[NetBehaviour] question about a novel and "chiastic structure"

Alan Sondheim sondheim at gmail.com
Thu Oct 29 22:00:43 CET 2020


Look at Hua-Yen Buddhsim, Flower Ornament Sutra, Angkor Wat, Borobudur,
etc. It's everywhere.
Same with Cathedral mazes etc.

Best, Alan -

On Thu, Oct 29, 2020 at 2:55 PM Edward Picot via NetBehaviour <
netbehaviour at lists.netbehaviour.org> wrote:

> Max,
>
> I'm a big fan of chaistic structure - or the 'onion structure', which is
> another term for the same thing. You work your way inwards through various
> layers of narrative to reach the central point, then you work your way
> outwards through the same layers again, ideally in reverse order, to
> complete the story. There are examples of this kind of structure in fairy
> stories - a princess who is exiled does kind deeds to a bird, a toad and a
> fox, and then has to overcome a series of apparently-impossible challenges
> in which she is helped by the fox, the toad and the bird in repayment for
> her kindness. It's a very useful alternative to the prevailing 'three act'
> structure of (for example) most Hollywood movies, where everything is
> geared towards a massive cliffhanger/climax/confrontation/resolution at the
> end. The onion structure, by contrast, is more balanced, less end-heavy,
> and the turning-point/crux of the story tends to be the bit in the middle,
> the heart of the narrative, after which good luck turns to bad, the
> protagonist starts to reap the rewards of her good deeds, etc.
>
> I suppose things like mandalas (and possibly mazes) might be examples of
> this kind of structure in the visual arts.
>
> Edward
>
> On 29/10/2020 18:00, Max Herman via NetBehaviour wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> My book club just read Andrew Sean Greer's novel *Less*, which won the
> Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2018.  It seems to use a lot of "chiastic
> structure," which is an A-B-B'-A' pattern used in ancient literature.
> There are also some biological meanings of the term (for vision and
> genetics).
>
> I'd be curious to know if anyone is aware of chiastic structure in visual
> arts or perhaps computer systems.
>
> Interesting idea Ricardo about the Rethinking Humanity idea!  Will be
> interested to hear/see more.
>
> All best,
>
> Max
>
>
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