Archives for April 2009

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Turning the opening pages of A Circle of Quiet I had that sense of excitement one gets when discovering a kindred spirit.  Turning a few more pages I found myself wondering how in the world L’Engle could possibly believe some of what she was advancing.  Perhaps I had been too quick to induct her into the Hall of Kindred Spirits?

No.  Most certainly L’Engle IS a kindred spirit.  The differences in our worldviews reflect the different generations we represent, different social class upbringing, different intellectual climates, different spiritual nurture, different religious affiliations and different theological convictions.  Those differences are substantial.  Had we the opportunity to actually spend time together we would no doubt have had violently glorious intellectual battles — but the battles would have taken place BECAUSE we were kindred spirits.

Madeleine L’Engle (1918-2007)  is best known for her children’s books, especially Newberry Award winner A Wrinkle in Time.  However, as she repeatedly notes in A Circle of Quiet, she did not believe in differentiating between children’s books and adult books.  A book has existence of its own, ontological identity, and should be written because of what it is — what it must be — not to be marketed to a particular target audience.

A Circle of Quiet is not a children’s book.  It is the first of four volumes in her Crosswicks Journal series which covers that period of time in which her family made its home in rural Connecticut.  But, do not mistake A Circle of Quiet for an autobiography or memoir.  L’Engle uses this Crosswicks era as a kind of canvas upon which she paints themes of universal significance and particular importance.  She is doing what she does best, she is storytelling.

Along the way, the reader becomes acquainted with the family, friends, and faith of L’Engle.  L’Engle would claim that such important elements are not mere accidents of her life, or descriptions that explain her, but that they are patterns of her very existence — her ontos.  Thus, A Circle of Quiet beautifully illustrates the interconnectedness of life, beauty, passion, meaning, — ontology.

So, take a few hours and walk with Madeleine down the path to dangle your feet in the little brook. But, while you are enjoying the brook, please be sure to argue with Madeleine about some of her assumptions.

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Caveat:  You might want to check out the concerns voiced in this Christianity Today article by Donald Hettinga from back in the days when Christianity Today actually practiced a little discernment and voiced concerns.

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Other books in the Crosswicks  Journal series:

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MADELEINE L’ENGLE BIBLIOGRAPHY (by publication date)

• 18 Washington Square South: A Comedy in One Act, 1944
• The Small Rain, 1945
• Ilsa, 1946
• And Both Were Young, 1949
• Camilla Dickinson, 1951
• A Winter’s Love, 1957
• Meet the Austins, 1960
• A Wrinkle in Time, 1962
• The Moon By Night, 1963
• The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas, 1964
• The Arm of the Starfish, 1965
• Camilla, 1965
• The Love Letters, 1966
• A Journey With Jonah, 1967
• The Young Unicorns, 1968
• Dance in the Desert, 1969
• Lines Scribbled on an Envelope and Other Poems, 1969
• The Other Side of the Sun, 1971
• A Circle of Quiet, 1972
• A Wind in the Door, 1973
• Everyday Prayers, 1974
• Prayers for Sunday, 1974
• The Risk of Birth, 1974
• The Summer of the Great-Grandmother, 1974
• Dragons in the Waters, 1976
• The Irrational Season, 1977
• A Swiftly Tilting Planet, 1978
• The Weather of the Heart, 1978
• Ladder of Angels, 1979
• The Anti-Muffins, 1980
• A Ring of Endless Light, 1980
• Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, 1980
• A Severed Wasp, 1982
• The Sphinx at Dawn, 1982
• And It Was Good: Reflections on Beginnings, 1983
• A House Like a Lotus, 1984
• Trailing Clouds of Glory: Spiritual Values in Children’s Literature, 1985
• Many Waters, 1986
• A Stone for a Pillow: Journeys with Jacob, 1986
• A Cry Like a Bell, 1987
• Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage, 1988
• An Acceptable Time, 1989
• Sold Into Egypt: Joseph’s Journey into Human Being, 1989
• The Glorious Impossible, 1990
• Certain Women, 1992
• The Rock That is Higher, 1993
• Anytime Prayers, 1994
• Troubling a Star, 1994
• Glimpses of Grace, 1996
• A Live Coal in the Sea, 1996
• Penguins and Golden Calves: Icons and Idols, 1996
• Wintersong, 1996
• Bright Evening Star, 1997
• Friends for the Journey, 1997
• Mothers and Daughters, 1997
• Miracle on 10th Street, 1998
• A Full House, 1999
• Mothers and Sons, 1999
• Prayerbook for Spiritual Friends, 1999
• The Other Dog, 2001
• Madeleine L’Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life, 2001
• The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L’Engle, 2005
• The Joys of Love, 2008