The Books: “The Rock that is Higher: Story as Truth” (Madeleine L’Engle)

Religion/Theology Bookshelf:

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. (It’s a terrible book, but whatever – I love the story behind the book.)

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

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.”