Davinci Code

[Ceres]

i hope this isnt an old topic in here, but i would like to know what ppl thought about the book from an historical perspective?
Theresa

[~Anamorata~]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzz....wasn't impressed. :geez:

[Ceres]

i thought the characters were poorly developed and the dialogue was stiff. it gave me hope as an aspiring writer- you know, when u think "i can write better than that!"
however, what impressed me was that it brought certain concepts and arguments to the mainstream. many ppl who never would have heard of such things read about them for the first time there. i admit, i went and looked up a few things myself to see if they were actually factual.
Theresa

[Aes Sidhe]

99% fiction... 1% myth.

Or at least that was my view on it, and the writing itself wasn't all that great. Don't take what is written as "truthful history". lol

[AbyssRose]

met a guy at work that said he was reading that..and he told me it was really good.. was actually gonna check it out one of these days

[charmedkisses1]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzz....wasn't impressed. :geez:
Me neither.. poorly written, predictable, and totally fiction.

However, Jesus might have been married, but, this book does not back up that idea well. I still don't think it's a waste to read, though.

[Calen]

I'll probably read it eventually, and I agree with Radikalwomyn. Even if it turns out to totally suck, it will have brought some interesting subjects into mainstream discussion, and that's always good!

[Morr]

as a Jesus freak I enjoyed the book - though I realized that the historical facts werent all accurate... However, the art information (especially the De Vinci paintings) is true. That *IS* a woman sitting next to Jesus in "The Last Supper" painting, and she IS colored in opposite colors then he is. Same deal with the "Madonna of The Rocks".

It led me to read two actual historical research books that generally support parts of the above, and the historical theisis that there was more to Magdalene and Jesus then the Church and Christianity today tells you.

Its intersting stuff, really.

[Khuinaset]

as a Jesus freak I enjoyed the book - though I realized that the historical facts werent all accurate... However, the art information (especially the De Vinci paintings) is true. That *IS* a woman sitting next to Jesus in "The Last Supper" painting, and she IS colored in opposite colors then he is. Same deal with the "Madonna of The Rocks".

It led me to read two actual historical research books that generally support parts of the above, and the historical theisis that there was more to Magdalene and Jesus then the Church and Christianity today tells you.

Its intersting stuff, really.

Do you know anywhere you can get more information about Da Vinci's art and the supposed 'hidden messages'? Da Vinci has always fascinated me, and I found those the most interesting parts of the book, but I can't find any good/recommended books that talk about symbolism or anything in his art.

[Aine of the Fae]

Questionable at best. There was just enough accuracy to make people who don't know a lot about Christian history question things.

[Morr]

Do you know anywhere you can get more information about Da Vinci's art and the supposed 'hidden messages'? Da Vinci has always fascinated me, and I found those the most interesting parts of the book, but I can't find any good/recommended books that talk about symbolism or anything in his art.

The books I read that talk about, amongst other things but not exclusivly, are -

1) Mary Magdalene (Lynn Picknett).
2) The Templar Revelation (Lynn Picknett & Clive Prince).

I also studied Art History and while looking through Da Vinci stuff - we learned about the hidden mesages as well as the way he painted. The Templar Revelation has a good amount of details about his art & hidden messages. Interesting stuff. I'm convinced he was on to something. I adore the man.

[Hellenic_Witch]

I hated The Da Vinci Code! Which disappointed me because I've enjoyed a few of Dan Brown's other books. Angels and Demons is very good, so when I picked up Da Vinci Code, I was hoping for more of the same. It was predictable. No suspense whatsoever. The plot just didn't build. I had to force myself to finish it because I can't stand to not finish a book. But, Brown did describe The Last Supper well. I've attached a pic of it.

[Ceres]

i looked up the paintings of davinci that were metioned....i looked up the greek letter phe (1.6180) and the fibraccio sequence as it relates. i am still doing research on some of the things i heard about to see how much was baseless fiction and how much was rooted in fact.
do i think there is a secret society of fanatical monks trying to oppose the catholic church and another secret society trying to expose this secret thats been kept for 2000 yrs? do i think the famous artists and scientists mentioned were part of a plot to keep that secret too? of course not.
this book wasnt particularly well written, but the idea itself was compelling enough to cause many ppl to learn something, of their own free will, possibly even about goddess worship as it is practiced today. i am not sure why ppl are so negative about it.
Theresa

[Aine of the Fae]

They have problems with it because it is poorly researched and it's pretending to be something it's not.

