Jim's review
The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
Finally, someone with good taste. Amen.
"has been retarding the progress of science and knowledge for 2 millennia."
Religion has retarded the progress of science. Other then that everything else you say is basically spot on and it's definitely a good review!
I enjoyed reading your comments on The Da Vinci Code. I think you hit upon almost all of my own criticisms of this book. The only other thing I could say I found specifically irritating was Brown's overused method of skipping around between two or three plots advancing in different locales every few pages in order that there be a cliff!hanger! every other page. I think it was this device more than anything in the story that made people feel this book was so exciting, but I found I was too aware of the manipulation for it to do anything but annoy me. Besides being rather ham-handed, it made me feel that the author expects his readers to only have the attention span of MTV addicts.
The effect of, say, Christianity on the development and progress is extremely debatable. One could argue that the preservation of classical learning by monastics after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West was vital to the scientific enterprise. Certainly, the Christian belief in the goodness and intelligibility of visible and tangible creation may be seen as motivating scientific enterprise in the West, in contrast to non-Christian belief systems where the material world was seen as inherently illusory and somewhat evil.
Excellent review, Jim. I hate how Brown gets away with poor research, and even worse prose, by claiming literary license while simultaneously espousing that he is revealing long-hidden truths.
"Religion has retarded the progress of science."
May I chime in?
This statement is simply not supported by the historical record. The first universities were founded by the Church and religious orders have responsible for the education of millions all with the purpose of the discovery of Truth including the workings of the natural world. Just citing these two facts demonstrate that religion not only does not impede scientific progress but has actually been the catalyst for much of it.
Jim's review
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Jim's review
rating:
This is a pretty formulaic page turner, a fun quick read. Written at about the level of the average Nancy Drew mystery, it is best appreciated at that level. As far as the content, there are howlers on virtually every page (starting with the hero who looks like "Harrison Ford in Harris tweed" and is a "Professor of Religious Symbology at Harvard" -- good work if you can find it). You have to ignore very pulpy, cheesy writing to enjoy this romantic thriller.
Intended as a book that a dedicated reader could finish in a day, or something you take to the beach and casually finish in a weekend, The Da Vinci Code makes for a reasonable airline novel, so much so that it is often a bit clunky in its desire to ensure that no intellectual effort on the reader's part will be required. Here's a recurring example in this novel: a bit of unfamiliar terminology, say "crux gemmata" (jeweled cross) will will be explained on page N, then on page N+1, a character w...more
Intended as a book that a dedicated reader could finish in a day, or something you take to the beach and casually finish in a weekend, The Da Vinci Code makes for a reasonable airline novel, so much so that it is often a bit clunky in its desire to ensure that no intellectual effort on the reader's part will be required. Here's a recurring example in this novel: a bit of unfamiliar terminology, say "crux gemmata" (jeweled cross) will will be explained on page N, then on page N+1, a character w...more
Finally, someone with good taste. Amen.
"has been retarding the progress of science and knowledge for 2 millennia."Religion has retarded the progress of science. Other then that everything else you say is basically spot on and it's definitely a good review!
I enjoyed reading your comments on The Da Vinci Code. I think you hit upon almost all of my own criticisms of this book. The only other thing I could say I found specifically irritating was Brown's overused method of skipping around between two or three plots advancing in different locales every few pages in order that there be a cliff!hanger! every other page. I think it was this device more than anything in the story that made people feel this book was so exciting, but I found I was too aware of the manipulation for it to do anything but annoy me. Besides being rather ham-handed, it made me feel that the author expects his readers to only have the attention span of MTV addicts.
The effect of, say, Christianity on the development and progress is extremely debatable. One could argue that the preservation of classical learning by monastics after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West was vital to the scientific enterprise. Certainly, the Christian belief in the goodness and intelligibility of visible and tangible creation may be seen as motivating scientific enterprise in the West, in contrast to non-Christian belief systems where the material world was seen as inherently illusory and somewhat evil.
Excellent review, Jim. I hate how Brown gets away with poor research, and even worse prose, by claiming literary license while simultaneously espousing that he is revealing long-hidden truths."Religion has retarded the progress of science."
May I chime in?
This statement is simply not supported by the historical record. The first universities were founded by the Church and religious orders have responsible for the education of millions all with the purpose of the discovery of Truth including the workings of the natural world. Just citing these two facts demonstrate that religion not only does not impede scientific progress but has actually been the catalyst for much of it.