Summary:
A review of the international bestseller Da Vinci Code.
Title: The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code, written by famous American author Dan Brown, is a worldwide bestseller and arguably one of the most controversial novels of our time. Da Vinci Code is no doubt a very thrilling book, guaranteed to bewitch the readers with its interesting storyline of mysterious and clever codes (hidden meanings) embedded by Leonardo Da Vinci himself into his numerous world renowned paintings such as Mona Lisa, Madonna of the Rocks eventually leading to the truth about the Holy Grail; the truth that would potentially batter the very foundation of Christianity.
Firstly, before proceeding on to offer my insight/ views on the story itself, I would be giving a brief summary of the novel. The protagonists of the book are Robert Langdon, Professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard University, and Sophie Neveu, French government cryptographer. The antagonist would be a man named Sir Leigh Teabing, a prominent Holy Grail scholar (or buff), hiding behind the shadowy character of "The Teacher", the mastermind, choreographing and driving the plot of the story. The story begins with the brutal murder of Jacques Saunière, the curator of the Louvre and secret head of the Priory of Sion by an albino monk, known as Silas. However, he left behind some clues. Together with Sophie Neveu, the grand daughter of Saunière, Robert Langdon set out to solve codes that led them to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. They also learnt that Saunière had been the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion, a ancient and secret brotherhood, trusted with the duty to protect the Holy Grail, the blood line of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene (well, at least according to the book). The Priory of Sion boasted dead famous members such as Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci. Their quest for truth would eventually bring them to Sir Leigh Teabing, who had used Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic Institution, and also Langdon and Neveu to help him locate the Holy Grail, on which he had researched for his whole life. The main catch of the book is that the Holy Grail is not a physical chalice, but a woman, namely Mary Magdalene, who carried the bloodline of Christ. According to the book, The Vatican Church has suppressed the truth about Mary Magdalene and Jesus' bloodline for 2000 years and has influenced the world to see females as a lesser gender so as to degrade Mary Magdalene and the concept of Sacred Feminine. The Church did not want this truth to leak out as this would challenge the credibility of the male-orientated clergy. That is why the Opus Dei wants to get to the secret documents before Robert and Sophie do so that he can destroy them before commotion is stirred among religions
I was very much captivated by Da Vinci Code, because the book's opening claim that "All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate." To me, reading this book was like attending a history lesson and it had no doubt aroused my interest and enhanced my knowledge on Christianity although not all the information included in the book might be historically accurate. However, some of the conspiracy theories put forward in the novel are definitely captivating food for thought. No wonder the book has attracted so much criticism. I admire the ability of Dan Brown to piece all the various and fragmented historical events and facts into one seamless story, which makes the reader, ponder "Is this really the truth"" I am also very impressed with the character "Robert Langdon" simply because he has that aura of high intellect and calmness in the face of adversity that endears him to the readers. Lastly, Da Vinci Code is truly mesmerising because it does not insult the intellect of the readers as its plot is very intellectually engaging and saturated with suspense at every corner.
All in all, I feel that Da Vinci Code is definitely an epic adventure and a magnificent novel, befitting of its status as a global phenomenon. I am positive that readers, young and old, would all enjoy it tremendously.
This is the complete article, containing 701 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page).
