Comments on Informed Comment: DaVinci Code as Parable of American Modernity De...

I'm going to beg to differ concerning the "marry u...

2006-05-23T17:27:00.000-04:00

I'm going to beg to differ concerning the "marry up" requirement for sayidas/alwiyas (alawiya is the Iraqi term). It isn't in any way obligatory for them to do so, nor to marry a sayid, but it is more of a social custom, most often practised by South Asian shias, and far less so amongst Arab and Iranian Shias.

Interesting comparison, though.... Agreed concerning the divine feminine...

Nice to see some discussion of the popularity of w...

2006-05-23T09:40:00.000-04:00

Nice to see some discussion of the popularity of what is, frankly, not a very good book. After all this sucker sold *40 million* copies. Brown must have done *something* right.

Wow -thank you Dr. Cole for a very enjoyable and s...

2006-05-23T08:35:00.000-04:00

Wow -thank you Dr. Cole for a very enjoyable and surprising review. Have you written on other books/films/popular culture before this?

All I can say is if the two central protagonists o...

2006-05-22T22:16:00.000-04:00

All I can say is if the two central protagonists of the book/film are supposed to be intellectuals, academia and police intelligence are both sorely in need of a boost of brain power.

"So Dark The Con of Man"...okay, Mr. Brown, take my $8, please....

Marrying "up" may not be the only challenge any spawn of an alleged Meringovian bloodline may face.

Long-time lurker, first-time poster...Thank you fo...

2006-05-22T21:21:00.000-04:00

Long-time lurker, first-time poster...

Thank you for such a meaningful analysis, especially the "two poles" -- if only we could find that happy medium!

artappraiser, I have a doctorate in Italian Renaissance art history, but I did read the DVC and I just saw the film. Thank goodness the film doesn't include all of the "art history" found in the book. If you get around to reading it or seeing the film, you'll be wincing and laughing out loud!

Interesting analysis. I had always felt politics a...

2006-05-22T20:11:00.000-04:00

Interesting analysis. I had always felt politics as another religion so I understand where you're coming from. On another note, I also enjoyed reading about the parallels in Shiism. I'm brought up as a Sunni muslim woman (without knowing it's Sunni till only recently) so maybe that's why I didn't feel any strong parallels. However, after reading Dan Brown's book, I did feel the parallel of the woman's plight in religious importance in Islam and Christianity. A sub-topic perhaps as the movie does not convey that feeling.

I must say, the acting is superb. A movie that's worth watching on the big screen.

Ah, the Sunnis would disagree with you that Abu Ba...

2006-05-22T19:03:00.000-04:00

Ah, the Sunnis would disagree with you that Abu Bakr (RA) ever fought with Fatima (RA). What sort proof is there?

I really like that comment. I've been blogging a b...

2006-05-22T17:10:00.000-04:00

I really like that comment. I've been blogging a bit here and there about the Da Vinci code and Islam and it honestly hadn't occured to me to make the particular comparison you did.

First I must confess (something akin to punning in...

2006-05-22T16:50:00.000-04:00

First I must confess (something akin to punning intentional) that, as someone with extensive art history background, I have been prejudiced against The DaVinci Code and have purposely stayed away from the book despite usually being intrigued by and very much trying to stay informed about pop culture.

And the few discussions I have heard or seen of it have made me want to scream "yuck, please I can't bear it."

But then I come here to catch up on Iraq and I find the incredible amount of inspiration you seem to have gotten from it, big general things about world culture today that interest me very much. Sheesh, am I really going to have to read the dang thing now?

I would like to point these few graphs of yours out in particular:

It is religious, but for the most part values individualistic spirituality above dry Church discipline. It is willing to sacrifice, but not at the price of giving up self-actualization and individual ethical integrity. It is increasingly challenging patriarchy, though that struggle is lively. It recognizes the need for authority but is suspicious, in the Madisonian tradition, that too much authority will corrupt its holders.

The film is popular because it isn't about Catholicism or France or some odd conspiracy theory centered on Mary Magdalene. It is popular because it is about the dilemmas of secular modernity.

