Harry Potter and the Ring Composition Chiasmus, Story Circles, and The Hogwarts Saga Doxacon Prime,...

Harry Potter and the Ring Composition

Chiasmus, Story Circles, and The Hogwarts Saga

Doxacon Prime, 14 November 2015

Three Questions to Answer:

• What is a Ring Composition?

• Are the Harry Potter Novels Written as Rings?

• So What?

Thinking in Circles: An Essay on Ring Composition

Mary Douglas, Yale,2007

Four Characteristics of Ring Composition:

• Beginning and End Meet as Story Frame• Story has Center or Turning Point that Echoes

and Suggests Opening and Finale• “Parallel Analogies” -- Second ‘half’ of book

mirrors front ‘half’ as a kind of “reverse echo”• There are Rings within Rings, Story Mirrors inside

the Larger Story MirrorIntroverted Parallelisms in a Ring with an Axis

Chapter 4: D Exposition

Chapter 5:Middle/Turning Point

Chapter 6: D’ Echoing

Chapter 2: B Exposition

Chapters 1/9: A/A’Beginning/End-’Latch’

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:Echoing

with Emphasis at Finale or at Center

Sample Ring

Composition Construction

Chapter 3: C Exposition

Chapter 7:C’ Echoing

Chapter 8: B’ EchoingB/B’ Scene, Dialogue,

Characters

C/C’ Scene, Dialogue, Characters

D/D’ Scene Dialogue, Characters

Biblical Chiasmus• Chiastic Verses -- Prologue to John opening• Ring Stories or Passages – Abraham and Isaac• Book Rings – St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians• Ring of Books – Hextateuch (Milgram)• Biblical Canon – ‘Bible Wheel’“The artificial part of poetry, perhaps we shall be

right to say all artifice, reduces itself to the principle of parallelism.” Gerard Manley Hopkins

Picturing Chiasmus: Galatians Center

A B C D [D’] C’B’

A’

The heir remains a child and servant (4:1)

Until the time appointed of the father (4:2)

When that time came, God sent forth his Son (4:4)

Made under the law (4:4)

To redeem those under the law (4:5)

Because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son (4: 6)

That ye cry, Abba, Father (4:6)

That ye are no more a servant but a son and heir (4:7)

Picturing Chiasmus: Galatians As a Whole

A B C D

E D’ C’B’

A’

Prologue (1:1 – 1:12)

Autobiographical section (1:13 – 2:19)

Justification by faith (2:11 – 3:4)

Arguments from Scripture (3:5 – 3:29)

Arguments from Scripture (4:11 – 4:31)

Justification by faith (5:1 – 5:10)

Moral Section (5:11 – 6:11)

Epilogue (6:12-18)

Central Chiasm (4:1-10)

How Pervasive Is This?The Shape of Biblical Language

Fr John Breck• Synoptic Narratives• Synoptic Discourses• The Gospel of St. John• Letters of St. Paul• ‘O Gladsome Light’• The Ladder of Divine Ascent

Hymn of the Resurrection(A) Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only Sinless One.

(B) We worship Thy Cross, O Christ, and Thy holy Resurrection we hymn and glorify:

(C) for Thou art our God, we know none other beside Thee, we call upon Thy name.

(B) O come all ye faithful, let us worship Christ’s holy Resurrection, for behold through the Cross joy hath

come to all the world.

(A) Ever blessing the Lord, we hymn His Resurrection; for having endured crucifixion, He hath destroyed death by death.

C. S. Lewis Familiarity with Chiasmus/Ring Composition

• The Bible• Virgil’s Aeneid• Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy• Milton’s Paradise Lost• Charles Williams’ The Place of the Lion• J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit

Chapter 6: Into the Forest

Chapter 9:In the Witch’s House

Chapter 12: Peter’s First Battle

Chapters 3-4: Edmund and the

White Witch

Chapters 14-15: The Ransom and

Resurrection

Chapter 2: What Lucy

Found There Chapters 1/17: Lucy Looks Into a Wardrobe/

The Hunting of the White Stag

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:Redemption of Edmund

Chapter 5: Back On This Side

of the Door

Chapters 7-8: At the Beavers’

Dam

Chapters 10-11:The Coming of

Spring and Christmas

Chapter 13:Deep Magic From the Dawn of Time

Chapter 16: What Happened

About the Statues

Mr. Tumnus

Edmund’s Fall and the Ransom

The Law of Logic and Emperor

Peter: Prig and Prince

Report and Return of Aslan

Chapter 4: D Exposition

Chapter 5:Middle/Turning Point

Chapter 6: D’ Echoing

Chapter 2: B Exposition

Chapters 1/9: A/A’Beginning/End-’Latch’

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:Echoing

with Emphasis at Finale or at Center

Sample Ring

Composition Construction

Chapter 3: C Exposition

Chapter 7:C’ Echoing

Chapter 8: B’ EchoingB/B’ Scene, Dialogue,

Characters

C/C’ Scene, Dialogue, Characters

D/D’ Scene Dialogue, Characters

Beginning and End

Middle Joining Beginning-End

Chamber – Half-Blood Prince Story Parallels and Analogies

Prisoner – Order of the Phoenix Story Parallels and Analogies

Ring of Seven Book Series

(Tom Riddle)

(Sirius Black)

___________Beginning-

Middle-and-End:

Harry Potter’s

Battles with the Dark

Lord

HP2Chamber of

Secrets

HP1Philosopher’s

Stone

HP5Order of

the Phoenix

HP3Prisoner of Azkaban

HP6Half-Blood

Prince

HP7Deathly Hallows

Ring of Seven Book Series

_____________Beginning-

Middle-and-End:

Harry Potter’s

Battles with the Dark

Lord

HP4Goblet of Fire

=========

==========

Chapter 7: The Sorting

Hat

Chapter 9:The Midnight Duel

Chapter 11: Quidditch

Chapter 3: Letters from

No OneChapters 1-2/17:

The Boy Who Lived-Vanishing Glass /The Man With Two Faces

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:Miraculous

Survival

Ring of Harry Potter

and the Philosopher’s

Stone__________

Chapter 6: Journey from Platform 9 3/4

Chapter 12:Mirror of

Erised

Chapter 16: Through the

Trap Door

Adventure!

