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 Mirror
Introverted Parallelisms in a Ring with an Axis
Chapter 5:
Middle/Turning Point
Sample
Ring
Chapter 4:
Chapter 6:
D Exposition D/D’ Scene Dialogue, D’ Echoing Composition
Characters
Construction
Chapter 3:
C Exposition
Chapter 2:
B Exposition
Chapter 7:
C/C’ Scene, Dialogue, C’ Echoing
Characters
B/B’ Scene, Dialogue,
Characters
Chapters 1/9: A/A’
Beginning/End-’Latch’
Chapter 8:
B’ Echoing
BeginningMiddleand-End:
Echoing
with
Emphasis
at Finale or
at Center
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
The heir remains a child and servant (4:1)
B
Until the time appointed of the father (4:2)
C
When that time came, God sent forth his Son (4:4)
D Made under the law (4:4)
[D’] To redeem those under the law (4:5)
C’Because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of his Son (4: 6)
B’ That ye cry, Abba, Father (4:6)
A’ That ye are no more a servant but a son and heir
(4:7)
Picturing Chiasmus:
Galatians As a Whole
A
Prologue (1:1 – 1:12)
B
Autobiographical section (1:13 – 2:19)
C
Justification by faith (2:11 – 3:4)
D
Arguments from Scripture (3:5 – 3:29)
E
D’
Central Chiasm (4:1-10)
Arguments from Scripture (4:11 – 4:31)
C’Justification by faith (5:1 – 5:10)
B’ Moral Section (5:11 – 6:11)
A’ Epilogue (6:12-18)
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 9:
In the Witch’s House
Chapters 7-8:
Chapters 10-11:
At the
Report and Return of Aslan The Coming of
Spring and
Beavers’ Dam
Christmas
Chapter 6:
Into the Forest
Chapter 5:
Back On This Side
of the Door
Chapters 3-4:
Edmund and the
White Witch
Chapter 2:
What Lucy
Found There
Chapter 12:
Peter’s First
Battle
Chapter 13:
Deep Magic From
the Dawn of Time
Peter: Prig and Prince
The Law of Logic and Emperor
Edmund’s Fall
and the Ransom
Mr. Tumnus
Chapters 14-15:
The Ransom and
Resurrection
Chapter 16:
What Happened
About the Statues
Chapters 1/17:
Lucy Looks Into a Wardrobe/
The Hunting of the White Stag
BeginningMiddleand-End:
Redemption
of Edmund
Chapter 5:
Middle/Turning Point
Sample
Ring
Chapter 4:
Chapter 6:
D Exposition D/D’ Scene Dialogue, D’ Echoing Composition
Characters
Construction
Chapter 3:
C Exposition
Chapter 2:
B Exposition
Chapter 7:
C/C’ Scene, Dialogue, C’ Echoing
Characters
B/B’ Scene, Dialogue,
Characters
Chapters 1/9: A/A’
Beginning/End-’Latch’
Chapter 8:
B’ Echoing
BeginningMiddleand-End:
Echoing
with
Emphasis
at Finale or
at Center
Beginning and End
Middle Joining Beginning-End
Chamber – Half-Blood Prince
Story Parallels and Analogies
Prisoner – Order of the Phoenix
Story Parallels and Analogies
(Sirius Black)
Ring of
Seven
Book
Series
___________
(Tom Riddle)
BeginningMiddleand-End:
Harry
Potter’s
Battles with
the Dark
Lord
HP1
Philosopher’s
Stone
HP2
Chamber of
Secrets
HP5
Order of
the Phoenix
_____________
HP4
Goblet of Fire
HP6
Half-Blood
Prince
HP3
Prisoner of
Azkaban
HP7
Deathly Hallows
Ring of
Seven
Book
Series
BeginningMiddleand-End:
Harry
Potter’s
Battles with
the Dark
Lord
Chapter 9:
The Midnight Duel
Chapter 7:
The Sorting
Hat
Chapter 6:
Journey from
Platform 9 3/4
Self Revealed
Ring of
Harry Potter
Chapter 11: and the
Quidditch
Philosopher’s
Stone
__________
Chapter 12:
Ron and Harry:
Mirror of
BeginningIdentity, Family Issues
Erised
Middleand-End:
Chapter 3:
Chapter 16:
Miraculous
Adventure!
Letters from
Through the
Survival
No One
Trap Door
Chapters 1-2/17:
The Boy Who Lived-Vanishing Glass /
The Man With Two Faces
Chapter 9:
The Midnight Duel
Chapter 8:
The Potions Worst Enemy/Best Friends
Master
Chapter 7:
The Sorting
Hat
Chapter 6:
Journey from
Platform 9 3/4
Chapters 4-5:
Keeper of the Keys
Chapter 3:
Letters from
No One
Chapter 10:
Halloween
Chapter 11:
Quidditch
Self Revealed
Ron and Harry:
Identity, Family Issues
Rubeus Hagrid
Adventure!