[Ceres]

if its sold as FICTION, how can it be pretending to be anything other than a story?
Theresa

[Hellenic_Witch]

if its sold as FICTION, how can it be pretending to be anything other than a story?
Theresa
That's a good point. My dislike of the book is basically poor plot structure and characterization. The research and historical elements don't really bother me.

[DragonsChest]

Wow, I must be an oddball. I really liked both books, Angels and Demons, and DaVinci Code, and have read both more than once.

[Morr]

They have problems with it because it is poorly researched and it's pretending to be something it's not.


nor poorly reserached at all.
ESPECIALLY with the artistic information and the DaVinci stuff, the Golden Cut - 6.18, and the specific Jesus-Magdalene theory (its just one theory among several - thats what you need to remember).

The Priory of Sion, and that stuff may be a bit off, however the historical reasearch itself regarding Jesus, DaVinci's art & messages, the Golden Cut (of which I've learned about LONG ago, since its also used in artistic composition and obviously is there in DaVinci's work - Mona Lisa, Last Supper, etc), also the description of the Louvre and the various Cathedrals & places the characters visit, in the book, is VERY VERY accurate.

You CANT say its poorly researched. thats ONE THING he did right.

[Gede]

MM~
I loved the book! Best I've read in ages! After reading about The Last Supper I found the portrait (several versions - both in books and on the Internet) and I also agree that the figure who is said to be St John is a woman. There is also a disembodied hand with a knife jutting out of the crowd and there is hostility focused on Mary. I can't wait for the movie!

Namaste, Gede...

[Morr]

MM~
I loved the book! Best I've read in ages! After reading about The Last Supper I found the portrait (several versions - both in books and on the Internet) and I also agree that the figure who is said to be St John is a woman. There is also a disembodied hand with a knife jutting out of the crowd and there is hostility focused on Mary. I can't wait for the movie!

Namaste, Gede...


theres a movie?

[Ceres]

ron howard picked up the movie rights....i hope its not a when harry met sally version of jesus and mary magdelene :))

[charmedkisses1]

if its sold as FICTION, how can it be pretending to be anything other than a story?
Theresa
People took it too seriously. Even here.

[BlackMadonna]

I always love a book that gets people all riled up.

[Ceres]

my point is IT wasnt pretending to be anything other than fiction...what ppl did with it is what ppl do ;) i think dismissing it as bad because some take it too seriously is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. it prolly also helped a lot of ppl learn things they wouldnt have been exposed to otherwise.

[MoonAnu]

Total bullcrap, but well written I suppose.

[Rhianna813]

ron howard picked up the movie rights....i hope its not a when harry met sally version of jesus and mary magdelene :))

Too funny! That made me laugh...... thanks!! :rotfl:

Rhianna

[Ravyn Sylverwyng]

I am one of the few that actually did like the book. While it did at parts leave a bit to be desired, ti was one of the better books that I have read that was fiction.

[Ceres]

i enjoyed it! i am finally getting around to reading angels and demons by dan brown. i didnt think davinci code was terribly well written. this book has better character development, but the plot seems to be more quasi scientific than quasi historical this time....but perhaps it becomes both later. i still maintain that dan brown did a service by presenting information, some of which is factual, to ppl who otherwise would not have been exposed to it. if ppl choose to take a fictional author as total fact, i dont think the author or his book can be blamed for those ppl being too lazy to do some research.

[RubyRose]

Well I picked it up after hearing about all the hype of the book, read several pages, and grew bored with it. The book itself still interests me, and one of these days I will have to plough my way through it.

[Tullip Troll]

Fiction Non Fiction...well there are a lot of books in The fiction section that are not absolute truth but are based on it...Franky there are a lot of books that should be there...ie the Bible and half the Biographies out there.

I think he did a great job researching it and sales tell us it can't be all that badly written as it is selling like crazy still.

