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The Da Vinci Hoax (5)
The Problem
Many people claim not to understand the controversy. Why get upset about a novel? It's just fiction, goes their refrain, and so not meant to be taken serious (as true)? But the novel does claim a factual component: to mix real history with suspense and intrigue.
Brown prefaces his novel with a "Facts" page: "The Priory of Sion - a European secret society founded in 1099 - is a real organization. The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei…has been the topic of recent controversy due to reports of brainwashing, coercion, and a dangerous practice known as 'corporal mortification.' All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate."
Dan Brown
In an interview given to The Philadelphia Inquirer back in 2003, Brown said, "When you finish the book, you've learned a ton. I had to do an enormous amount of research." He goes on to assure the interviewer that the book is "meticulously researched and very accurate." He has gone so far as to say, "I began as a skeptic. As I started researching The Da Vinci Code, I really thought I would disprove a lot of this theory about Mary Magdalene and holy blood and all of that. I became a believer" (Dan Brown, Interview in National Geographic documentary, Unlocking Da Vinci's Code: The Full Story).
Even the secular media has noted that there has been substantial confusion among readers about whether and what in the book is factual. A number of real locations mentioned in the novel have had to post signs and publish information emphasizing that claims and descriptions made in Brown's book about them are not true.
Let's be honest. "What are people really talking about who have read the book? The intricate intellect of Robert Langdon? The mysterious past of Sophie Neveu? The psychological profile of the albino monk Silas?" asks Carl Olson. No. If you read the reviews, blogs, and discussion forums it is quite clear. "Most discussion - and argument - centers on the historical and religious claims of the novel". Olson observes, "TV specials on the Code (ABC, History Channel, National Geographic) spend mere seconds or minutes on the characters and plot, instead focusing on the historical and theological claims made by the characters and which support the plot." The story is clearly a vehicle for beliefs that Brown and many of his readers take more serious than they are willing to admit. It is disingenuous and cowardly to use ideas garnered from the book to throw doubt on Christian beliefs, and then retreat into "but it's only a novel" whenever challenged on them.
Aviad Kleinberg professor of history at Tel Aviv University agrees: "What thrills many of its readers is its pretension to a revealing and daring interpretation of authentic materials from Christian history and the Christian religion. 'The Da Vinci Code' purports to reveal a Catholic conspiracy and show us its underpinnings" (Jerusalem Daily, "The feminist mystique," Nov. 7, 2003).
A survey conducted by Decima Research Inc. (June 2005) of 1,005 Canadian adults was commissioned by the National Geographic Channel. It found:
- 1 in 5 Canadians claim to have read the book.
- 1 in 3 Canadians who had read the novel believed that there are descendents of Jesus alive today.
- They also believe a secret society exists dedicated to keeping Jesus' bloodline a secret.
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