Jonathan

Jonathan Le // The Da Vinci Code // by Dan Brown __ About the author __
 * __ About the book __**
 * Title -//The Da Vinci Code//
 * __ Author __ - Dan Brown
 * __ Publication Date __ __-__ March 18, 2003
 * __ Setting __ - Multiple famous places around Europe including the Louvre in Paris, Versailles, London, England, and Scotland
 * __ Time period __ - present day
 * __ Situation/plot __ - Jacques Saunière, curator of the Louvre, is murdered and the main suspect is the protagonist, Robert Langdon. Together with Sophie Neveu, Saunière’s estranged granddaughter, Langdon must uncover the mystery left by Saunière to clear his name, but as Langdon delves deeper, he reveals secrets and conspiracies that the Catholic Church has tried to keep secret for more than a millennia.

Dan Brown was born on June 22, 1964 and is currently 47 years old. He grew up in a household with a religious mother and scientific father. This led to many discussions regarding both science and religion and gave Brown an interest in symbols and cryptology at a young ag e. Brown studied at Amherst College and Phillips Exeter Academy. An interesting fact about Brown is that he was a singer, songwriter, and before he was a fulltime author. Needless to say, his music was not very popular. Brown wrote many books but wan not famous until //The Da Vinci Code// was published in 2003. The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons are two of his books made into movies.

Dan Brown has written many books, but was not famous until //The Da Vinci Code.// Two of his books, //Angels and Demons// and //The Da Vinci Code// have been turned into movies. He is highly respected by critics who praise him for his in-depth knowledge of symbols and his descriptive writing. Not everyone is a fan of Robert Langdon. Although he calls himself a good worshiper, the Church has had many negative views on his books and accuses him of sacrilege. Many nuns support Langdon for pointing out flaws of the Roman Catholic Church such as the fact that women cannot be priests. He has won the Galaxy British Book Award for book of the year in 2005 for //The Da Vinci Code//.


 * __ Major Works __**
 * //Digital Fortress//, 1998
 * //Angels & Demons//, 2000
 * //Deception Point//, 2001
 * //The Da Vinci Code//, 2003
 * //The Lost Symbol//, 2009

__** Characters **__
 * __ Robert Langdon __ - Protagonist of the story and world renowned cryptologist(in the book only), Langdon is forced to search for the truth because he is accidentally incriminated by Jacques Saunière. Langdon is highly intelligent and well spoken.As a cryptologist, Langdon has extensive knowledge about symbols and puts it into use throughout the novel. He is trustworthy and book-smart.
 * __ Sophie Neveu __ - Another Protagonist of the story. Sophie is the estranged granddaughter of Jacques Saunière, the curator that puts the plot into motion. Sophie is a cryptologist for the French Judicial Police and is highly intelligent. She lost her family at a young age and is linked to the mystery placed by Jacques Saunière. She is in no way helpless and shows her resourcefulness throughout the book. Sophie is revealed to be a descendent of Mary Magdalene making her a Holy Grail. [[image:153694776_e5f643266f.jpg width="375" height="234" align="right" caption="Sophie Nevue (Audrey Tautou on the left) & Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks on the right) "]]
 * __ Bezu Fache __ - The detective who chases after Langdon and Neveu. Known as “the Bull” by his co-workers, Fache is highly impatient and very overconfident. Fache’s personality leads to many missed chances of capturing Langdon. Later on in the book, it is shown that Fache is related to Opus Dei, a religious sect, and is very religious.
 * __ Leigh Teabing- __ The main antagonist of the novel, Teabing is a historian obsessed with the Holy Grail. Although shown originally as an ally of Langdon and Sophie, Teabing betrays the two later on. Teabing is revealed to be “the Teacher”, the main antagonist who orchestrated the murders of the multiple members of the Priory of Sion in order to get to the Holy Grail.
 * __ Silas __ - Follower of “the Teacher”, Silas is highly religious and practices self-punishment as an extreme penance. He is an albino. Silas is a reformed criminal who blindly follows his religion. Silas is manipulated by “the Teacher” to kill the members of the Priory of Sion believing that what he is doing is for the good of the Church.
 * __ Jacques Saunière __ - The estranged grandfather of Sophie, Saunière is the curator of the Louvre. Saunière’s murder begins the conflict of the story. As Saunière gives hints to his mystery, he accidentally incriminates Robert Langdon and causes Langdon to have to flee from the police all across Europe. It is later revealed that Saunière was the leader of the Priory of Sion, a group of people who guard the secret of the Holy Grail including Leonardo Da Vinci.

