I thought I'd once read the book, but as I read, I grew increasingly convinced that I'd never read it. Thus, I can't really respond to how I perceive it now versus then.

However, I really enjoyed the novel. Primarily, I think that was because of the writing and the narrative. The writing is exceptional, especially for a novel meant for children. The sentences are complex, the vocabulary challenging (the text included more than one word that I didn't know). That's impressive; Harry Potter isn't poorly written, but if it was written like this, the writing and reading levels of its audience would be vastly improved.

Because A Wrinkle in Time is a kids' book, I was hyper-conscious the whole time I was reading of what types of ideas and/or messages kids could take away from the book. I came up with this list:

+ We shouldn't judge people based upon external appearances.
+ People who are different/weird aren't necessarily bad. In fact, they're likely to be cool.
+ All sorts of different types of people and institutions fight evil, from Jesus to Einstein, the arts to religion.
+ Conformity and perfection aren't desirable.
+ Taking the easier path isn't the answer.
+ Parents/others cannot solve your problems.
+ Some people/creatures interact with and relate to the world differently than we do, and their way is no better and no worse than ours.
+ Girls generally need boys to protect them, except when they realize they can save the day, which is easy since it just involves expressing love for your brother.

As you can obviously tell, I was impressed by most of the book's ideology, except I couldn't really get over the last part. I so wanted Meg to transcend the traditional feminine role, but alas, she never really did.

Changing the subject, any ideas as to what IT and/or the Black Thing might symbolize? The book was written in 1962, so this might be an obvious answer, but I never really latched on to any specific, overarching references or parallels.

Andy | June 21, 2004 12:36 AM

Hmmm...when I read A Wrinkle in Time for the first time...it was about 8 years ago, back in middle school. At the time, I had no idea it was a children's book. I thought it might have been an "adult" book. The reasons being the language (as Andy mentioned), and the superficial topics of Time and Space travel. (those two seem to heavy for a kid to take on) It wasn't until way later that I realized it wasn't.

I remember not wanting to put the book down. I just wanted to read more and more. It was very intriguing, especially the part of Time and Space travel. I remember looking up to it as almost like a .... manual on those topics. lol Anyway, I forgot all about that until recently.

Like Mary, I think I also romanticized the book. I didn't remember a lot of the things that happened--just the basic thing, but I remember having loved this book. Although I was very excited to read this for June, at the same time I was scared that reading it this time around, it wouldn't be as magical anymore.

Well...it ended up being just as magical, no disappointments. I think I fell in love with the story and the whole ordeal that the kids go through all over again. I still think that it's an exciting story, very well thought out. Yea, about the Black Thing, I never put too much thought into it. But now that Andy mentions it...what was it really...?

The one thing that did bother me, okay, two, were Charles Wallace and Mrs. Which? the one that hisses?

One more thing for now, I've always wanted Meg and Calvin to hook up. Is that too much on my part? Maybe it was the middle school girl in me that wanted that. I still wanted it to happen this time though. :D

Oh well.

By the way, the book I checked out had an excerpt from the sequel... i wish i'd never read it. now i want to read it.

ana | June 21, 2004 1:06 PM

First off, I'm reeling from Ana having been in middle school only 8 years ago. It's been just over *cough* 20 *cough* for me.

According to the L'Engle Family Tree which appears in the front of my copy, Calvin and Meg were eventually married and also appear in The Arm of the Starfish, A Wind in the Door, Dragons in the Waters, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and A House Like a Lotus. To be honest, I've never read another L'Engle book and never would have thought it until Ana mentioned it. Now I want to read them, too.

Andy came up with a very observant list of themes, and I'd like to address the last one first. You have to give L'Engle a bit of a break on girls needing boys to protect them, considering that A Wrinkle in Time was written circa 1960. I'm assuming you're referring to Calvin being sent along with Meg and Charles, but I don't think he was really there to be a protector. One of the Mrs. mentions that his gift was communication, so I believe that is supposed to be his actual function despite not really doing much of it.

For Meg, saving the day wasn't only about having love for her brother. It was the process of figuring out what she had that IT didn't. She spent a lot of time wishing she wasn't so different, but in the end it was her uniqueness that broke IT's hold on Charles. (Speaking of love saving the day, anyone make a connection between this and the love of Harry Potter's mother saving him from Voldemort?)

