• news
  • MONDAY MARCH 13 2006 8:46 AM

What Would Jesus Do?

Submitted by Rahodeb

Edited by Rahodeb

Can Jesus get Dan Brown out of this one? Brown, author of the annoyingly successful Da Vinci Code, took the stand in Britain’s High Court today. The accused author revealed in cross-examination that his wife, Blythe, played a large role in the research of the book. An important disciple and witness for her man, Mary—er, sorry—I mean, Blythe apparently set Brown on the road to Jesus Christ Superstardom.

What’s interesting about this particular case is that Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, don’t claim that Brown stole specific portions of their text, but rather that he pilfered certain themes and ideas. It’s true that both books hinge on parallel theories (with some essential differences), but it seems that what we have here is yet another literary case of questionable nomenclature. Holy Blood, Holy Grail was written, published and marketed as a historically relevant conspiracy theory—an exposé, of sorts. The Da Vinci Code, on the other hand, has been presented and received primarily as a thriller. I don’t mean to say that readers haven’t been taking it seriously—au contraire, the 40 million copies it’s sold since 2003 and the various guides and (Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Holy Shit!) curriculum kits that have appeared in it’s wake are as serious as a bad case of VD.

This whole thing reeks of an awfully good opportunity for Baigent and Leigh to sell some more copies of their twenty-three year old book, sales of which have apparently skyrocketed since their accusations were brought against Brown:


Brown's fast-moving theological thriller has sold more than 40 million copies since it was published three years ago this week. "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" — a more modest best-seller on its release — has seen a surge in sales since the trial began, going from about 350 copies sold a week in Britain to 3,000, according trade publication The Bookseller.



But really—if even themes and ideas are off limits once they’ve been explored on the printed page, we’re all in for a major dearth of material. This is sort of like F. Scott Fitzgerald suing Arthur Miller for writing about the inanity of the American Dream.

  • PERMALINK
  • PRINT
  • Digg This
  • Email To A Friend
 
Comments
Motionboy

Motionboy

Vancouver, BC
January 2004

MAR 13, 2006 08:56 AM

Where is oprah when you need her!

Paul9000

Paul9000

Monterey, CA
November 2004

MAR 13, 2006 09:13 AM

Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh's claim is a joke. They're just looking for PR.

flowerofromance

flowerofromance

Chicago, IL
May 2005

MAR 13, 2006 09:18 AM

Helennaomi said:
Can Jesus get Dan Brown out of this one? Brown, author of the annoyingly successful Da Vinci Code, took the stand in Britain’s High Court today. The accused author revealed in cross-examination that his wife, Blythe, played a large role in the research of the book. An important disciple and witness for her man, Mary—er, sorry—I mean, Blythe apparently set Brown on the road to Jesus Christ Superstardom.



Yes, a woman who assists her husband in research is obviously a disciple with no mind of her own who should in actuality get all the credit for her husband's work. Nice implication there. whatever

Quirky

Quirky

Birmingham, AL
October 2005

MAR 13, 2006 09:23 AM

For a Klondike Bar?

seriously, dho. This is just so blown out of wack. Dan Brown and Tom Hanks are going to so totally reap what they sow

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

MAR 13, 2006 09:34 AM

flowerofromance said:

Helennaomi said:
Can Jesus get Dan Brown out of this one? Brown, author of the annoyingly successful Da Vinci Code, took the stand in Britain’s High Court today. The accused author revealed in cross-examination that his wife, Blythe, played a large role in the research of the book. An important disciple and witness for her man, Mary—er, sorry—I mean, Blythe apparently set Brown on the road to Jesus Christ Superstardom.



Yes, a woman who assists her husband in research is obviously a disciple with no mind of her own who should in actuality get all the credit for her husband's work. Nice implication there. whatever



surreal

I don't understand how you connect the first half of your statement to the second, or how you get either "with no mind" or "who should... get all the credit" from the post you quoted.

surreal

epimeth

epimeth

I'm lost
February 2006

MAR 13, 2006 09:44 AM

Paul9000 said:
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh's claim is a joke. They're just looking for PR.



Well, I was going to say their book is a joke. But then again, so is Dan Brown's. That guy is like the worst author ever. All of his books read like movie treatments, which I guess is pretty much what they are, ultimately.

I want to sue the bastard myself for trying to pass that shit off as writing! wink

TheRuiner

TheRuiner

United Kingdom
January 2005

MAR 13, 2006 09:44 AM

Paul9000 said:
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh's claim is a joke. They're just looking for PR.



dude those guys spent years workin their asses of for that research. A lot of what they discovered had them ostricised and hounded. They deserve recognition

Paul9000

Paul9000

Monterey, CA
November 2004

MAR 13, 2006 09:46 AM

TheRuiner said:

Paul9000 said:
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh's claim is a joke. They're just looking for PR.



dude those guys spent years workin their asses of for that research. A lot of what they discovered had them ostricised and hounded. They deserve recognition


They did do great work, 20 years ago. Now their trying to ride Dan Brown's coat tails.

flowerofromance

flowerofromance

Chicago, IL
May 2005

MAR 13, 2006 10:36 AM

Clov said:

flowerofromance said:

Helennaomi said:
Can Jesus get Dan Brown out of this one? Brown, author of the annoyingly successful Da Vinci Code, took the stand in Britain’s High Court today. The accused author revealed in cross-examination that his wife, Blythe, played a large role in the research of the book. An important disciple and witness for her man, Mary—er, sorry—I mean, Blythe apparently set Brown on the road to Jesus Christ Superstardom.



Yes, a woman who assists her husband in research is obviously a disciple with no mind of her own who should in actuality get all the credit for her husband's work. Nice implication there. whatever



surreal

I don't understand how you connect the first half of your statement to the second, or how you get either "with no mind" or "who should... get all the credit" from the post you quoted.

surreal



Mary Magdalene, depending on what source you're scourging, either married Jesus and had his children, or became the foremost leader in the early Christian church (before, of course, this organization morphed into the Catholic Church and developed the doctrine that Magdalene was actually a prostitute, even though nothing in the Bible indicates that she was). The editor's implication was subtle, and given her already-established prediliction for finding misogyny in places it doesn't exist combined with the above context (of which I'm sure the editor was well aware), the connection was obvious in my mind.

TheFly

TheFly

Eagle Springs, NC
November 2003

MAR 13, 2006 10:45 AM

Paul9000 said:

TheRuiner said:

Paul9000 said:
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh's claim is a joke. They're just looking for PR.



dude those guys spent years workin their asses of for that research. A lot of what they discovered had them ostricised and hounded. They deserve recognition


They did do great work, 20 years ago. Now their trying to ride Dan Brown's coat tails.



They did great research. Now they're glory hounds. If there was any way to prove the truth and they were right then they would be showered with praise, not Brown. Science and research is not about television time. It's about finding truth. To protect their years of hardspent research they sue a novelist. Where's the philosophical integrity there? So yes, they're claim is a joke and it ruins the reputation of their work.

featured interviews