A Swiftly Tilting Planet

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A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Swiftlytiltingplanet.jpg
First edition cover
Author Madeleine L'Engle
Cover artist Diane Dillon (first ed.)
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
Series Time Quintet
Genre Young adult, Science fiction
Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date
July 1, 1978
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages304 pp
ISBN 0-374-37362-0
OCLC 167766231
Preceded by A Wind in the Door  
Followed by Many Waters  

A Swiftly Tilting Planet is a science fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle, the third book in the Time Quintet. It was first published in 1978 with cover art by Diane Dillon.

Contents

The book's title is an allusion to the poem "Morning Song of Senlin" by Conrad Aiken. [1]

Plot summary

The book opens on Thanksgiving evening, 10 years after the events of A Wind in the Door . Meg is now married to Calvin and is expecting their first child. Calvin has become a scientist and is in Britain at a conference; Calvin's mother Branwen Maddox O’Keefe joins Meg's family for Thanksgiving dinner. When they receive the news of impending nuclear war caused by the dictator "Mad Dog Branzillo", Mrs. O'Keefe lays a charge on Charles of Patrick's Rune, a rhyming prayer of protection inherited from her Irish grandmother.

Charles Wallace goes to the star-watching rock, a family haunt, where his recitation summons a winged unicorn named Gaudior, who explains to Charles Wallace that he must prevent nuclear war by traveling through time and telepathically merging with people who lived near the star-watching rock at points in the past.

They are threatened along the way by the Echthroi, the antagonists introduced in A Wind in the Door, who now seek to alter history in their favor. Gaudior and Charles Wallace's travels bring them to Harcels, a Native American boy at least 1,000 years in the past; Madoc of Wales, a pre-Columbian trans-oceanic traveler; Brandon Llawcae, a Welsh settler in puritan times; Mrs. O'Keefe's brother Chuck Maddox, during their childhood; and Matthew Maddox, a writer during the American Civil War.

Throughout their journey, Meg connects with Charles Wallace from home through "kything", the telepathic communication she learned in A Wind in the Door. Gradually, it is revealed that Branzillo is a descendant of Madoc through all Charles' other alter-egos, and of Madoc's treacherous brother Gwydyr; and ultimately, Charles' manipulation of Branzillo's various ancestors, results in the re-union of Madoc's line, and the transformation of the present Branzillo into an advocate of peace, to prevent the war.

The Rune Resembling St. Patrick's Rune

Throughout the story, Charles Wallace invokes this poem to ensure the victory of good. The poem features in several parts of the book, each with slightly different wording or different punctuation; the poem's definite composition is unsure.

With Ananda** in this fateful hour,
I place all Heaven with its power,
And the sun with its brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
And the fire with all the strength it hath,
And the lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the winds with their swiftness along its path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the Earth with its starkness
All these I place by God's almighty help and grace
Between myself and the powers of darkness

It is very similar to a portion of James Clarence Mangan's poem "St. Patrick’s Hymn before Tarah," [2] a poetic rendition of Saint Patrick's Breastplate.

The rune within the L'Engle's book has one significant difference from St. Patrick's Hymn. "At Tara" is replaced with "With Ananda"; the original refers to the Hill of Tara. However, in L'Engle's version, the words are different, and this has relevance to the overall context of the plot, as Ananda is both the name of the Murry family dog and the Sanskrit word for "bliss", a kind of internally-generated divine condition, which is neither a deity nor a physical location.

Sources

The background story of Madoc and his brother Gwydyr derive from a legend in which Madoc arrived in North America centuries before Leif Ericson and settled with the people there, eventually giving rise to a Welsh-speaking native tribe with some Caucasian features. [3] Although the legend is generally centered on Georgia, along the Ohio River and elsewhere, L'Engle places Madoc and his genetic line in Connecticut, and places his descendants among a historical Welsh colony in Patagonia. [4]

The verse given as Patrick's Rune is L'Engle's adaptation of an authentic medieval prayer, "Saint Patrick's Breastplate", which in turn is a variation on the Lorica of Saint Patrick. [5] L'Engle's rune invokes the same natural phenomena (sun, moon, lightning, rocks, etc.) as the fourth verse of the hymn "Saint Patrick's Breastplate", attributed to St. Patrick, translated by Cecil Frances Alexander, according to the hymnal used by the Episcopal Church, [6] of which L'Engle was a member. [7]

The Horn of Joy

Matthew Maddox's second novel, The Horn of Joy (1868), serves as a MacGuffin in A Swiftly Tilting Planet. Charles Wallace spends a significant portion of the book trying to remember or discover what Maddox wrote in it, or to reach Maddox himself. Readers sometimes wonder [8] whether The Horn of Joy ever existed; but it is a fictional book, created by L'Engle. Polly O'Keefe finds a copy of The Horn of Joy in her room (formerly Charles Wallace's room) when she visits her maternal grandparents in An Acceptable Time. Maddox's equally fictional first novel, Once More United, is said to have been published in 1865.

