The Dan Brown phenomenon Archive
The Dan Brown phenomenon La Vie de Jesus More than a century before The Da Vinci Code, another instant bestseller not only managed to upset the entire Christian community; it actually managed to create entirely new inroads of debate about Jesus Christ – thus giving rise to the discussions entertained in The Da Vinci Code. by Philip Coppens Christians seem to have a short-term …
The Dan Brown phenomenon Revelation In 2002, the movie Revelation, directed and written by Stuart Urban, created the prototype of what The Da Vinci Code would later repeat, in book and film. by Philip Coppens Though a success, The Da Vinci Code movie could not equal the heroic level that the novel had attained. But before the film’s release, another movie, Revelation, created in …
The Dan Brown phenomenon The Lost Symbol: Washington’s aprons After Rome, Paris and London, Dan Brown has set his sights on the architecture and layout of the US capital to weave his plot. Though this time Masonic in theme, pyramids and obelisks are once again his primary obsession. by Philip Coppens Originally titled “The Solomon Key” and set for a tentative release in 2005, …
The Dan Brown phenomenon The Lost Symbol: The Lost Mind Woven in between the fabric of The Lost Symbol is the story of the modern exploration of the mind, one that is barely reported in mainstream science journals or the media, even though it should often be frontpage news across the world. by Philip Coppens With an initial print run of five million copies, …
The Dan Brown phenomenon Foucault’s Pendulum Sometimes, the prototype is far superior to the actual product. And this may apply to the prototype of Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code”: Umberto Eco’s “Foucault’s Pendulum”. by Philip Coppens As readable as “The Da Vinci Code” was (and according to some critics, of hardly any literary value whatsoever), as unreadable is “Foucault’s Pendulum”. Indeed, after the …
The Dan Brown phenomenon The Da Vinci Code: The Work of Sion The stand-off between the two main forces at work in the novel is that between Opus Dei and The Priory of Sion… two players who have only ever crossed swords within the pages of this novel. by Philip Coppens Every fight needs to have two groups or people set against each other; …
The Dan Brown phenomenon The Da Vinci Code: Upset & mayhem For a novel, The Da Vinci Code has been able to create enormous controversy. Not only has it become a publishing success in a genre that few felt would sell much, to a sign of our times. by Philip Coppens In February 2004, I had to go to Paris and having some spare …
The Dan Brown phenomenon The Da Vinci Code: DaDa Da Vinci The “genius” Leonardo Da Vinci, who gave his name to the book, is nevertheless mainly absent from the pages of the book. Was he the genius we believe he was? Was he grandmaster of a secret society? Or was he instead a lone painter? by Philip Coppens Few painters were famous during their …
The Dan Brown phenomenon The Da Vinci Code: The Jesus dimension What is the difference between the historical versus the mythical Jesus? What was the role that Mary Magdalene and John the Baptist played in the early Christian community? by Philip Coppens Write a non-fiction book that has 50 footnotes on every page and which claims Jesus shagged every married and unmarried woman east …
Deciphering The Da Vinci Code