As for the Black Thing, I also couldn't figure out exactly what it was other than a symbol for evil. This book's main idea centers around the fight between good and evil, and evil is always black, isn't it?

marydell | June 21, 2004 10:16 PM

Hmm. Lots of great points. I'm not sure where a good place to start is so I'll just dive in...

First, Mary, don't worry, I was in middle school a little too close to twenty years ago too, so I'll be cursing Ana's youth with you. :)

Second, as Mary said, Andy has a good list of the themes in the book, and from my vague memories, L'Engle keeps coming back to those again and again in her later books. (I read them all of the books in this series at one time, but I think the more recent ones have been published since I stopped reading?)

I enjoyed the novel but have to say that it wasn't nearly as magical as it was 20 years ago. I kind of regret that because I remember how much I enjoyed it...

As for Meg's traditional role, I didn't really have a problem, mainly because she does save the day. She doesn't need anyone to protect her in the end. If anything, isn't she there to protect Charles?

Last, regarding IT and the Black Circle, well, I think the BC is evil, pure and simple. But, IT, and I'm being slightly facetious and slightly true, I kept mis-reading as I.T., as in Information Technologies, which I thought could make an interesting parallel. IT taking over our lives and all. The kind of thing I would have loved to have attempted to prove in a term paper back when I still had to write term papers. :)

Cheers.

joel | June 22, 2004 9:11 AM

Joel, I had the same problem. In my mind, I kept saying I.T. rather than IT. However, I kept drawing a parallel to Stephen King's It (I just went through hell trying to find that ISBN. Try doing an Amazon search for an ignored word.) and thinking about a clown brain. It took me a few pages of forcing myself to mentally say IT and get rid of that image.

I taught summer school in 2002 to 4th becoming 5th graders and gave this book as a gift to one of my students. She absolutely loved it. I think she enjoyed the battle between good and evil most of all, which made me see how children are impressed by simpler ideas. It's probably another reason why magic doesn't happen as easily for adults.

marydell | June 22, 2004 10:09 PM

heheh, :) you guys are great.

okay, so i guess that my wish did come true--they ended up getting married :)

i agree with Mary. Calvin wasn't sent on the journey to protect Meg. if anything, i think his role also served to help the relationship between Charles and Meg whenever they weren't seeing eye to eye, thus the communication gift? although, before they went on the trip, when Calvin went to the Murray house, he was protective of her, a sort of confidant. what i never understood quite well was how Calvin felt so comfortable and at home right away with the Murrays at first meeting.

As for It, i'm with Andy. reading this the second time around, i noticed that human characteristics where taken out of everything in that dark planet. it reminded me of the techonology of our time, how some jobs now depend on computer systems/ programs to run a store where living humans work. for example, every time an employee is going to do a task, they must log in and then log out, that way the system records the time it takes that employee to do that task, i.e., take out the garbage. and it's with this log that the system will determine what employee gets what schedule and what amount of hours.

the whole thing is pretty cold. and it's unbelieveable what corporations will do nowadays to decrease their expenses.

but anyway, that's what It reminded me of, techonology taking over and humans being treated as machines.

perhaps it can be said that this book was ahead of its time?

ana | June 22, 2004 11:01 PM

I have only recently read the book for the first time and then I watched the Disney movie that was also recently on tv. I actually think that the movie was not a bad interpretation for a change and it brought to life some of the less exciting or vivid parts of the book for me. (However the fur/hair beasts were much better in my imagination from the book description)

I think the movie did a great job showing the blackness and at one point it was a black cloudy fist or hand that was slowly enveloping the earth. With that in mind and then the actual brain/IT action going on I felt that the IT too was a 'taking over' or like some of you mentioned the I.T. taking over our lives. I think it fit for me to think of it as a control or singlemindedness that clouded the peoples minds and while I think the end result was 'evil' I think the actual IT was more of a brainwash that could only be broken by Megs outpouring of Love.

Not sure if that makes sense but the end result of all the sameness and no free will for anyone to have, allows for coruption and evil to leak in and polute the minds and thoughts of the ones doing the controlling...very Hilteresk!

kris | June 26, 2004 9:35 PM

Wrinkle was one of the first "fantasy"/"sci-fi" oriented books I read as a child, and I think the first science-oriented one. It captivated me and provided me with a badly needed escape from hard goings-on. I've yet to read it as an adult, but I think its an excellent idea! {opening email to request it from the library...}

Cindy | July 29, 2004 5:36 PM