Neal Wyatt, Editor
Terry Beck, Guest Columnist
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A major event in the publishing world, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code inspired a stream of books reacting to its subjects and presentation. Readers became caught up in the mix of fiction and fact, often confused the two, and looked for nonfiction titles to shed light, support ideas, or further debate. Readers also asked for books that read like Brown’s novel, and fiction authors scrambled to capture some of his audience, creating a slew of fiction works riffing off of his themes and approach.
Terry Beck has gathered a rich list of works that inform Dan Brown’s novel. As the outgoing chair of the ALEX Awards (an award from the American Library Association [ALA] and the Young Adult Library Services Association [YALSA] honoring the best adult books for teen readers), she has a unique view of what captures readers’ interest and what sustains reading pleasure. Certainly the books included in this column are highly appealing and fascinating, but what makes this column so interesting is Beck’s look at how readers approach such a keystone title through public library collections and how they think about such bedrock academic subjects as religion, art, history, and symbology.
All types of librarians can find myriad uses for her annotated bibliography, that is, if they don’t give into temptation and duck into the stacks for some reading of their own!–Editor.
Dan Brown’s breakout bestseller, The Da Vinci Code,continues to create controversy more than three years after its initial publication. Rarely has a work of fiction ignited such furor over its plot, background, or premise. The book seemed to offend many, garnering criticism from theologians, church groups, fraternal organizations, and scholars. Yet readers were hooked, and it maintained a two-year presence on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover fiction, sold more than sixty million copies (in both hardback and paperback formats), and changed our collective culture.
The novel relates the story of Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor called upon to interpret symbols drawn in blood on the floor of the Louvre–cryptic messages left by a murder victim, Jacques Saunière, a noted curator of the Louvre’s collection. Langdon quickly finds himself chasing one of history’s greatest mysteries. It’s the conspiracy theory of all time: the Holy Grail, which has supposedly been secreted in a place known only to the chosen few, members of select secret societies. Throughout centuries, elaborate shields and intricate plots reportedly have been concocted to keep its location hidden. But the greatest mystery is defining what the Grail actually is–a cup, or something so unbelievable that if it were known, the Christian world would be forever changed. With lightning-paced speed and a fabulous mix of history, legend, art, and puzzles, Brown takes readers on a ride millions have found addictively enjoyable and compelling.
At first the book was treated as a thriller, a work of fiction, and no one seemed to look at it as anything but highly entertaining. Janet Maslin of the New York Timesdeemed it a “riddle-filled, code-breaking, exhilarating brainy thriller,” while the Booklist reviewer declared “the story is full of brain-teasing puzzles and fascinating insights.”1
That “nothing more than a thriller” perception soon changed however. Brown culled a mix of information from books, monographs, documents, and art to create a work of fiction that many readers took as fact. While he was careful to note “all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate,” many readers carried this statement a step further and assumed that the theories being discussed by characters were accurate as well.2 The line that distinguishes fiction and nonfiction just simply wasn’t present for these readers, caught up as they were in the tantalizing mix of real and pretend that Brown created. Passion, emotion, and fervor erupted from all sides, with books, television programs, and Web sites all promoting what each group perceived as true. At this point the entertainment factor seemed to collide with reality and the controversy began.
Today, three years later, readers are still hungry for books similar to The Da Vinci Code and are still fascinated by its subjects: early Christian history, Biblical interpretation, art, symbolism, and architecture. The immense interest has spawned a bit of an industry, leading not only to a major Hollywood movie, but also to a bevy of fiction and nonfiction titles related to the novel’s ideas and themes. Rarely do we see such an enormous impact by a work of fiction on the world of nonfiction, or so many novels trying so hard to match another author’s approach.
This guide seeks to collect the best of these titles, allowing librarians to build a collection that is responsive to reader demand and that facilitates deeper exploration of the multiple topics arising from the novel.
Nonfiction
Gnostic Gospels
King, Karen L. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle. Santa Rosa, Calif.: Polebridge, 2003 (ISBN 0-944-34458-5).
Harvard Divinity School professor King is a renowned Gnostic scholar. Mary’s gospel is not complete, but what remains in the ten known pages is a picture of the early Church and its attempts to organize.
Meyer, Marvin W., and Esther de Boer. The Gospels of Mary: The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene, the Companion of Jesus. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2004 (ISBN 0-060-72791-8).
Meyer is considered one of the real authorities on the topic of the gnostic gospels. In this work, he provides the translation of the gospel of Mary and other gnostic gospels. Esther de Boer’s commentary supplements Meyer’s translation and interpretation of Mary Magdalene as Jesus’ closest disciple.
Pagels, Elaine. The Gnostic Gospels. New York: Random, 1979 (ISBN 0-394-50278-7).
Long considered the ground-breaking work in the study of the gnostic gospels, Pagels’s work is a fascinating examination of the development of early Christianity. It also influenced the resurgence of the Gnosticism movement in the twentieth century.
Witherington, Ben. The Gospel Code: Novel Claims about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and Da Vinci. Downers Grove, Ill.: Intervarsity, 2004 (ISBN 0-830-83267-X).
A well-known author and commentator, Witherington is a New Testament scholar who provides an Evangelical counter to The Da Vinci Codeby examining the Biblical texts, the theology, and church history.
Holy Grail
Baigent, Michael, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. Holy Blood, Holy Grail: The Secret History of Jesus, The Shocking History of the Grail. New York: Delacorte, 2005 (ISBN 0-385-34001-X).
