raffaellabella
New Member
Jughead said:
I think the problem people have with The Davinci Code is that it is like a Big Mac that's being advertised and praised as if it were filet mignon.
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Dan Brown: The Da Vinci Code
- Thread starter Darren
- Start date
I think the problem people have with The Davinci Code is that it is like a Big Mac that's being advertised and praised as if it were filet mignon.
raffaellabella
New Member
Peder said:
Is there going to be pissing contest between you and Stewart? Because I don't think he'll have it.
Stewart
Active Member
Can we just get this thread moved into the Crime Thrillers & Mystery section since that's where it rightly belongs?
General Book Discussion shouldn't be about particular books but about books and reading. Perhaps, not what do you wear when reading but those topics about themes, selling, characters, polls, awards, etc. that don't fit elsewhere.
I know I probably wouldn't bother with threads like this if they were in the Crime Thrillers & Mystery area.
General Book Discussion shouldn't be about particular books but about books and reading. Perhaps, not what do you wear when reading but those topics about themes, selling, characters, polls, awards, etc. that don't fit elsewhere.
I know I probably wouldn't bother with threads like this if they were in the Crime Thrillers & Mystery area.
Peder
Well-Known Member
I think this thread should go under Humor. It sounds like a great script for Garrison Keillor and I doubt he could read it out loud with a straight face. But it would be fun to hear him try.
Peder
PS I hope that people believe that the best part of humor is the ability to laugh at one's sefl. Otherwise I am in deep yogurt.
P
Peder
PS I hope that people believe that the best part of humor is the ability to laugh at one's sefl. Otherwise I am in deep yogurt.
P
abecedarian
Well-Known Member
Peder said:
What flavor is the yogurt?
abecedarian
Well-Known Member
beer good said:
Clearly that honor should go to one of our many accomplished resident pot stirrers
Peder
Well-Known Member
ABC, Beerabecedarian said:What flavor is the yogurt?
Raspberry of course!
With fruit on the bottom.And ROTFLOL around in it is doing a good enough job of stirring it.
Bet Kenny doen't have a picture of that!
But, apologies all, we have a serious topic to discuss.
Peder
HermioneWeasley
Member
I just read on the thread that the point of a discussion is to gather a variety of opinions. However, those opinions seem to be mostly about unrelated things. Is there any chance we could try to get back on topic?
ions
New Member
drmjwdvm said:If we ever stay on topic you better put on your ice skates because hell is about to freeze over. Basically we're arguing about arguing. It's fun but not very productive.
And it's more interesting than Brown's over-rated, under-written, uneducated, pompous, redundant, and at least partially plagiarized claptrap.
Doug Johnson
kickbox
Stewart said:
It's a book about a quest for a Holy Grail, that ends by telling you where the Holy Grail is hidden. That's interesting to me and 25 million people.
It's themes are interesting. The theme of the sacred feminine is particularly interesting and relevant at a time when an evangelical Christian president of the United States is championing women's rights in the Muslim world.
Furthermore, the themes are accessible. (Last time I checked The Blind Assassin thread, no one knew what The Blind Assassin was supposed to represent.) Personally, I believe that clarity is a form of quality. Why write, if not to be understood?
Rule 17, Principles of Composition, The Elements of Style, "Omit needless words." Dan Brown does a better job of following this rule than Norman Mailer, who in the novel I just finished reading launches into a multi paragraph description of the main character's erection. (Now, if you'd rather read about an erection than a quest for the Holy Grail, that's fine. But I can't see how that makes you a better reader than me, or smarter, or more cultured or more sophisticated.) Unless you want to insist that Norman Mailer sucks too, but I'd be surprised to see anyone make that argument.
Pace matters. Brown keeps everything moving along. That's important, and if Stewart insists that it isn't, I will dig up his comment where he complains about nothing happening in something he was reading.
The Da Vinci Code is extremely detailed. The details are revealed in a very sophisticated manner. So sophisticated, in fact that millions of people believe them. That takes, if not artistry, at least craft.
Finally, the Catholic Church responded. If you can write something and the Catholic Church feels compelled to respond, you have accomplished something. A writer who accomplishes something is an accomplished writer.
I'll never criticize anyone for not liking something. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and it's OK not to like any book. But people who make comments like, "The Da Vinci Code has no theme," aren't highlighting their sophistication. They are showing the world that they can't recognize a theme.
SFG75
Well-Known Member
I personally enjoyed the *mystery* of figuring out the curator's death. The drawing of the pentagram and the curator re-creating the famous DaVinci drawing was interesting to me. I also thought it was a good *thriller* in reading about Silas and how he tried to accomplish his mission. Add to that the fact that they do not find the ultimate secret in the floor of the church, and you have the good makings for suspense. The continuing of the holy bloodline and ultimately finding out that Sophie possesses it was quite a surprise to me. Perhaps others saw it clearly, but I for one, did not. The Teabing character was an interesting fellow, the poisoning of Remy was a good part that more than kept my attention at the time. And who can forget Silas shooting his benefactor?
The continuing of the holy bloodline and ultimately finding out that Sophie possesses it was quite a surprise to me. Perhaps others saw it clearly, but I for one, did not. The Teabing character was an interesting fellow, the poisoning of Remy was a good part that more than kept my attention at the time. And who can forget Silas shooting his benefactor?
angerball
Active Member
abecedarian said:
It's not exempt, but I have a problem with people bagging it without saying anything constructive about why they don't like it. It seems to me that alot of people say they don't like it, just for the sake of making sure that everyone knows they don't like it.
There are several books that I don't like, but I don't start threads on them, largely because there isn't any real reason I don't like them - they just aren't my type of book. If I had something useful to say about it, then I would.
If someone has a valid reason for not liking it, then go ahead and say your view. But if you don't really have anything to say, except that you didn't like it (without giving a reason), what is the point of starting yet another thread (in addition to the 4,376 already in existence
)?
raffaellabella
New Member
Doug Johnson said:
Which Catholic Church responded? Did the Vatican have a say about the book? It wouldn't suprise me because any story that has mass appeal and deals with religion will cause a stir with fanatical Catholics or Christians. It doesn't take a lot to get them started.