22-04-2005 16:00									#1
	The Da Vinci Code Put an end to popups!

Okay, here's the rub, I read the book and enjoyed it. However I got to thinking, which is a dangerous thing for me to do, and came up with more questions than answers, especially for someone that is not overly religious.

I would like to think that the book is purely a work of fiction, but the symbology aspect of it got me thinking what if it is true (that the holy grail is mary m.)?

What do others think of the book, and more importantly, its contents.

	22-04-2005 16:06									#2
	Re: The Da Vinci Code Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by atomant I would like to think that the book is purely a work of fiction, but the symbology aspect of it got me thinking what if it is true (that the holy grail is mary m.)? What do others think of the book, and more importantly, its contents.

	22-04-2005 16:08									#3
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well there is a book out about that are facts and fictions in the da vinci code...maybe first read that one before you continue on your queste

	22-04-2005 16:35									#4
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Also try Foucoult's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. Its kind of Da Vince Code For Smart People

	22-04-2005 16:41									#5
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quote: Originally posted by Boshko Also try Foucoult's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. Its kind of Da Vince Code For Smart People

	22-04-2005 17:15									#6
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Eco

Name of the rose

The part where Adso describes the first and only time he had sex

	22-04-2005 17:28									#7
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It's the kind of book that explores the nature of fiction itself imo... the most potent message is that Christians have no monopoly over the interpretation of Christ's life, and in a wider context, no one group can claim a part of history as their own.

	22-04-2005 18:09									#8
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quote: Originally posted by atomant I would like to think that the book is purely a work of fiction, but the symbology aspect of it got me thinking what if it is true (that the holy grail is mary m.)?

All legends and mysteries mentioned in this book are true legends and unsolved mysteries.
I do not think he invented any new legend. His great work is to have linked exisiting legends into one, 'coherent' fictional story.
To link the templars and the holy graal is not so difficult, but to link them with DaVinci, Newton and Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, is a true master piece.
For mysteries, he just picked one of the possible interpretations: the one that best fiits the story, not (always) the most likely one.

	22-04-2005 18:21									#9
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wait for the movie

	22-04-2005 19:01									#10
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quote: but the symbology aspect of it got me thinking what if it is true

Symbology is a funny thing.

In order to understand what the builders meant by what they did, you have to understand the mindset of the builders.

I mean, anyone can go and say, this is what I see in these things, but that may be entirely different from what was intended by the folks who designed these things in the first place.

I don't think it makes sense to try an interpret things like cathedrals without the background understanding, and even then, we have to be very careful since we are still seeing with our own eyes, and not with theirs.

	22-04-2005 19:03									#11
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I finished the book as well some weeks ago. I think in the world Brown describes everything just fits so perfectly and is connected so wonderfully that it cannot be the truth.
You can call it overfitting.

Anyway, at the point when he writes that they are searching for the holy grail I thought, DIOS MIO what a load of ****. Who in the world does interest the Holy Grail? The truth about Jesus and Mary...
From then on the book was much less interesting, but I finished it nevertheless. The ending was a total dissapointment.

Yeah sure Pagan vs RCC and such, but to me that sounds like... well that's artificially creating a fight to make it interesting and exciting. People fighting against each other with each their metahyperimportantancient backgrounds.

Además, there is this error in the chapel in London when his executive uncovered his true identity even though his great master was present at the scene anyway. In retrorespect he would have needed to handle the situation much much more different.

Last edited by Atahualpa on 22-04-2005 at 20:33

	22-04-2005 19:05									#12
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quote: the most potent message is that Christians have no monopoly over the interpretation of Christ's life, and in a wider context, no one group can claim a part of history as their own.

It's the same as saying that the French contemporary accounts of Napoleon are diffierent, but not necessarily more true than the English contemporary accounts of Napoleon.

The same is true with Christ. Contemporaries must be weighed with other contemporaries, and not the moderns with the contemporaries.

I mean, who would take the fellow writing about Napoleon today, over the fellow who saw him in battle?

	22-04-2005 20:05									#13
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quote: Originally posted by Whaleboy It's the kind of book that explores the nature of fiction itself imo... the most potent message is that Christians have no monopoly over the interpretation of Christ's life, and in a wider context, no one group can claim a part of history as their own.

Bullshit. It's a crap action book with BS background (which the author claims is all true ) written for people who are too stupid to see through it all.

	22-04-2005 20:25									#14
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I think the book is a triumph of marketing, along the lines of Tom Clancy's books.

The author has, esentially, one good idea and zero charactors, and procedes for maybe 40 pages with that alone. In the end, you know a lot about his idea and nothing about his charactors.

Brown is a fine writer in terms of inanimate things, but he has no ability to make his world "live." I thought the book okay but certainly not worth the slightest bit of controversy. It is far too superficial to be taken seriously.

	22-04-2005 21:30									#15
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quote: Originally posted by grumbler I think the book is a triumph of marketing, along the lines of Tom Clancy's books.