DO I believe there are secrets...Most deffinatley...why else would there be stuff locked up and hidden in the vattican vaults...why else would the templers/masons have secret inner groups...

We live in a culture created and fed with lies

MheraPai

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

ron howard picked up the movie rights....i hope its not a when harry met sally version of jesus and mary magdelene :))

And Tom Hanks has the starring role. Personally I don't think that's a good choice. Tom Hanks is a great actor, but he's not well suited for the role. I would prefer to see someone like Pierce Brosnan as the main character.

As for the book, I enjoyed it for the subject matter. I thought that the ideas behind the book were fascinating, regardless of how well it was written. A good plot means more to me than perfect composition. Personally however, I thought Angels and Demons was a better book.

[AmericanMe]

Rumor is Harrison Ford was the first choice for the main role. He declined and Tom Hanks got it.

[Mòrag Elasaid Ní Dhòmhnaill]

Harrison Ford would've been great.

[Ceres]

Harrison Ford would've been great.
(panting like a cat in heat) yes, he would have

[WokeUpDead]

I liked it when I read it but then I realized they sound like complete snobs and started to piss me off. Johnny Depp is the best choice for Landon (or anything else really). Tom Hanks needs to stay away.

[DragonsChest]

Rumor is Harrison Ford was the first choice for the main role. He declined and Tom Hanks got it.


Wonder how Hanks feels to be second choice to Ford? I like them both, but Harrison Ford is just yummy!

[Gede]

MM~
The whole Tom Hanks thing really ticks me off! I agree with the Johnny Depp thing. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO gorgeous. Oh speaking of the Da Vinci movie there's a movie already out, it never got much coverage, called Revelation which is very much alike the Da Vinci Code, eerily almost.

Namaste, Gede...

[skilly-nilly]

nor poorly reserached at all.
ESPECIALLY with the artistic information and the DaVinci stuff, the Golden Cut - 6.18, and the specific Jesus-Magdalene theory (its just one theory among several - thats what you need to remember).

The Priory of Sion, and that stuff may be a bit off, however the historical reasearch itself regarding Jesus, DaVinci's art & messages, the Golden Cut (of which I've learned about LONG ago, since its also used in artistic composition and obviously is there in DaVinci's work - Mona Lisa, Last Supper, etc), also the description of the Louvre and the various Cathedrals & places the characters visit, in the book, is VERY VERY accurate.

You CANT say its poo

rly researched. thats ONE THING he did right.

I found it to be unintentionally humerous---there's this
BIG,BIG, buildup, and then the astounding idea---What if God were personified as being feminine???!!! It was silly.

Also, even though the stated principles of the secret Goddess-worshipping society were of generalized sexual equality, all of the 'important' members were male. Right towards the close of the book, there was an obvious edited-in portion about the 'special' 'hidden' roles that were designated for women, but the only main female character was the attractive ingénue-type who had to keep getting rescued and having what was going on explained to her---very traditional.

Also, quite early on in the book, one of the characters referred to the "5 million Witches" killed in the Burning Times......right there I figured that the author's research skills were non-existant, and his agenda fluffy.

Maybe he got the paintings and the layout of the cathedrals right but philosophically it was cods-wallop :fishsmack

[DragonsChest]

But......walloping cods is fun! :lol:

[Ceres]

he has done more to bring ideas about goddess worship to the mainstream, for better or for worse, than anyone has in a few years. as he said in interveiw, the enemy of religion is apathy and if his book get ppl debating their truth or falsness, at least they arent apathetic anymore.

[rottencandy7]

I haven't read Angels and Demons. I read DVC last night. I really liked it. It just tickled my fancy. I didn't like the Opus Dei part of the story.

[WinterTree]

I loved both of the books, actually. It's kind of amusing though to see how people get so upset that they're practically beating the book with a stick, when it's only a work of fiction and it's really not telling you to believe one thing or another. People just love an excuse to get all worked up...

[Holly_Blackwell]

I agree with Wintertree. It IS fiction after all.I watched a shown on the History channel recently called "Unlocking the Davinci Code" about what historical fact lies behind the fiction. As it turns out, there wasn't much. Some people were taking it WAY too seriously. They interviewed one guy from Opus Dei who was going on about "That was a completly inaccurate potrayal of Opus Dei and they never bribed the Pope and never did this and that and would never DREAM of doing this and this and..." I was about to throw something at the screen. So sorry to Opus Dei that they got potrayed as the bad guys, but IT'S FICTION!!! SOMEBODY had to be the bad guy....sheish....