Ron and Harry: Identity, Family Issues

Self Revealed


Hat



Chapters 4-5: Keeper of the Keys

Chapters 13-15: The Forbidden Forest




Beginning-Middle-

and-End:

Miraculous Survival


Chapter 8: The Potions

MasterChapter 10:Halloween

Chapter 12:Mirror of Erised


Trap Door

Adventure!

Rubeus Hagrid


Self Revealed

Worst Enemy/Best Friends


Hat






Beginning-Middle-

and-End:Miraculous

Survival


and the Philosopher’s

Stone__________


Chapter 12:Mirror of

Erised


Trap Door

Adventure!


Self Revealed

Chapter 9: The Writing on the Wall

Chapter 10:The Rogue Bludger

Chapter 11: The Dueling

Club

Chapter 4: At Flourish and Blotts

Chapters 1-2/18: The Worst Birthday – Dobby’s Warning /

Dobby’s Reward

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:Dobby the House-Elf


and the Chamber of

Secrets__________

Chapter 5: The Whomping

Whillow

Chapter 15:Aragog

Chapter 16: The Chamber

of Secrets

Journey into Darkness

Ron and Harry: Anglia Adventures

Heir of Slytherin

Chapter 10: The Marauder’s

Map

Chapter 12:The Patronus

Chapter 14: Snape’s Grudge

Chapter 3: The Knight Bus

Chapters 1-2/22: Owl Post – Aunt Marge’s Big Mistake /

Owl Post Again

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:‘Owl Post’

Presence of the Beloved

Dead


and the Prisoner of Azkaban

__________Chapter 5:

The Dementor

Chapter 18:Moony,

Wormtail, Padfoot,

and Prongs

Chapter 21: Hermione’s

Secret

Escape to and from Fudge

Remus Lupin’s Silence

Marauder’s Map

Chapter 13: Mad-Eye Moody

Chapter 19:The Hungarian

HorntailChapter 25: The Egg and

the Eye

Chapter 6: The Portkey

Chapters 1/37: The Riddle’s House/ The Beginning

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:‘Struggling to

Believe’


and the Goblet of Fire__________

Chapter 8: The Quidditch

World Cup

Chapter 30:The Pensieve

Chapter 32: Flesh, Blood,

and Bone

Portkey Diggorys

The Gang’s All Here

Moody Saves Harry

Chapters 10/11:

The Woes of Mrs. Weasley / Luna Lovegood

Chapter 19:The Lion and the

SerpentChapters 30/29:

Grawp / Career Advice

Chapter 2: A Peck of

OwlsChapters 1/38:

Dudley Demented /The Second War Begins

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:Ragin’ Harry


and the Order of the

Phoenix__________

Chapter 4: Number 12, Grimmauld

Place

Chapter 35:Beyond the

Veil

Chapter 37: The Lost Prophecy

The Bond of Blood

Sirius’ Closed Curtains

Weasleys and other Exotic

Animals

Chapter 15: The Unbreakable

Vow

Chapters 16/17:A Very Frosty Christmas/

A Sluggish Memory

Chapter 18: Birthday Surprise

Chapter 3: Will and Wo

n’tChapters 1-2/30-29:

The Other Minister – Spinner’s End /The White Tomb – The Phoenix Lament

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:Scrimgeour/ Dumbledore

& Snape


and the Half-Blood

Prince__________

Chapter 4: Horace

Slughorn

Chapter 26:The Cave

Chapters 28/27: The Flight of the

Prince / The Lighyning-Struck

Tower

Telescopes and Trainers

“You Are With Me” “I Am With You”

Love Potions

Chapter 15: The Goblin’s

Revenge

Chapters 18/19:Life and Lies of Albus

Dumbledore / Silver Doe

Chapter 22: The Deathly

Hallows

Chapters 3, 4: The Dursleys

Departing, The Seven Potters Chapters 1-2/36-35:

The Dark Lord Ascending – In Memoriam/The Flaw in the Plan – King’s Cross

Beginning-Middle-

and-End:Tom, Albus, and Severus


and the Deathly Hallows

__________Chapters 10-13: Kreacher and

the Ministry of Magic

Chapters 26-25:Griphook and

Gringotts

Chapter 34: The Forest

Again

Confrontations with the Dark Lord

Refuge and Underground

Adventure

Snatched Conversations

Three Questions to Answer:

• What is a Ring Composition?

• Are the Harry Potter Novels Written as Rings?

• So What?

Theory of Everything: Rowling’s Key

• “Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”

• Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry’s ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.

• “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean it is not real?”

Why You Don’t Already Know This:

• Materialism• Rationalism• Individualism• Philosophical

Nominalism

Beginning

Middle

End

Ring Composition Symbol

Circular StoryCircle Divided in Half

for Mirrored Halves

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