Title: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Genre: Sci Fi / Fantasy
Annotation: The tesseract, a wrinkle in time, allows otherworldly beings to transport three human children through the cosmos to a placed called Camazotz to face an evil darkness, the Black Thing, that is enveloping the universe.
Review: Meg Murry isn't a typical teenager; she has parents who are scientists, a genius of a younger brother, and more importantly she tessers through space with three celestial beings who are engaged in the classic good versus evil battle with a malevolent shadow spreading throughout the galaxy. The story commences with Meg and her brother Charles Wallace enjoying sandwiches at home when the evening is disturbed by Mrs Whatsit. In addition to the odd character, Mrs Whatsit, the reader is introduced to Mrs Who and Mrs Which, all of whom turn out to be shape-shifters that ferry Meg, her friend Calvin O'Keefe, and Charles Wallace across the cosmos to find Meg's father.
The journey takes the child protagonists to several alien places, including Uriel where Mrs Whatsit transforms into a centaur-like creature. They also visit Orien's Belt where they see a darkness encroaching across the heavens and partially engulfing the earth. The children eventually arrive at Camatzotz where IT, an evil being appearing as a disembodied brain, oversees the land and speaks through the man with the red eyes. It is here that we find Mr. Murry, Meg's father, imprisoned in a transparent column and where Charles Wallace succumbs to the influence of the menacing IT. Meg uses spectacles given to her by Mrs Who that rearrange atoms and allow her to pass into her father's prison and facilitate his escape. The climax of the story involves Meg's love eventually freeing Chares Wallace of IT's control and the family returning safely to Earth.
As I understand it, the story was quiet different and unusual when it was written. One element that I found particularly interesting was the imagery related to science and the pursuit of knowledge: a baby genius, scientist parents, a malevolent brain, etc. Scientists and scholars are even equated to prophets in Chapter 5 The Tesseract when the Earth's warriors fighting the Black Thing are identified as Pasteur, Madame Currie, Einstein, Euclid, Copernicus, etc. Even reciting elements on the Periodic Table can fight evil, but then again so can love. However, the juxtaposition of science/logic with emotion never seems to be at odds, but the concepts rather seem to work in tandem to overcome darkness, which might be interpreted as the manifestation of fear. Regardless, the story turns on the classic light versus darkness trope, and it is important to note that L'Engle used religious imagery to reify the struggle between good and evil.
Genre: Sci Fi / Fantasy
Annotation: The tesseract, a wrinkle in time, allows otherworldly beings to transport three human children through the cosmos to a placed called Camazotz to face an evil darkness, the Black Thing, that is enveloping the universe.
Review: Meg Murry isn't a typical teenager; she has parents who are scientists, a genius of a younger brother, and more importantly she tessers through space with three celestial beings who are engaged in the classic good versus evil battle with a malevolent shadow spreading throughout the galaxy. The story commences with Meg and her brother Charles Wallace enjoying sandwiches at home when the evening is disturbed by Mrs Whatsit. In addition to the odd character, Mrs Whatsit, the reader is introduced to Mrs Who and Mrs Which, all of whom turn out to be shape-shifters that ferry Meg, her friend Calvin O'Keefe, and Charles Wallace across the cosmos to find Meg's father.
The journey takes the child protagonists to several alien places, including Uriel where Mrs Whatsit transforms into a centaur-like creature. They also visit Orien's Belt where they see a darkness encroaching across the heavens and partially engulfing the earth. The children eventually arrive at Camatzotz where IT, an evil being appearing as a disembodied brain, oversees the land and speaks through the man with the red eyes. It is here that we find Mr. Murry, Meg's father, imprisoned in a transparent column and where Charles Wallace succumbs to the influence of the menacing IT. Meg uses spectacles given to her by Mrs Who that rearrange atoms and allow her to pass into her father's prison and facilitate his escape. The climax of the story involves Meg's love eventually freeing Chares Wallace of IT's control and the family returning safely to Earth.
As I understand it, the story was quiet different and unusual when it was written. One element that I found particularly interesting was the imagery related to science and the pursuit of knowledge: a baby genius, scientist parents, a malevolent brain, etc. Scientists and scholars are even equated to prophets in Chapter 5 The Tesseract when the Earth's warriors fighting the Black Thing are identified as Pasteur, Madame Currie, Einstein, Euclid, Copernicus, etc. Even reciting elements on the Periodic Table can fight evil, but then again so can love. However, the juxtaposition of science/logic with emotion never seems to be at odds, but the concepts rather seem to work in tandem to overcome darkness, which might be interpreted as the manifestation of fear. Regardless, the story turns on the classic light versus darkness trope, and it is important to note that L'Engle used religious imagery to reify the struggle between good and evil.
No comments:
Post a Comment