Tea at Trianon: Madeleine L'Engle

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Madeleine L'Engle

An enlightening article on the late children's author. I found the Wrinkle in Time series to be very engaging and inspiring. I am glad to know that I am not the only one who identified with "Meg Murry" as a teenager. Share

6 comments:

Anonymous said...: I remember bringing home A Wrinkle in Time from the school library in 4th grade. I tried reading it, but I was very confused and somewhat scared by the odd imagery and darker tones. I returned it unfinished. After that, whenever I saw the cover with a many-eyed being, it made me rather uncomfortable!

I am determined though that I will read it someday - I'll have to add it to my reading list and see it through more mature eyes!; September 11, 2007 at 7:43:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I think the many-eyed being was supposed to be a cherubim as described in Sacred Scripture. I agree, some of it was a bit spooky, but I was already into Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. The books are not for everyone but I liked them, the first two, anyway.; September 11, 2007 at 7:51:00 PM EDT
Kimberly said...: I, too, truly loved the L'Engle books as a teen. Definitely not for the younger set, though. Many Waters was a favorite of mine for awhile...certainly an interesting take on the story of the Flood. And the Nephalim...too scary!; September 11, 2007 at 11:17:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: I never read that one, Kimberly, it sounds fascinating!! A friend and I were just discussing the legends of the Nephalim the other day.; September 11, 2007 at 11:27:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: +JMJ+

L'Engle was my favourite writer when I was a teenager! After learning about her passing over the weekend, I brought my entire collection of her books to school so that my students could see them. Some of my copies were so old that, despite careful handling by my girls, the brittle covers just snapped off! :S

My favourite novel in the Time Series is A Swiftly Tilting Planet. :)

I also read all her so-called Chronos books. I ended up identifying more with Vicky Austin than with Meg Murry. :P; September 12, 2007 at 12:01:00 AM EDT
Anonymous said...: I loved her books as an adult, when my children were reading them. A remarkable writer, she will be missed.; September 12, 2007 at 9:18:00 AM EDT