The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
"The Da Vinci Code" is a bestselling novel by Dan Brown, published in April 2003, that became a cultural sensation, selling over eighty million copies worldwide. The story centers around the murder of Jacques Saunière, the curator of the Louvre, which leads to a complex conspiracy involving the Catholic Church's alleged efforts to conceal truths that could challenge the foundations of Christianity. The protagonist, Robert Langdon, a professor of religious symbology, teams up with Saunière's granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, to decode a series of enigmatic clues. The novel posits that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were married and had descendants, protected by a secret society known as the Priory of Sion, which also has ties to the Knights Templar. Brown integrates historical figures, including Leonardo da Vinci, into the narrative, suggesting that his artwork contains hidden messages about this conspiracy. The book has sparked significant discussion around themes of theology, art history, and secret societies, inspiring both scholarly debate and a film adaptation released in 2006. Its provocative ideas have led to widespread interest in the intersection of history and fiction, while also stirring controversy among various religious groups.
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The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Identification: Best-selling mystery novel that interweaves a murder investigation with a historical and religious conspiracy
Author: Dan Brown (b. 1964)
Date: Published in 2003
The Da Vinci Code became a cultural phenomenon in the mid-2000s, selling more than eighty million copies over the course of the decade. Focusing on a conspiracy that challenges the central tenets of Christianity, the novel generated a great deal of controversy and drew public attention to subjects such as theology and art history.
The Da Vinci Code was published in the United States by Doubleday in April 2003 and was later published in more than thirty countries. The fourth novel by American writer Dan Brown, the book begins with the murder of the curator of the Louvre, Jacques Saunière. Robert Langdon, a professor of religious symbology and the protagonist of several of Brown’s novels, is called upon by police to help decipher some of the bizarre clues left by the dead curator. Working with Saunière’s granddaughter, police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, Langdon uncovers a vast conspiracy by the Catholic Church to hide several truths that would destroy the foundation of Christianity.
The novel proposes that Jesus and his follower Mary Magdalene were secretly married and had a child together, thus continuing a royal Jewish bloodline extending from the reigns of biblical kings David and Solomon to the present time. The Priory of Sion, a secret society, is devoted to protecting their descendants. The society also founded the Knights Templar and tasked them with retrieving and preserving a collection of documents that attest to this genealogy as well as to the church’s suppression of the feminine sacred. The novel’s title refers to Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, who is identified as a member of the Priory of Sion along with such historical figures as Italian painter Sandro Botticelli and English scientist Isaac Newton. Da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper is said to contain clues that point to the conspiracy.
Impact
The popularity of The Da Vinci Code sparked public interest in secret societies, the Knights Templar, and related subjects, prompting the publication of many books and articles discussing the factual and fictional aspects of the work. The novel also inspired a film adaption, released by Columbia Pictures in 2006. Directed by Ron Howard, the film stars Tom Hanks as Langdon and Audrey Tautou as Neveu.
Bibliography
Bock, Darrell L. “Fact, Fiction, and the Da Vinci Code.” Human Events 60.19 (2004): 22. Print.
“Christians Counter The Da Vinci Code.” Christian Century 121.5 (2004): 13–14. Print.
Cowley, Jason. “The Author of the Best Selling Da Vinci Code Has Tapped into Our Post–9/11 Anxieties and Fear of Fundamentalism.” New Statesman 13 Dec. 2004: 18–20. Print.