works combine her liberal Christian beliefs with a strong interest in modern science; mitochondrial DNA, for instance, is featured prominently in A Wind in the Door, tesseracts in A Wrinkle in Time, organ regeneration in Arm of the Starfish and so forth.

Related Topics:
November 29 - 1918 - New York City - Newbery Award - Hugh Franklin - Christian beliefs - Mitochondrial DNA - Tesseract

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L'Engle's best-known works are divided between "chronos" and "kairos"; the former is the framework in which the stories of the Austin family take place, and is presented in a primarily realistic framework, though occasionally with elements that might be regarded as science fiction. The latter is the framework in which the stories of the Murry and O'Keefe families take place, and is presented sometimes in a realistic framework and sometimes in a more fantastic or magical framework. Generally speaking, the more realistic kairos material is found in the O'Keefe stories, which deal with the second generation characters.

Related Topics:
Chronos - Kairos - Science fiction - Fantastic

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The Murry-O'Keefe and Austin families should not be regarded as living in separate worlds, because several characters cross over between them, and historical events are also shared.

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A theme often implied and occasionally explicit in L'Engle's works is that what humans call "religion", "science" and "magic" are simply different aspects of a single seamless reality: a similar theme may be discerned in the fiction works of C. S. Lewis or Laurell K Hamilton. However, it doesn't seem as though L'Engle is trying to solidify or canonize a set philosophy or belief system. The questions that she raises engage the thoughtful reader.

Related Topics:
C. S. Lewis - Laurell K Hamilton

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