The Sheila Variations

The Books: "The Rock that is Higher: Story as Truth" (Madeleine L'Engle)

Moving right along through "Red's Bookshelf - An Excerpt a Day".

Next book is The Rock That Is Higher : Story as Truth , by Madeleine L'Engle. This is one of her many religious-themed books. In this one, she looks at the role "story" plays in our lives. How stories can guide us through life's journey, how stories can illuminate, how stories can help us find our way. She talks a lot about the stories in the Bible, but she also talks about the works of great literature - AND she talks about her own process as a writer - specifically one awful winter in 1991 when she was trying to finish a novel (Certain Women) when she got hit by a truck. Her injuries were extensive, and she fell into a funk (hard to imagine her falling into a funk - she's so positive). Her pain was terrible, she missed her dead husband, and she lost her way. Worse than all of that, she lost interest in telling her own story (the novel). The book uses that incident as the framework to look at Story, in general. The novel - Certain Women - is a re-telling of the story of King David, yet in modern-day times, using the New York theatrical world as its background.

She's my favorite writer.

EXCERPT FROM The Rock That Is Higher : Story as Truth , by Madeleine L'Engle.

Marilyn and I talked about Certain Women, because not only had she read this long manuscript in various versions, she had come up with the title for me. I had started out calling the book The Company of Women, from the Coverdale translation of the Psalms, and discovered that this title had already been used. When Marilyn looked through her Bible she found, in Luke's Gospel, Certain women made us astonished, and I added, from Nik's play, King David sayig to his beloved wife, Abigail, "You sound so certain." To which Abigail replies, "I am." So Certain Women is a title with a double meaning.

We talked about David, only a youngster when his story begins, out in the hills with his sheep and his harp. All through Scripture sheep are important, and when we are referred to as sheep it is not a compliment. Sheep are among the most stupid of animals! Indeed, all we, like sheep, have gone astray.

And the Good Shepherd goes out into the rain to find us and bring us home.

It is no coincidence that David comes into his story as a shepherd. It is difficult for us today to understand all the connections that the word shepherd had for people in David's world -- and in Jesus' world. We don't have a contemporary equivalent. One friend suggested the school traffic-crossing guard, the man or woman carefuly making sure that the children get across the street safely. It's a good metaphor, but not really adequate.

There's a true story I love about a house party in one of the big English country houses. Often after dinner at these parties people give recitations, sing, and use whatever talent they have to entertain the company. One year a famous actor was among the guests. I've been told he might have been Charles Laughton. When it came his turn to perform, he recited the Twenty-third Psalm, perhaps the most beloved Psalm in the Psalter. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. His rendition was magnificent, and there was much applause. At the end of the evening someone noticed a little old great aunt dozing in the corner. She was deaf as a psot and had missed most of what was going on, but she was urged to get up and recite something. In those days people used to memorize a lot of poetry! So she stood up, and in her quavery old voice she started, "The Lord is my shepherd," and went on to the end of the psalm. When she had finished there were tears in many eyes. Later one of the guests approached the famous actor. "You recited that psalm absolutely superbly. It was incomparable. So why were we so moved by that funny, little old lady?"

He replied, "I know the psalm. She knows the shepherd."

Posted by sheila