	22-04-2005 21:40									#16
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The writing is spellbindingly awful. I got it for Christmas from someone who clearly couldn't remember what I liked/wasn't arsed/had no idea what it was like, and after I'd read the first chapter was asked what it was like. "Written in the thriller style," was my reply, with all of the traditional clichéd bunk and narrative ineptitude that encompasses.
Had it been written in the Thriller style, then at least there would have been disco zombies.

	22-04-2005 22:33									#17
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quote: It's the kind of book that explores the nature of fiction itself imo... the most potent message is that Christians have no monopoly over the interpretation of Christ's life, and in a wider context, no one group can claim a part of history as their own.

ROFLMAO!

Whaleboy, you had me in stitches. I never thought I'd see anyone say that Dan Brown's book has a 'potent message'.

Yes, it really is a profound meditation on the history of the RCC and its links to paganism. Mr. Brown is surely one of the most foremost theologians of our age.

The Da Vinci Code is pure popcorn entertainment, nothing more, nothing less. I don't believe that Dan Brown has an anti-popery agenda to promote in his books, I think he just wants to get very rich and has hit upon a winning formula to do so.

quote: The writing is spellbindingly awful.

As a Catholic, I must say I still enjoyed the book very much, although I must admit it wasn't as much a page turner as "Angels and Demons". Dan Brown can't write well to save his life - I've rarely read such 2D characters before or flimsy plotting. In his defence he has a great sense of pacing. As much as I hated the lousy writing and predictable style, I just couldn't put it down. It is a thrilling read. His books are also very, very (unintentionally) funny. They are just so outlandish and stupid at times (the Sacred Feminine in The Da Vinci Code, the parachute incident in Angels & Demons).

The reason that a lot of people are worked up over what is contained in this book is that some of the readers seem to be taking more from it than they should. There is no deep message that Brown is trying to get across; to say otherwise is to give the man undue credit and demean your own intelligence.

	22-04-2005 22:53									#18
	Re: The Da Vinci Code Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

quote: Originally posted by atomant but the symbology

Boondock Saints:

quote: Detective Dolly: So, what's the symbology of all this? Agent Smecker: "Symbology"? Well, now that Duffy's relinquished his King Bonehead crown, I see we have a new heir to the throne. The word I believe you're looking for is "symbolism".

	22-04-2005 23:09									#19
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I read The Da Vinci Code on my flight back from France last year. It was fun, especially since I had just been to many of the places described. But if you think about it too much, the plot holes really start to stand out.

Angels and Demons was worse, much worse. While reading it, I pretty much kept thinking "this is the most preposterous book ever" on every page. Yet I still kept reading, because Brown certainly knows how to write in an entertaining way. It was just a ludicrous story. The bit at the end with the helicopter made me guffaw it was so stupid.

	22-04-2005 23:17									#20
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quote: The bit at the end with the helicopter made me guffaw it was so stupid.

Yes, it's brilliant in it's absurdness. I consider myself more broadminded than most, so the straw that broke the camel's back for me was the Pope's child (I hope that's sufficiently vague for anyone who hasn't read it yet). I just couldn't stop laughing.

Angels and Demons - so bad it's good.

	22-04-2005 23:30									#21
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I figure that anything this popular has to be crap (see Tom Clancy, Anne Rice, etc.), so I haven't read it, nor do I plan ot.

	23-04-2005 07:00									#22
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quote: Originally posted by Ramo I figure that anything this popular has to be crap (see Tom Clancy, Anne Rice, etc.), so I haven't read it, nor do I plan ot.

Elistist snob

	23-04-2005 07:27									#23
	Re: Re: The Da Vinci Code Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

quote: Originally posted by BeBro

SATs rule?

	23-04-2005 07:49									#24
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quote: Originally posted by Whaleboy It's the kind of book that explores the nature of fiction itself imo... the most potent message is that Christians have no monopoly over the interpretation of Christ's life, and in a wider context, no one group can claim a part of history as their own.

Ooooooooooookay.

Actually, that "potent message" is what's in Holy Blood, Holy Grail. That's the book Brown used as his primary source for all the Grail lore. So he wasn't exactly being Mr. Original in his thesis.

	23-04-2005 07:56									#25
	Re: Re: The Da Vinci Code Got spare money?

quote: Originally posted by BeBro

	23-04-2005 09:09									#26
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quote: Originally posted by Ramo I figure that anything this popular has to be crap (see Tom Clancy, Anne Rice, etc.), so I haven't read it, nor do I plan ot.

Interesting. So you've never seen or read Lord of the Rings, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 24, anything by Asimov, etc.?

	23-04-2005 09:49									#27
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Ramo is PWNED!!

And Clancy's early work is pretty entertaining. Ain't meant to be literature or anything.

	23-04-2005 10:00									#28
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

It's a little difficult to be ZPWNNNED##DK~!!!111 through a facetious comment.

And I haven't seen 24. And LOTR (the book) is crap (at least Fellowship, didn't bother reading the others). And a lot of Asimov is crap.

	23-04-2005 10:03									#29
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LotR pwns j00.

	23-04-2005 10:52									#30
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quote: And LOTR (the book) is crap

And the movies? What about Hitchhicker's Guide?