Dan Brown borrowed heavily from this work of nonfiction, even going so far as to mention the book in his novel. (Two of the authors unsuccessfully sued Brown for copyright infringement.) All this aside, it’s a fascinating book about the bloodline, the mystery, and the secret society. Da Vinci fans will love it.
Barber, Richard. The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Pr., 2004 (ISBN 0-674-01390-5).
Barber traces the history of the Holy Grail through literature, including cinema treatments, from Lancelot to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.There’s even a discussion of Monty Python’s treatment of the Grail in a chapter called “Irreverent Grails.”
Goering, Joseph. TheVirgin and the Grail: Origins of a Legend. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Pr., 2005 (ISBN 0-300-10661-0).
Where did the idea of the Holy Grail come from? Years before Chrétien de Troyes wrote Perceval, the first work of literature to mention the Holy Grail, images of the Virgin Mary were painted in small towns in the Spanish Pyrenees. In each image, there is a radiant bowl or dish, which in the local dialect is called a “grail.” Though written for an academic audience, this is a very readable account of Grail legend.
Griffin, Justin E. The Holy Grail: The Legend, the History, the Evidence. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001 (ISBN 0-786-40999-1).
The mystery of the Holy Grail is examined in this short introduction to the lore of the Grail, citing the Biblical origins and the historical possibilities. Is it a cup? Or is it some other relic? Griffin’s approach is both scientific and historic.
Mary Magdalene
Chilton, Bruce. Mary Magdalene: A Biography. New York: Doubleday, 2005 (ISBN: 0-385-51317-8).
Chilton, a professor of religion at Bard College, presents a portrait of Mary Magdalene based on his interpretation of sacred texts, including the gnostic gospels. His examination of her life portrays a woman possessed by demons who is a central figure in Jesus’ ministry. He also examines the myth and mystery surrounding Mary Magdalene and her place in both the church and history.
Erhman, Bart D. Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Pr., 2006 (ISBN 0-195-30013-0).
Erhman, chair of the Department of Religious Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, is known for his scholarly yet approachable work, and this does not disappoint. He examines the Biblical texts and legend behind Mary Magdalene with a writing style that should appeal to both sides of the “was she really a disciple?” argument.
Lahr, Jane. Searching for Mary Magdalene: A Journey through Art and Literature. New York: Welcome Bks., 2006 (ISBN 1-932-18389-2).
The image and myth of Mary Magdalene has inspired artists and writers for thousands of years. Lahr’s study of this body of work is presented in a larger format to accommodate some of the art reproductions.
Leloup, Jean-Yves. The Sacred Embrace of Jesus and Mary. Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions, 2006 (ISBN 1-594-77101-4).
Probably the most controversial element of The Da Vinci Code is the idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were lovers. Leloup, founder of the Institute of Other Civilization Studies and the International Council of Therapists, argues that Jesus was not celibate and that Paul’s writing was more a reflection of his own thinking than of Jesus’ teaching.
Malachi, Tau. St. Mary Magdalene: The Gnostic Tradition of the Holy Bible.Woodbury, Minn.: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2006 (ISBN 0-7387-0783-X).
The gnostic gospels are not accepted by mainstream Christianity, but they are studied by scholars and theologians for clues to early Christianity. This work is a compilation of the life and sayings of Mary Magdalene. And this is a Magdalene who is both disciple and wife to Jesus.
Markale, Jean. The Church of Mary Magdalene: The Sacred Feminine and the Treasure of Rennes-le-Chateau. Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions, 2004 (ISBN 0-892-81199-4).
A remote village in southern France is the site of a medieval castle and village. Does it really hold the key to the proof of Jesus’ marriage to Mary Magdalene? How did a lowly priest amass the funding for a multimillion dollar construction project? The great mystery of the church in a remote village in southern France is explored in this compelling work.
Schaberg, Jane. The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene: Legends, Apocrypha, and the Christian Testament.New York: Continuum Pub., 2002 (ISBN 0-826-41383-8).
Was Mary Magdalene really Jesus’ intended successor? This feminist look at early Christianity delves into the suppression of women in the early church and the attempts of the male-dominated hierarchy to discredit Magdalene.
Starbird, Margaret. Magdalene’s Lost Legacy: Symbolic Numbers and the Sacred Union in Christianity. Rochester, Vt.: Bear and Co., 2003 (ISBN 1-591-43012-7).
——. Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile. Rochester, Vt.: Bear and Co., 2005 (ISBN 1-591-43054-2).
——. The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail. Rochester, Vt.: Bear and Co., 1993 (ISBN 1-879-18103-7).
Margaret Starbird’s response to Baigent, Leigh, and Lincoln’s Holy Blood, Holy Grail began with her attempt to refute the claims that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married and that their descendents have carried on in Europe. Instead, after an exhaustive study of history, heraldry, symbolism, art, mythology, and the Bible, she reached the same conclusion. Her subsequent books have focused on Magdalene and the sacred feminine. Starbird’s works are noted on the resource list on Dan Brown’s Web site www.danbrown.com/novels/davinci_code/resources.html.
Secret Societies
Allen, John L. Opus Dei: An Objective Look behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church. New York: Doubleday, 2005 (ISBN 0-385-51449-2).
The Vatican analyst for CNN and NPR has written a detailed account of the history and structure of this secretive and somewhat controversial organization. And it answers many questions that have been raised about its theological background, its ties to the Vatican, and Vatican financial structures.