Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix

Key Facts

full title  ·  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

author ·  J. K. Rowling

type of work · Children’s Novel

genre · Fantasy

language · English

time and place written · Scotland, 2002

date of first publication ·  2003

publisher · Scholastic Inc.

narrator · Third-person, very close to Harry Potter

point of view · Intimate third-person, with insights into Harry’s private thoughts

tone · Playful, ominous, suspenseful

tense · Past

setting (time) · Present day

setting (place) · Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, United Kingdom

protagonist · Harry Potter

major conflict · Harry and his friends help the Order of the Phoenix in their quest to thwart the return of the evil Lord Voldemort.

rising action · Lord Voldemort begins to invade Harry’s mind, controlling his dreams.

climax · Harry has a vision of his godfather, Sirius Black, being tortured by Lord Voldemort, and he rushes to the Ministry of Magic to save him.

falling action · The prophecy is destroyed, Voldemort escapes, and Harry and Dumbledore return to Hogwarts.

themes · The relationship between knowledge and time; education as empowerment; the importance of unity

motifs · Lying; segregation; blood

symbols · Occlumency; educational decrees; O.W.L. exams

foreshadowing · Harry’s increasingly revealing dreams consistently foreshadow events to come.