Chapter 12:
Mirror of Erised
Chapters 13-15:
The Forbidden Forest
Chapter 16:
Through the
Trap Door
Chapters 1-2/17:
The Boy Who Lived-Vanishing Glass /
The Man With Two Faces
BeginningMiddleand-End:
Miraculous
Survival
Chapter 9:
The Midnight Duel
Chapter 7:
The Sorting
Hat
Chapter 6:
Journey from
Platform 9 3/4
Self Revealed
Ring of
Harry Potter
Chapter 11: and the
Quidditch
Philosopher’s
Stone
__________
Chapter 12:
Ron and Harry:
Mirror of
BeginningIdentity, Family Issues
Erised
Middleand-End:
Chapter 3:
Chapter 16:
Miraculous
Adventure!
Letters from
Through the
Survival
No One
Trap Door
Chapters 1-2/17:
The Boy Who Lived-Vanishing Glass /
The Man With Two Faces
Chapter 10:
The Rogue Bludger
Chapter 9:
The Writing
on the Wall
Chapter 5:
The Whomping
Whillow
Chapter 4:
At Flourish
and Blotts
Heir of Slytherin
Ron and Harry:
Anglia Adventures
Ring of
Harry Potter
Chapter 11: and the
The Dueling
Chamber of
Club
Secrets
__________
Chapter 15:
Aragog
BeginningMiddleand-End:
Chapter 16: Dobby the
The Chamber House-Elf
of Secrets
Journey into
Darkness
Chapters 1-2/18:
The Worst Birthday – Dobby’s Warning /
Dobby’s Reward
Chapter 12:
The Patronus
Chapter 10:
The
Marauder’s
Map
Chapter 5:
The Dementor
Chapter 3:
The Knight Bus
Marauder’s Map
Remus Lupin’s Silence
Escape to and
from Fudge
Ring of
Harry Potter
Chapter 14: and the
Snape’s
Prisoner of
Grudge
Azkaban
Chapter 18:
Moony, __________
Wormtail,
Padfoot,
and Prongs
Chapter 21:
Hermione’s
Secret
Chapters 1-2/22:
Owl Post – Aunt Marge’s Big Mistake /
Owl Post Again
BeginningMiddleand-End:
‘Owl Post’
Presence of
the Beloved
Dead
Chapter 19:
The Hungarian
Horntail
Chapter 13:
Mad-Eye
Moody
Chapter 8:
The Quidditch
World Cup
Chapter 6:
The Portkey
Moody Saves
Harry
The Gang’s All Here
Portkey Diggorys
Ring of
Chapter 25: Harry Potter
The Egg and and the
the Eye Goblet of Fire
__________
Chapter 30: BeginningThe Pensieve Middleand-End:
‘Struggling
Chapter 32: to Believe’
Flesh, Blood,
and Bone
Chapters 1/37:
The Riddle’s House/ The Beginning
Chapters
10/11:
The Woes of
Mrs. Weasley /
Luna Lovegood
Chapter 4:
Number 12,
Grimmauld
Place
Chapter 2:
A Peck of
Owls
Chapter 19:
The Lion and the
Serpent
Weasleys and
other Exotic
Animals
Ring of
Chapters
30/29: Harry Potter
and the
Grawp /
Career Order of the
Advice
Phoenix
__________
Chapter 35:
Sirius’ Closed Curtains Beyond the
BeginningVeil
Middleand-End:
Chapter 37: Ragin’ Harry
The Bond of
The Lost
Blood
Prophecy
Chapters 1/38:
Dudley Demented /
The Second War Begins
Chapters 16/17:
A Very Frosty Christmas/
A Sluggish Memory
Chapter 15:
The Unbreakable
Vow
Chapter 4:
Horace
Slughorn
Love Potions
Ring of
Harry Potter
Chapter 18: and the
Birthday
Half-Blood
Surprise
Prince
__________
Chapter 26:
“You Are With Me”
The Cave Beginning“I Am With You”
MiddleChapters 28/27: and-End:
The Flight of the Scrimgeour/
Chapter 3:
Telescopes and
Prince / The Dumbledore
Will and
Trainers
Lighyning-Struck & Snape
Won’t
Chapters 1-2/30-29:
Tower
The Other Minister – Spinner’s End /
The White Tomb – The Phoenix Lament
Chapters 18/19:
Life and Lies of Albus
Dumbledore / Silver Doe
Chapter 15:
The Goblin’s
Revenge
Snatched
Conversations
Chapters 10-13:
Kreacher and
the Ministry of
Magic
Refuge and
Underground
Adventure
Ring of
Harry Potter
Chapter 22: and the
The Deathly
Deathly
Hallows
Hallows
__________
Chapters 26-25:
Griphook and
Gringotts
BeginningMiddleand-End:
Chapter 34:
Tom, Albus,
The Forest
and Severus
Again
Chapters 3, 4:
Confrontations with the
The Dursleys
Dark Lord
Departing,
The Seven Potters Chapters 1-2/36-35:
The Dark Lord Ascending – In Memoriam/
The Flaw in the Plan – King’s Cross
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
Ring Composition Symbol
Middle
Circular Story
Circle Divided in Half
for Mirrored Halves
Beginning
End
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and Ring Composition
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