__** Conflict and General Plot **__

When the curator of the Louvre, Jacques Saunière, is murdered, Robert Langdon is identified as the main suspect. Although he is innocent, Langdon and Saunière’s granddaughter, Sophie Neveu, must flee from the police while trying to piece together the mystery left behind by Saunière. As they delve deeper, the two find themselves caught up in a religious conspiracy over a thousand years in the making.

__** Theme **__

In The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown displays that it is possible that commonly held knowledge about symbols and history itself may be misinterpreted or false. __** Review **__

“The Da Vinci Code” is an amazing novel by acclaimed author Dan Brown. The book chronicles the story of Robert Langdon, a fictional world-renowned cryptologist, as he searches follows for the truth to a secret left behind by a murdered curator all while being chased by the police. As the story goes further, Langdon delves deeper into the realm of religious symbolism and many conspiracies involving the Roman Catholic Church. “The Da Vinci Code” is very interesting and causes the reader to reexamine the very aspects of their faith. This book is a page turning thriller that will have the reader guessing until the last moment, and I would wholeheartedly suggest it to anyone. __** Style Analysis **__ In //The Da Vinci Code//, Dan Brown uses multiple different elements of style in order to create a unique voice throughout his novels. **Chapter Structure-** First, Dan Brown uses a very unique chapter structure to add feelings of suspense to his novel. Dan Brown uses short chapters and cliffhangers constantly throughout his books. Through this unique chapter structure, Brown adds a feeling of suspense to all of his books. An example of a suspenseful chapter ending in the book would be, "Just listen calmly. You are in danger right now. Follow my directions very closely." (Brown 53). This theory is supported by New York Times book reviewer Janet Maslin when she stated, "with the author seeming thoroughly to enjoy his contrivances. Virtually every chapter ends with a cliffhanger". **Pace-** Second, Dan Brown uses a very fast pace in order to convey a thriller-like feel to the book. As shown in the review by WR Greer after explaining the fast paced beginning of the book, "All that occurs in the first few short chapters and sets a pace which never wanes for the rest of the book." An example of this is dialogue found in the book is: "How about the prints on the cilice belt?" "Interpol is still working. I uploaded everything we found." Collet motioned to two sealed evidence bags on the desk. "And this?" "Force of habit. I bag anything in particular." (Brown 325) **Tone**- Dan Brown gives a unique thriller feel to his books. By using point of views, pace, chapter structures, and other elements, Dan Brown gives a cinematic feel to all of his books. This is supported by Marissa Ain's statement that, "Brown's writing has a cinematic feel, due to the sharp plot twists and short chapters. You can imagine the book becoming a modern-day Indiana Jones Adventure". This is shown throughout his book, and due to this no specific part of the book would be a suitable example. __** Trailer **__ media type="youtube" key="QfvmkH59-zA?version=3" height="360" width="640"

__** Works Cited **__

Ain, Marissa. “Hidden in Plain Sight A New Novel Reworks the History of Creative Genius.” Rev. of //The Da Vinci Code// by //Yale Review of Books//. Yale Review of Books, 2003. Web. 17 May. 2012.

Brown, Dan. //The Da Vinci Code//. New York: Random House., 2003. Print.

Greer, W.R. “The Da Vinci Code is Intelligent and Fun.” Rev. of //The Da Vinci Code// by //Review of Books.// Reviewofbooks.com, 2003. Web. 17 May. 2012

Maslin, Janet. “Spinning a Thriller From a Gallery at the Louvre.” //Book of the Times.// The New York Times, 17 March. 2003. Web. 17 May. 2012.