I too, have for a long time felt that this is a dominant concern of our age, that this is one of the main things that is going to be in the world cultural history survey books.

This is, for example, the key to the popularity of Christian evangelicalism, the fact that Pentecostal type faiths are the fastest growing in the world. This is a "conspiracy" (heh heh) of which I (raised Roman Catholic) believe the Vatican is really scared. The one-on-one relationship with God is the part to look at with all the popular faiths right now, the non-liturgical faiths. No "bosses." There's a desire for use of church attendance to provide a sense of community, but it's just "communing," with little doctrinal power even with the lowly preacher. In a way, the independence of evangelical beliefs, where you interpret the text for yourself, is very much in keeping with Enlightenment individualism? It's an attempt to retain spirituality/religion in a way that doesn't conflict totally with some of those modern world developments?

I should say that I was brought up a Catholic and ...

2006-05-22T16:46:00.000-04:00

I should say that I was brought up a Catholic and I live in Spain not very far from Opus Dei's headquarters. I find the whole Code business throughly unhelpful - Opus Dei really are a very sinister, secretive and dubious organisation but it does not help in saying so if everybody thinks (and says) that this is something you must have got off reading Dan Brown...

This is a great analysis. It's always interesting ...

2006-05-22T14:19:00.000-04:00

This is a great analysis. It's always interesting to broaden the field of discussion away from "this is anti-Catholic/Christian/religious" to a more general discussion of how humans act in the world.

But I want to quibble with the way you use the term "golden mean." (And this quibble should in no way be seen to detract from the essay itself.)

That term is not synonymous with "happy middle ground" or "consensus." The Golden Mean is a mathematical ratio (1.61 ...) which we largely think of in art, architecture as a very powerful way to organize visual information.

For a discussion of the Golden Mean, see http://mathworld.wolfram.com/GoldenRatio.html

Rilke wrote that "our deepest fears are like drago...

2006-05-22T14:00:00.000-04:00

Rilke wrote that "our deepest fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasures." What is the deepest treasure of religion?

Tat tvam asi.

+++

Nice, insightful comments on the path Sophie and L...

2006-05-22T13:53:00.000-04:00

Nice, insightful comments on the path Sophie and Langdon follow through the two extremes. If only other movie reviewers could cite the films strengths and weaknesses so aptly and so pertinently.

I don't know if the film evokes feelings of nostalgia or hopes of some kind of rendering of the past in the future, but it is very sucessful in revealing the tension of history, the tensions arising from being authoritative about the past vs. authoritarian. Obviously the Church, in the film, tends to be authoritarian.

BTW, I think the current spread of authoritianism within our government breeds skepticism about accepted histories, hence the popularity of novels that question the CW.

So, whether the theories behind the novel are silly or not, the implications of questioning overbearing patriarchy and undemocratic authority shouldn't be underestimated. In fact, they are part of the critical thinking this country needs.

Just saw the film last night. It was not bad at a...

2006-05-22T09:51:00.000-04:00

Just saw the film last night. It was not bad at all. I am rather critical, having seen something around 1000 films (maybe more, I dont know), and really it was not that bad. Only slightly corny at times.

R2K

One word that helps characterize the nerve you're ...

2006-05-22T08:38:00.000-04:00

One word that helps characterize the nerve you're talking about is nostalgia...

As William Cunningham Bissell observes in his "Short (Anthropological) History of Nostalgia", 'Susan Stewart defined nostalgia as a "social disease." It was originally
identified in the 1680s as a sickness of youth, afflicting Swiss mercenaries.'

There are many other notions beyond nostalgia: fear, wounded pride, alienation, fragmentation etc. but nostalgia seems the most potent to my mind...

Thanks for giving this such a thoughtful analysis,...

2006-05-22T06:43:00.000-04:00

Thanks for giving this such a thoughtful analysis, and for pointing out the other-than-Catholic parallels. You've helped me to step back and consider this book/movie from a new context and a broader perspective.