The Rock That Is Higher: Story as Truth
by Madeleine L'Engle
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We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is. We glimpse it sometimes in our dreams, or as we turn a corner, and suddenly there is a strange, sweet familiarity that vanishes almost as soon as it comes… –Madeleine L’Engle, from The Rock That Is Higher Story captures our hearts and feeds our imaginations. It reminds us who we are and where we came from. Story gives meaning and direction to our lives as we learn to see it as an show more affirmation of God’s love and truth–an acknowledgment of our longing for a rock in the midst of life’s wilderness. Drawing upon her own experiences, well-known tales in literature, and selected narratives from Scripture, Madeleine L’Engle gently leads the way into the glorious world of story in The Rock That Is Higher. Here she acknowledges universal human longings and considers how literature, Scripture, personal stories, and life experiences all point us toward our true home. show lessTags
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The Rock that is Higher contains L'Engle's reflections from about 5 years after her husband's death. On the way to a lecture, a truck hit the car L'Engle was riding in and nearly killed her. She wrote this book as she dealt with a long, frustrating, painful recovery. In this book, L'Engle explores the nature of story and truth. Story conveys truth, and the truth conveyed by story goes beyond that of mere facts.
L'Engle's main source of inspiration in these reflections is the Bible. This puts her in a very interesting position on the question of whether or not the Bible is literally true. In her opinion, it seems, the literal truth of the Bible does not matter as much as the stories and the truth contained in them. Focusing on story show more rather than fact gave L'Engle strength through the process of her recovery. A list of facts does not convey meaning, but narrative, story, does, and it is through story that we understand the world. show less
L'Engle's main source of inspiration in these reflections is the Bible. This puts her in a very interesting position on the question of whether or not the Bible is literally true. In her opinion, it seems, the literal truth of the Bible does not matter as much as the stories and the truth contained in them. Focusing on story show more rather than fact gave L'Engle strength through the process of her recovery. A list of facts does not convey meaning, but narrative, story, does, and it is through story that we understand the world. show less
Though I do not agree with all of L'Engle's theology, her expression of poetry and thoughts on writing inspire and prompt my own reflection.
Story as a means of conveying meaning that cannot be said any other way.
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123+ Works 128,445 Members
Author Madeleine L'Engle was born in New York City on November 29, 1918. She graduated from Smith College. She is best known for A Wrinkle in Time (1962), which won the 1963 Newbery Medal for best American children's book. While many of her novels blend science fiction and fantasy, she has also written a series of autobiographical books, including show more Two Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage, which deals with the illness and death of her husband, soap opera actor Hugh Franklin. In 2004, she received a National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush. She died on September 6, 2007 of natural causes. Since 1976, Wheaton College in Illinois has maintained a special collection of L'Engle's papers, and a variety of other materials, dating back to 1919. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1993
- Epigraph
- From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
O set me upon the rock that is higher than I.
Psalm 61:2, Coverdale - Dedication
- To Frances and David Somerville
- First words
- On the 28th of July, 1991, I was being driven from San Diego to Escondido, California, to a lecture job to which I was looking forward.
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- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.02)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 4