Vespugia

Vespugia is the same fictional country that L'Engle's character Vicky Austin later visits in Troubling a Star. L'Engle explains in Walking on Water that Vespugia is "set in the middle of what used to be called Patagonia, a sizeable area along what are now the boundaries of Chile and Argentina". L'Engle's husband, Hugh Franklin, is credited with having named Vespugia. [4]

Series

This is the third book of the Time Quintet, preceded by, in publication order, A Wrinkle in Time (1962) and A Wind in the Door (1973). However, this was not the chronological order. Though Many Waters was written and published later than A Swiftly Tilting Planet, it takes place earlier with respect to the characters. The last book in the Quintet, An Acceptable Time, takes place a generation after A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and is part of the Polly O'Keefe series of books. The larger "Murry-O'Keefe" series (the Time Quintet plus the books of Poly/Polly O'Keefe) contains three novels between A Swiftly Tilting Planet and An Acceptable Time in terms of character chronology. These are The Arm of the Starfish , Dragons in the Waters , and A House Like a Lotus.

Audio adaptation

In January 2012, an audio CD version narrated by actress Jennifer Ehle was released.

Reception

At the time of the book's publication, Kirkus Reviews said, "L'Engle's irksomely superior Murry family reassembles here for Thanksgiving dinner... The idea, according to the unicorn, is for Charles to influence a Might-Have-Been which determines whether Branzillo is descended from the good or the bad line, and thus (?!) whether he will or will not start a nuclear war--a shaky if not asinine premise on which to build an earth-tilting adventure." [9] In a 2012 essay for Tor.com, American author and critic Mari Ness wrote, "A Swiftly Tilting Planet is simultaneously one of L'Engle's most beautiful and poetic novels, filled with joy and despair, and also one of her most frustrating, a book that both celebrates her earlier books while completely contradicting some of their most important and fiercely argued ethical points. I find myself dazzled and irritated." [10]

Awards and honors

In its first paperback edition, A Swiftly Tilting Planet won a National Book Award in category Children's Books (paperback). [11] [12] [lower-alpha 1]

Notes

  1. ↑ From 1980 to 1983 in National Book Award history there were dual awards for hardcover and paperback books in many categories. Almost all of the paperback award-winners were reprints.

Related Research Articles

Murry may refer to:

Madeleine LEngle American writer (1918–2007)

Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time. Her works reflect both her Christian faith and her strong interest in modern science.

<i>A Wrinkle in Time</i> 1962 science fantasy novel by Madeleine LEngle

A Wrinkle in Time is a young adult novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. The main characters—Meg Murry, Charles Wallace Murry, and Calvin O'Keefe—embark on a journey through space and time, from galaxy to galaxy, as they endeavor to save the Murrys' father and the world. The novel offers a glimpse into the war between light and darkness, and good and evil, as the young characters mature into adolescents on their journey. The novel wrestles with questions of spirituality and purpose, as the characters are often thrown into conflicts of love, divinity, and goodness. It is the first book in L'Engle's Time Quintet, which follows the Murrys and Calvin O'Keefe.

<i>Many Waters</i>

Many Waters is a 1986 novel by Madeleine L'Engle, part of the author's Time Quintet. The title is taken from the Song of Solomon 8:7: "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it. If a man were to give all his wealth for love, it would be utterly scorned."

Be Thou My Vision

"Be Thou My Vision" is a traditional Christian hymn of Irish origin. The words are based on a Middle Irish poem that has traditionally been attributed to Dallán Forgaill.

<i>A Wind in the Door</i>

A Wind in the Door is a young adult science fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle. It is a companion book to A Wrinkle in Time and part of the Time Quintet.

Cecil Frances Alexander British hymn-writer and poet

Cecil Frances Alexander was an Anglo-Irish hymnwriter and poet. Amongst other works, she wrote "All Things Bright and Beautiful", "There Is a Green Hill Far Away" and the Christmas carol "Once in Royal David's City".

<i>The Arm of the Starfish</i>

The Arm of the Starfish is a young adult novel by Madeleine L'Engle, first published in 1965. It is the first novel featuring Polly O'Keefe and the O'Keefe family, a generation after the events of A Wrinkle in Time (1962). The plot concerning advanced regeneration research puts this novel in the science fiction genre, but it could also be described as a mystery thriller.

Echthroi (Ἐχθροί) is a Greek plural meaning "The Enemy". The singular form of the word, Echthros (Ἐχθρός), is used in many versions and translations of the Bible for "enemy".

<i>An Acceptable Time</i> 1989 book by Madeleine LEngle

An Acceptable Time is a 1989 young adult science fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle, the last of her books to feature Polyhymnia O'Keefe, better known as Poly or Polly. Marketed as part of the author's Time Quintet, An Acceptable Time connects Polly's adventures with those of her parents, Meg Murry and Calvin O'Keefe, which take place a generation earlier. The book's title is taken from Psalm 69:13, "But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable time."

<i>A House Like a Lotus</i>

A House Like a Lotus (ISBN 0-374-33385-8) is a 1984 young adult novel by Madeleine L'Engle. Its protagonist is sixteen-year-old Polly O'Keefe, whose friend and mentor, Maximiliana Horne, has sent her on a trip to Greece and Cyprus. As she travels, Polly must come to terms with a recent traumatic event involving Max. The history of Polly's relationship with Max is told in flashback over the course of the novel. The use of double quotes distinguishes the present, whereas single quotes indicate flashbacks from the past.

