The correct phrase is "a willing suspension of disbelief," and it comes from the poet Coleridge, who by this phrase meant that people have an ability to accept what seems to be impossible. We are able to think and believe beyond what the rational world says is true. This allows us to engage imaginatively in science fiction, fantasy, horror, Gothic and other non-realistic forms of literature.
In Mrs. Murry's case, she is a scientist, which...
The correct phrase is "a willing suspension of disbelief," and it comes from the poet Coleridge, who by this phrase meant that people have an ability to accept what seems to be impossible. We are able to think and believe beyond what the rational world says is true. This allows us to engage imaginatively in science fiction, fantasy, horror, Gothic and other non-realistic forms of literature.
In Mrs. Murry's case, she is a scientist, which means she believes firmly in a rationalistic universe where nature works according to the rules of physics, and everything that happens can be logically verified. In her situation, the willing suspension of disbelief allows her to believe in what Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who are telling her about space travel, the reality of tesseracts or wrinkles in time, and what has happened to her husband. Without this ability to "think outside of the box," the scientist in Mrs. Murry would have to reject what she is hearing as impossible.
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