The Da Vinci Code was one of the most publicized books of 2003. Some deemed the book blasphemous, some questioned its accuracy, and some just read it for the fast paced fiction that it was. Though the book received a lot of flak from certain sects as well as critics, it is undeniably one of the bestselling books of this decade. What Harry Potter was for an entire generation of kids, the Da Vinci Code was for adults.
Here are the six main reasons for The Da Vinci Code’s remarkable success:
The Vatican vehemently opposed the book when it was published. There were accusations of plagiarism. The media coverage the book garnered was solely due to the hoopla raised. Dan Brown till then wasn’t a household name and was relatively unobtrusive. The call for a ban didn’t yield any results; if anything it made some people go grab a copy out of sheer curiosity.
The book is based on an alleged conspiracy shrouding Christianity. Given the fact that Christianity has a large following across the world, much of the book’s success can be attributed to the religion itself. Why? Well, if a similar book was based on a lesser known religion, it probably wouldn’t have done so well. The book basically allows people to question the premises of their faith. In this case these doubts crept into the consciousness of the masses thus resulting in huge sales figures. Not to mention that it also ruffled some heavy feathers.
The research that had gone into the making of the book was commendable. It is clearly mentioned in the book that the work is fictional but, the research on the religious organizations and artwork is all fully authentic. The way Brown entwined some famous secret societies, paintings, theories, codes, as well as personalities within the story challenged conventional thinking. Most readers actually ended up looking up the paintings and the theories stated, and were awestruck at the brilliance with which these were incorporated into the story.
The writing style Dan Brown adopted for the Da Vinci Code simple. Most novels gain a loyal readership based on the style in which the novel is written and the way the ideas are conveyed. The Da Vinci Code appealed to a lot of people since it’s easier for them to comprehend and assimilate what has been written. The book Holy Blood Holy Grail was written along similar lines, but didn’t do so well comparatively since the plot was lost in the scrupulous and rarified details.
The novel has a classic plot. It combines an exciting narrative along with provocative historical details which befuddled you into believing what was said and kept you hooked on to the story till the end.
Last and not the least, usually when you walk into a bookstore scouring for books. You would either buy it because you have heard of it or read the blurbs at the back of the book. The Da Vinci Code stayed on the top slots of the New York Times bestseller’s list for about 60 weeks. The book had glowing reviews from reputed newspapers, magazines, and fellow fiction writers -with some calling it a masterpiece as well.
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—About our writer:
Devjani Kar has done her BE in Computer's from Bombay University. She has been a Technical writer for a year and a half and is currently working with Progress Software. She enjoys creative writing and is currently based in Hyderabad.
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