25 April 2006 - Tuesday
Still don't get it
Now that I've finished reading The Da Vinci Code, I am no closer than ever to understanding the hubbub surrounding the book.
First, I do not entirely understand the novel's popularity; the writing is not uniformly bad, but it is never really good. I suppose I can appreciate the book as a cheap thrill. I won't deny being entertained as the book progressed, but there are better novels to read. I have several within arm's reach right now. They are crying out for my attention.
Second, I do not understand how anyone could mistake the book's speculations for legitimate scholarship. For goodness' sake, the novel's leading "historian" actually identifies (p. 234) the Dead Sea Scrolls as heterodox Christian gospels. That's about like having a scholar casually remark that the Declaration of Independence was drafted by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Third, because of such shoddiness, I still cannot get myself worked up about the book in quite the way many other Christians can. Sure, I recognize that some members of the public seem to be embracing Brown's ideas ... and I suppose that means the church should be prepared to respond somehow. But I can't help thinking that the only response that will do any long-term good is to teach people what real scholarship looks like. I'm afraid any immediate apologetic campaign we can come up with is just going to be that much more publicity for the franchise -- publicity that could encourage the public to take the book's allegations seriously, as the academic world simply does not.
| Posted by Wilson at 13:36 Central | TrackBack| Report submitted to the Humanities Desk
Wilson, you keep overestimating the intelligence of the public. Mystery, cover-up and secrecy are a heady draught for just about anyone... and I do have to admit that Brown keeps up a relatively quick pace.
My problem with Brown is and has always been that he plays so damned fast and loose with the details. If the man would just stop, do some investigation, invite in a scholar or two, and spend a month tuning the details, the stories would be so much more enjoyable because they would be plausible, even if not well-written. And if you think The Da Vinci Code has giant issues, you need to check into Angels and Demons and Digital Fortress. I guess in the end it boils down to this: Brown expects the reader not to have enough knowledge about the subject matter to catch his glaring inaccuracies, and in that case, he's right about most of the American public.
The thoughts of Vengeful Cynic on 26 April 2006 - 9:11 Central+ + + + +
If you tell a certain segment of the general reading public that "this is a true story," they will, in fact, believe it's a true story, especially if you toss in a lot of things that look like they ought to be facts (but aren't). Dan Brown's Victorian equivalents were already onto that one...
The thoughts of Miriam on 26 April 2006 - 18:08 Central+ + + + +
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In a side note, my pastor is starting a series on the book next week.
*rolls eyes*
The thoughts of Ardith on 25 April 2006 - 22:47 Central+ + + + +