George Lucas’ Star Wars — a Ring Composition? You Betcha!

December 23, 2014 by 2 Comments

The Disney Corporation has purchased the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas and the rumor is that they have finished filming the first of a new set of three films that will complete the grand trilogy of trilogies. I cannot help but think that the legion of Star Wars fanatics (and the millions of us who are old to remember with joy the first films’ release dates) are anticipating the new adventure with the excitement and speculative frenzy that Harry Potter fandom experienced before a new book publication.

Why do I bring this up on a web site for serious readers? No, I haven’t decided that movies are texts to be interpreted the same way as novels, plays, and poetry. Really, they’re not. But there is a close reader of the Star Wars films who believes that filmmaker Lucas incorporated traditional story-telling features into his six-part single-movie epic. Not just soul triptychs, though, and themes of redemption and resurrection.

Mike Klimo at www.StarWarsRingTheory.com explains the nitty gritty ABCC’B’A’ correspondences that makes the movies work — and which the critics who dismiss the first trilogy as trash have failed to appreciate. If you’re a Star Wars fan, a serious reader of Harry Potter (which means, of course, that you’re fascinated by Ring Composition), or just curious what all the fuss has been for close to four decades about the Skywalker clan, you need to check out Mr. Klimo’s website.  It’s not just another analysis of the epic film franchise in light of Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’ topoi and Jungian archetypes (praise God).

And there is a Harry Potter connection, believe it or not. For that, make the jump!

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Filed Under: Ring Composition

The Advent Wreath and Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’

December 4, 2014 by 1 Comment

I am giving a talk tomorrow night in Washington, DC, about Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It is part of the St Columba’s Episcopal Church’s Advent Retreat; learn all about it here.

If you live in the District of Columbia or close environs, I hope to see you there! If you cannot make it, enjoy Jim Dale reading Christmas Carol here so you can join us in spirit…

Filed Under: Hog Pro Notes

The Twistrose Key: A Magical Gift for Christmas (or any time!)

December 2, 2014 by 5 Comments

I love giving book recommendations. When people tell me they want book suggestions for friends or family members, I generally ask a few questions and see if I can’t point them in the right direction. For the past several months, the one book I have recommended to almost everyone is an enchanted snowglobe of a tale that is perfect as we head into December. The Twistrose Key is an enchanting, lyric novel, by Norwegian author Tone Almhjell, who weaves a spell of snow, song, and sensory magic to create a story unlike any other, yet still achingly, hauntingly familiar. In addition to creating an absolutely amazing novel, Almhjell is a generous, delightful person who graciously agreed to an email interview despite a looming deadline for her next book. Slip on your mittens, pull your wooly cap down tight, and hang on to the reins; after the jump, we’re off on a magical sleigh ride to get to know this warm-hearted author and her snow-dusted story.

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Filed Under: Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Literary Alchemy, Ring Composition Tagged With: , ,

Welcome, Mockingjay Movie Fans! Here is a Shortcut to the Best of Hogwarts Professor on ‘The Hunger Games’ Books & Films

December 1, 2014 by 1 Comment

Do you love Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy? Well, you’ve come to the right place for serious readers’ discussion of the artistry and meaning of these best-selling books and the blockbuster movies!

For the round-up of 30 posts about Mockingjay, the book, head here. The ‘Greatest Hits’ from that set include:

For the round-up of 35 posts about the first films, check this out. The best from that lot, I think, are:

There are a lot more that are just as good or better — dig in! Scroll down, too, for Elizabeth Baird-Hardy’s review of the latest film.

Welcome to Hogwarts Professor, your best online resource for in-depth discussion of The Hunger Games!

Filed Under: Hunger Games

Mockingjay Flies Higher than Earlier Installments

November 23, 2014 by 6 Comments
On November 21, in our now-annual trip to the wonderful Yancey Theater to see the latest installment of Hunger Games film adaptations, the Mayland gang was joined by a fantastic group of high school students from Avery High School. Thanks to their teacher, the incredible Hollie Greene, I was able to speak with the students about the book’s symbolism before they joined us in the theater. Seeing the film this time was not only a great experience because of our high school friends, but also because this movie, much more so than the previous two, often delivers the goods when it comes to grasping the deeper meaning. Though no film is perfect, and a film based on a book is always fraught with changes readers don’t like (the students sniggered at the shirt I wore, proclaiming simply: “The book was
better”), Mockingjay part 1 has some elements that make it, undeniably, the best adaptation of the trilogy so far. Join our conversation with your thoughts if you have seen the film! If you haven’t, I’m not holding back on the details, so be warned! [Read more…]
Filed Under: Elizabeth Baird Hardy, Hunger Games, Movie Thoughts Tagged With: , ,