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Essay on The Da Vinci Code
In July 2003, Dan Brown published The Da Vinci Code, the second novel chronicling the adventures of Robert Langdon, a Harvard religious symbologist. It became a huge hit, remaining at the top of bestseller lists for well over a year. The novel begins with the murder of Jacques Sauniere, curator of the Louvre Museum in Paris, by a mysterious albino. When Sauniere is found at the foot of the Mona Lisa in a strange, symbolic pose, Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu, a French police cryptologist, are called in to help with the case. Soon the two are off on a fast-paced search through France and England, “discovering hidden secrets and conspiracies, most of which center on Jesus and Mary Magdalene, along the way” (Duchane, 2005). Other topics incorporated into the plot include Opus Dei, the Priory of Sion, the Freemasons, the Holy Grail, Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, the sacred feminine, Gnostic gospels, the Council of Nicea, and much more.
With The Da Vinci Code's success has come a great deal of controversy. A flurry of articles and books rebutting the novel, most authored by Christian scholars and journalists, has now flooded the Internet and bookstore shelves. Why such a stir over a fictional novel? Primarily because it is presented as a fictional narrative based on established facts, many of which are highly controversial. The opening page of the book reads: The Priory of Sion a European secret society founded in 1099 is a real organization. The Vatican prelature known as ‘Opus Dei’ is a deeply devout Catholic sect that has been the topic of recent controversy. All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.
This opening, along with the intellectual and academic air of the book and its characters, make the reader inclined to trust the information on art, history, and religion presented as a backdrop to the fictional narrative.........
