tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15011830.post116325991310181236..comments2023-09-04T06:42:44.489-05:00Comments on Elyce Elucidates: The Da Vinci Code: Why Didn't Someone Tell Me...Elycehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08268192471510411332noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15011830.post-1165129685810145952006-12-03T01:08:00.000-06:002006-12-03T01:08:00.000-06:00First of all.... Dan Brown is NOT a very talented ...First of all.... Dan Brown is NOT a very talented writer, he's merely.... competent? Or do i mean passable, considering most people in this world can't write a reasonable letter let alone a book, but anyway...<BR/><BR/>Yes, DaVinci Code is pulp. I don't think anyone would argue that. Then again, some of the best "reads" are pulp. Few books ever fit my criterion for Great Reads (aka page turners that you just can't put down) and Great Literature (lyric, beautiful writing plus enduring and engaging themes that transcend place, time, creed and color, etc.) But the Code, with all it's faults, was still something i could not put down. I thought it was a great read. <BR/><BR/>The amazing thing is, when you stop and really think about the whole series of clues, and the "logic" of how Langdon works it out -- my god, it's ridiculously implausible... but still somehow irresistable. Maybe it speaks to the modern subconscious, just how paranoidly eager we are to believe that some evil machinery out there somewhere has orchestrated a massive conspiracy, and that the conspiracy can be unravelled.<BR/><BR/>The sexism charges are interesting, lol, given that the book is so much about how women have been disenfranchised and shunted aside by the male-dominated church. Personally, i think that Sophie is "Sophie" because her name itself comes into play.. the revelation of what her name means, would it be less dramatic if she'd been refered to by her last name the whole book? The writer in me has to ask those kinds of questions. <BR/><BR/>The whole focus on the "Divine Feminine" is what i did like about "Code" -- along with that shift of perspective that dares ordinary people to stop and think, just maybe, that what they have always "known" might not be the real story, or even the only story. Coming from a very conservative fundamentalist background, I loved the very rational, holistic view that reminds us that history -- and religion -- is the product of so many factors, and often the "truth" is merely that which is decided upon by those with the power to write the history. That kind of informed skeptism is a vaulable point of view, and i don't begrudge Brown the millions he's made off this book if even a handful of people are provoked to question one "absolute fact" in their own reality.<BR/><BR/>While Brown may have played fast and loose with some of the history, it was still fascinating, and provoked me to research some of it to see just what is supported by fact and what is pure supposition.... i also loved the marvelous places described, and the way art plays such a prominent part. Let's face it, how often does a "thriller" involved the Mona Lisa in a pivotal role! LOL.<BR/><BR/>The movie -- oh, man was it awful. I didn't realize just how awful till i watched it again on video. The only good thing about it is getting to see some of the locations. I had searched online for photos of the Louvre, trying to see where the two pyramids met, and couldn't find one, so the movie at least showed me what i wanted to see, lol. And the scenes in Rosealyn (sp?) Chapel, at the end, are fabulous. If you enjoy the book, then i'd recommend the movie on DVD, purely because you get to see the actual places. It's kinda the same way i feel about "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" -- the movie sucked, but damn, Savannah looks fabulous, and sometimes i put on the DVD just to enjoy the visuals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15011830.post-1164837966593503712006-11-29T16:06:00.000-06:002006-11-29T16:06:00.000-06:00Well: (1) my dad died and (2) the novel and the mo...Well: (1) my dad died and (2) the novel and the movie are two different things and I haven't seen the film.Elycehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08268192471510411332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15011830.post-1163296224809167212006-11-11T19:50:00.000-06:002006-11-11T19:50:00.000-06:00I hope your father's okay.I hope your father's okay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com