June 10, 2006
FLATTERERS:
Upcoming 'Vanity Fair' Article Raises New Issues About 'DaVinci Code' Author (Editor & Publisher, June 06, 2006)
Controversy in the press surrounding "Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown, just beginning to fade, will likely revive later this week when the July issue of Vanity Fair hits the stands. According to an advance copy, the magazine's contributing editor Seth Mnookin alleges -- in a massive article titled "DaVinci Clone?" -- two new instances of possible plagiarism in Brown's past. Two textual analysis experts also tell him they believe Brown borrowed the plot for his book from Lewis Perdue's "Daughter of God."The two libel experts say they are convinced Brown borrowed heavily from the Perdue book, despite Brown's recent victory in court. John Olsson, the director of Britain's Forensic Linguistics Institute, has said, "This is the most blatant example of in-your-face plagiarism I've ever seen. It just goes on and on. There are literally hundreds of parallels." [...]
Mnookin also cites an incident in which Brown copied for "The DaVinci Code" an exact passage from the paper "Leonardo's Lost Robot," written by robotics expert Mark Rosheim. Brown's publisher, Doubleday, said it was covered under fair-use. Rosheim says, "Every now and then I'll be giving a talk and someone will come in with The Da Vinci Code and ask me to sign a copy. Either that or they'll accuse me of copying him."
Finally, Mnookin offers evidence that he says may link Brown's wife, Blythe, to a spate of "mysterious" e-mails that Perdue has received, coming from one "Ahamedd Saaddodeen."
No wonder the Browns see conspiracies everywhere they look -- it's apparently the family business. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 10, 2006 4:52 PM
This saga has taken such a strange twist in North America. I think most people in the States are misunderstanding the reasons why this fairy tale is so popular. For those who don't know, the main point of the story is that descendents of Jesus are alive and well, waiting to be crowned as the rightful Kings of Europe.
This whole thing started as a hoax in France in the late 70's. By the time two British authors (Baggett and Leigh, I believe) started hawking it in the English speaking world, it was already know to be a hoax on the continent, because one of the hoaxers admitted it during an interview on French TV. But I know bucket-loads of people in Europe who still love this tale anyway.
The reason being that the governments on the continent are mostly socialist kleptocracies and many people long for something better. So they like the idea of the great-great-grandson of the King of kings becoming their constitutional monarch. I can't speak for everyone, but most people I know who like this story aren't trying to be bad Christians (or heretics), it's quite the opposite. Their fascinated with this story because they want it to be true. Of course Dan Brown's book is some neutered, mutated, pop-culture derivative of the actual story and as such was silly. It would have even been offensive... if the writing had been above a 3rd grade level.
Posted by: lebeaux at June 11, 2006 5:12 AMPT Barnum said, "You'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people." I guess that needs to be updated to include the Brits too.
Posted by: erp at June 11, 2006 8:43 AMHey, those primitive, uneducated, superstitious people in the Dark Ages believed in Prester John. We're so much more advanced, educated, and sophisticated. Uh... I was going somewhere with this, I'm sure I was.
All this Gnostic business is an attack on the Bible. The Library shelves are covered with new books on the pseudographia, the gist of which is that the Christian Canon is a worthless piece of trash.
Of course the people selling the books are mere cynical mountebanks. Christophobia is what gives the story its staying power. Without the Bible, Protestant Christianinty bursts like a soap bubble and the witches and queers have their way.
Posted by: Lou Gots at June 11, 2006 11:14 AMLou, I see your point, but all this gnostic / new age crud wasn't the intention of the original hoax. Besides gnosticism is old hat, i'm sure all those people have already converted to the church of global warming.
Posted by: lebeaux at June 11, 2006 2:16 PM