We analyzed Madeleine L'Engle's books with a critic's eye, looking for six main topics. Our search was fruitful for Character Analysis, Setting, Themes Common to Author's Works, Plot Development Methods, Symbolism, and Figurative Language or Imagery.
We could only look through six books, almost all in different series or classifications. A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, And Both Were Young, A Ring of Endless Light, The Arm of the Starfish, and Meet the Austins. General information, or that pertaining to all of the books, is found here. The specific analyses of the individual books are contained in that book's page.
Some common character traits in L'Engle books are girls who don't fit in; middle-class, shy, not very likeable girls; quiet, understanding boys; and wise, understanding adults or overseers.
There are some stereotypes, such as snotty, stuck-up, rich kids. She also portrays that the rich aren't caring sometimes.
The common relationships in L'Engle's books are a non-self-confident person, usually a child, who befriends someone usually of the opposite sex. That person sees past their differences and helps them become more confident. Her characters love their parents a lot, except the rich kids. They also have strong feelings for each other (whether good or bad).
Some shared settings or types of settings sometimes reflect L'Engle's own living experiences. They often have schools with strict leaders. Also, some characters live in middle-class homes, or big, old country houses. The beach or an island is often involved, also. Many of these books reflect the time period of when she wrote it. The effect of the setting on other literary elements can be found in the types of dialogue or different dialects.
Themes that are found in most of L'Engle's books are love, family, friends, and relationships. Also, she shows that fitting in is not all that's important, and change is often irrelevant to the characters.
Some similar conflicts are that the main character doesn't fit in, or they have personal hardship. A supporting character often isn't loved, also, and they have to go on their own quest to solve that problem. The father character is usually literally far away or distant in feelings.