KEY FACTS

Title

The Da Vinci Code

Author

Dan Brown

Date Published

2003

Setting

Paris, London and Scotland

Genre

Fiction, Mystery/Suspense

Tense

Past

Meaning of the Title

“Da Vinci Code” refers to the many clues about the Grail through out the centuries. While many have secretly passed on the truth of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, Leonardo Da Vinci is portrayed as an artist who made it his focus to transmit the truth. It is also plausible to consider how Brown relates Saunière to Da Vinci, in that they were both Grand Masters and they both use clues to pass the truth to the next generation.

Protagonist

Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu

Antagonist

Sir Lee Teabing

Mood

Mysterious

Point of View

Third person, omniscient, anonymous narrator

Exposition

The first twenty chapters, where we meet the main characters and learn about their pasts.

Climax

Teabing’s arrest

Outcome

Sophie meets her family and Langdon resolves that the mystery of the Grail is more important than the Grail, itself.

Major Theme

“Mystery and Wonderment That Serve Our Souls”

VOCABULARY / HISTORICAL REFERENCES

Déjà vu -The feeling of having already experienced something.

Cilice - A course cloth. In this novel, the cilice is tied around the thigh and used in corporal mortification

Spartan - Bare and simple

Aficionado - An enthusiastic fan

Sepulchral - A burial vault

Neophyte - A beginner or convert

Macabre - Gruesome, suggesting horror

Draconian - Extremely severe

Sangfroid - Composed in difficult situations

Foist - Feigning genuine

Obstinate - Stubborn

Tempest - A violent storm

Apropos - Opportune

Turgid - Ornate or complex

Alacrity - A cheerful willingness

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