My Critical Article Summaries
"Decoding Dan Brown's Success"
Critic: Bruce Allen
Source: Contemporary Literary Criticism 209, edited by Jeffrey W. Hunter. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale, 2005.
Criticism about: Dan Brown (1964-)
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| Dan Brown, subject of these critical essays along with his novels, in particular, The Lost Symbol |
In the literature industry, Dan Brown is almost as heard as Stephen King. Brown's four hefty best-sellers, all published within the brief five-year period 1998-2003, have earned him accolades as a "new master of smart thrills" (People Magazine), "a more astute storyteller than most of his brethren in the thriller vein" (Kirkus Reviews), and "one of the best, smartest, and most accomplished writers in the country" (fellow best-selling author Nelson De Mille).In his first novel, Digital Fortress, Allen refers to Brown’s information as “not credible” and claims that the dialogue is dedicated more to the purpose of explicating complex technical information than in the service of creating characters who think and talk like recognizable human beings (par. 12). Allen also claims that in Angels & Demons, just like his other three books, (at the time) is loaded with too much factual, boring information (par.21). Allen also compares the similarities between all of Brown’s books while talking about Deception Point, saying that “Once again we have one male and one female on a conquest to discover the truth. (par.30).” This article continuously refers back to the theme that Brown is not worthy to be mentioned with names such as Stephen King and Tom Clancy. This theme is conveyed by Allen’s claims that people only read the books because they feel they shouldn’t be reading them. It is Brown’s ability to spark controversy that makes him so famous. This becomes evident in The Da Vinci Code, according to Allen. In his view, The Da Vinci Code was not Brown’s best book, but was his best-selling novel because it pushed modern day morals the most. Finally, there's no denying that his characters persuasively stand as attractive images of the kind of people we'd like to be: intelligent, committed to good causes and humane values, resolute and courageous citizens of a world that needs as many of their kind as it can get. Brown is a great author; however, he needs to work on his development of characters.
Dan Brown: American Novelist
Brown was born June 22, 1964, in Exeter, New Hampshire. His father was a math teacher, and his mother was a religious. Clearly Brown grew up in an environment full of scientific and religious controversy. The first book Brown wrote, Digital Fortress was a best-seller. Digital Fortress is about T.R.A.N.S.L.T.R, a government computer system that monitors potential terrorist activities on the internet and e-mail. Susan Fletcher, an NSA cryptographer and brilliant mathematician, is assigned to investigate a secret code, created by Digital Fortress, which TRANSLTR is unable to break. In the process, she discovers a conspiracy that threatens to undermine the national stability of America. Angels & Demons was Brown's second novel, is the introduction to the character Robert Langdon, a professor who discovers conspiracies and plots by the Catholic church and battles the “Illuminati” in the process. Later Brown came out with books such as The Da Vinci Code and Deception Point, both of which involve the same type of fast-paced action and thrills. Clearly Brown has a knack for writing controversial suspense-thrillers. Nancy Pearl called Angels & Demons "one of the best international thrillers of recent years," commenting that Brown's second novel is "both literate and extremely well researched, mixing physics with religion." All of Brown’s books have been deemed masterpieces; however, his best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code has been called anti-Catholic by some religious extremists.
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| One of the accepted symbols for Noetic Science, the subject of controversy in Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol |
Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” Good on History, Lost on Science
By: Justin Trottier
Justin Trottier is skeptical of the accuracy of Dan Brown’s information in The Lost
Symbol; however, still remains a fan of all his work. This article criticizes the information in Brown’s most recent novel. Normally in a fiction novel, it would not matter, but there is a preamble in this book that states: ““All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel are real.” (Brown Prologue). Trottier begins by saying that Brown’s historical accuracy is quite good; however, the science is way off. This book revolves around Noetic Science, the study that human emotions can influence matter. In the book there were claims that during 9/11 an experiment was conducted showing the emotions of The U.S at the time, but this is inaccurate. This experiment was called the Global Consciousness Project and did not begin until 2003 – two years after 9/11. Brown also makes harsh statements through his characters attacking the Christian faith. "Does anyone hear prayers? Do humans have souls? Katherine had answered these questions. The evidence was irrefutable. Katherine could convince anyone."(195) Clearly, Brown's new novel, The Lost Symbol, is not as accurate on science as he claims in the beginning.
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