Victoria "Vicky" Austin is one of Madeleine L'Engle's frequently used fictional characters, appearing in eight books and referred to in at least one more. She is the protagonist of the Austin family series of books being the first person narrator of Meet the Austins, The Moon by Night, A Ring of Endless Light, Troubling a Star, and the picture book The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas. A developing poet and writer, Vicky observes the everyday events in her large family, dates several boys, communicates with dolphins, faces the occasional mortal danger, and reflects on important issues about life and death, faith and family as she gradually comes of age.

<i>The Moon by Night</i> 1963 young adult novel by Madeleine LEngle

The Moon by Night (ISBN 0-374-35049-3) is the title of a young adult novel by Madeleine L'Engle. Published in 1963, it is the second novel about Vicky Austin and her family, taking place between the events of Meet the Austins (1960) and The Young Unicorns (1968), and more or less concurrently with the O'Keefe family novel The Arm of the Starfish. The book marks the first appearance of the character Zachary Gray, who dates first Vicky and then Polly O'Keefe. Although Vicky will later appear in three novels that have fantasy and/or science fiction themes, there are no such elements in The Moon By Night.

<i>A Wrinkle in Time</i> (2003 film) 2003 television fantasy film

A Wrinkle in Time is a 2003 television fantasy film directed by John Kent Harrison from a teleplay by Susan Shilliday. The film, a Canadian and U.S. production, is based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Madeleine L'Engle. It is produced by Walt Disney Television, Dimension Television, Fireworks Entertainment, and The Kerner Entertainment Company. The film stars Katie Stuart, Gregory Smith, David Dorfman, Chris Potter, Kyle Secor, Seán Cullen, Sarah-Jane Redmond, Kate Nelligan, Alison Elliot, and Alfre Woodard.

Madeleine L'Engle, an American novelist, diarist and poet, produced over twenty novels, beginning with The Small Rain (1945), and continuing into the 1990s with A Live Coal in the Sea (1996). Many of her fictional characters appeared in more than one novel, sometimes in more than one series of novels. Other major characters are the protagonists of a single title. This article provides information about L'Engle's most notable characters.

<i>Dragons in the Waters</i>

Dragons in the Waters (ISBN 0-374-31868-9) is a 1976 young adult murder mystery by Madeleine L'Engle, the second title to feature her character Polly O'Keefe. Its protagonist is thirteen-year-old Simon Bolivar Quentin Phair Renier, an impoverished orphan from an aristocratic Southern family. The title comes from Psalm 74:13.

<i>Time Quintet</i> Five young adult science fantasy novels by Madeleine LEngle

The Time Quintet is a fantasy/science fiction series of five young adult novels written by Madeleine L'Engle.

Madeleine L'Engle has published more than fifty books, including twenty-three novels, virtually all of them interconnected by recurring characters and locales. In particular, L'Engle's three major series have a consistent geography, including a number of significant fictional locations. These generally fall into two categories:

Saint Patrick's Breastplate is an Old Irish prayer of protection of the "lorica" type attributed to Saint Patrick.

Long Metre or Long Measure, abbreviated as L.M. or LM, is a poetic metre consisting of four line stanzas, or quatrains, in iambic tetrameter with alternate rhyme pattern a-b-a-b. The term is also used in the closely related area of hymn metres. When the poem is used as a sung hymn, the metre of the text is denoted by the syllable count of each line; for long metre, the count is denoted by 8.8.8.8, 88.88, or 88 88, depending on style.

References

  1. ↑ "Morning Song of Senlin" at the Poets' Corner Archived 2014-10-09 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ St. Patrick’s Hymn before Tarah By James Clarence Mangan (1803–1849) Archived 2017-08-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ The North Carolina Ghosts and Legends: The Moon Eyed People Archived 2009-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 L'Engle, Madeleine (1983). Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. Harold Shaw, Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 173–174. ISBN   0-86547-487-7.
  5. ↑ Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Patrick Archived 2017-03-01 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ The Hymnal 1982, Hymn 370. New York: The Church Hymnal corporation, 1982. ISBN   0-89869-120-6
  7. ↑ Stains, Rocco (2007-12-11). "Madeleine L'Engle Remembered at New York Cathedral". School Library Journal. Reed Business Information. Archived from the original on 2009-06-09. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
  8. ↑ The Horn of Joy: A Meditation on Eternity and Time, Kairos and Chronos Archived 2013-07-08 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 2008-02-26.
  9. ↑ "A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET by Madeleine L'Engle". Kirkus Reviews . July 1, 1978. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  10. ↑ Ness, Mari (February 2, 2012). "Unicorns Against Nuclear War: A Swiftly Tilting Planet". Tor.com . Macmillan . Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ Chase, Carole F. (1998). Suncatcher: A Study of Madeleine L'Engle and Her Writing. Innisfree Press, Inc. p. 171. ISBN   1-880913-31-3.
  12. ↑ "National Book Awards – 1980" Archived 2014-08-13 at the Wayback Machine . National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
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