Free Republic

Disney's big-budget adaptation of the best-selling novel "A Wrinkle in Time" falters in many of the same ways the book does— but there was one major change made in the movie from the novel. The film's version of events strips away explicit mention of God or religion, instead trimming down the central conflict to one between "evil" and "light." Though the film adaptation has several critical flaws — namely pacing and an off-kilter wobble between too much exposition and then not enough — the removal of L'Engle's religious overtones leads to a key issue. By removing the religious themes, the...

Madeleine L’Engle, award-winning author of many children’s and science-fiction books, including “A Wrinkle in Time,” has died of natural causes in Connecticut, accordintg to her publisher. She was 88. L’Engle wrote in many genres over an incredibly productive lifetime, but “Wrinkle” is the book that made her name. Published in 1963, it won the Newberry Award for children’s literature, and according to the New York Times, had sold more than 6 million copies by 2004. That’s not quite up to “Harry Potter” numbers, but for several generations, “A Wrinkle in Time” was sort of our “Harry Potter.” I first encountered...

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Author Madeleine L'Engle, whose novel "A Wrinkle in Time" has been enjoyed by generations of schoolchildren and adults since the 1960s, has died, her publicist said Friday. She was 88. L'Engle died Thursday at a nursing home in Litchfield of natural causes, according to Jennifer Doerr, publicity manager for publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The Newbery Medal winner wrote more than 60 books, including fantasies, poetry and memoirs, often highlighting spiritual themes and her Christian faith. Although L'Engle was often labeled a children's author, she disliked that classification. In a 1993 Associated Press interview, she said she...

This November, Judy Blume was presented with a medal from the National Book Award Foundation. The same day, Madeleine L’Engle received a medal from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Though both authors are best known for their books for teenagers, they couldn’t be more different. Blume made her name as the writer of Deenie, Forever, and other young adult novels known for their sexual themes and explicit descriptions. Typically, many of the articles written to celebrate her medal pictured Blume as a sort of big sister who provided guidance and reassurance about premarital sex, masturbation, and similar topics. Washington...