[Mithrea]

Just because it's on the History channel, doesn't mean it's unbiased or even completely accurate. Most of the shows and books I've encountered that intend to debunk The DaVinci Code, only make me believe more that there is *some* type of conspiracy.

[Lady Jade]

I have read DaVinci Code and am reading Angels and Demons now. I like his style of writing and enjoyed the book. The theory of the book resonates with me, stirs thoughts and beliefs to get me thinking about what I really believe.

I read the predecessor of Davinci Code, Holy Blood, Holy Grail many years ago when it came out. It was a book that DaVinci Code was largely based upon. Holy Blood, Holy Grail is a non fiction work by Richard Leigh. It's a hard read to follow, but if you stick with it and go over his research, the theory that Jesus and Mary Magdaline were married begins to make perfect sense.

Personally, I have long believed in the existance of Jesus Christ, but never regarded him as being the Son of God any more than I am, except he was closer to "finsished" than I am in this lifetime. The book is a vehicle for society to question many ideas that have been so accepted for so long. The church and it's motives, the possibility of Jesus' mortality, a possible continuation of his human bloodline, connections between ancient beliefs...so many avenues to ponder. This book is fiction loosly tied to history, but it has really rocked the way we view Jesus and religion in general; which, in my opinion, is what literature is supposed to do, provoke thought.

[Paracelsus]

I'm with those of you who tend towards thinking that DVC was bollocks - over reliant upon research in "alternative" views of history, and poorly written. I've found that lots of people have recommended it to me, but I tend to counter with a recommendation to read "Foulcault's pendulum" by Umberto Eco - which covers some similar ground, but with much greater literary panache, and genuinely humbling scholarship. I can't recommend it enough - it really is the grown ups version of Dan Brown.

[Ceres]

thanks for the tip, i am always on the look out for good reading...but if reading davinci code and others like it taught me anything, its that "alternative" views of history and religion have their place....history can and is twisted or even just simply interpreted with a bias favoring the author or his or her patron.
if we cant usually get to the bottom of whats going on in the present world behind the scenes, how can we expect to know exactly what happened 2000, or even 100 yrs ago??

[Lady Jade]

I'm with those of you who tend towards thinking that DVC was bollocks - over reliant upon research in "alternative" views of history, and poorly written. I've found that lots of people have recommended it to me, but I tend to counter with a recommendation to read "Foulcault's pendulum" by Umberto Eco - which covers some similar ground, but with much greater literary panache, and genuinely humbling scholarship. I can't recommend it enough - it really is the grown ups version of Dan Brown.

Ooohh, looking forward to reading that book, thanks!!! :yourock:

[Shatril]

For those of you who plan to read this book, it looks like the MW Bookclub is going to be reading and discussing this book in Feb. Why don't you join us for the fun? Vote for your favorite.

http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=81894

Shatril

[DragonsChest]

I'm with those of you who tend towards thinking that DVC was bollocks - over reliant upon research in "alternative" views of history, and poorly written. I've found that lots of people have recommended it to me, but I tend to counter with a recommendation to read "Foulcault's pendulum" by Umberto Eco - which covers some similar ground, but with much greater literary panache, and genuinely humbling scholarship. I can't recommend it enough - it really is the grown ups version of Dan Brown.


Is it also an entertaining read? If it is, then I would be more than happy to read it. But if it is presented in a textbook style, think school, then I don't want to use my free time to read it. DVC was a pleasurable read and fairly informative at the same time. Can you recommend it on those merits? And is it available through Amazon or the library? Thanks!!! _catroll_

[Ceres]

thats the beauty of davinci code, its a very quick, lightly entertaining read. i have named its shortcomings as a novel a few times on this thread but even so its very readable. it is still on the canadian bestsellers list and so the wait for it at the library will likely be a few weeks or even monthes, but if u get on the list, eventually they get to you. i plan to pick it up second hand in a few years when the furor dies down because i do want to add it to my library.