Can you decipher the following anagrams? OEDIPUS VELOUR A HOLY GIRL SEEK TONY FINIS POOR ROY

The Da Vinci Code: a Discussion Presented by Colleen Kehoe-Robinson, Information Services Specialist Mohawk Valley Community College Newman Center, Utica College April 11, :00-9:00 p.m.

Introduction During National Library Week we celebrate the key role Libraries play in “the national discourse on intellectual freedom”. source: National Library Week 2005 Proclamation "Intellectual Freedom is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause or movement may be explored. Intellectual freedom encompasses the freedom to hold, receive and disseminate ideas.” Source: ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom

The Da Vinci Code has become a lightning rod, sparking polarized opinions. Commentary ranges from the inaccuracy of historical facts presented and the way in which Christian doctrines are challenged to the idea that The Da Vinci Code has prompted dialogue about religion.

Did you know? As of March 21, 2005: The Da Vinci Code returned for its 82 nd printing, marking 10 million domestic copies Worldwide: 29 million copies in print, in 44 languages Audio versions have sold over 500,000 copies Columbia Pictures plans to release the Da Vinci Code movie in 2006 starring Tom Hanks. Cited in: Maryles, Daisy. “10 Million in Two Years”. Publishers Weekly. 252(12) (2005) : 15. InfoTrac OneFile. Gale Group. Mohawk Valley Community College Lib., Utica, NY. 4 Apr The Mona Lisa was moved from the Louvre’s Salle Rosa to a more spacious room named Salle des Etats on Monday April 4, Cited in: “New digs for 'Mona Lisa' “. CNN. 6 April April

Critical Reception Author Lewis Perdue has sued Dan Brown for copyright infringement, alleging that Brown plagiarized material from Perdue’s books The Da Vinci Legacy and Daughter of God. Cited in: “ ‘Da Vinci Code’author denies plagiarism”. UPI NewsTrack. Jan 12, InfoTrac OneFile. Gale Group. Mohawk Valley Community College Lib., Utica, NY. 4 Apr The Da Vinci Code, the Catholic Church and Opus Dei: A response to The Da Vinci Code from the Prelature of Opus Dei in the United States. Many details regarding Opus Dei are inaccurately portrayed, “and it would be irresponsible to form any opinion of Opus Dei based on reading The Da Vinci Code.” Cited in : The Vatican response:Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone favors a boycott of The Da Vinci Code. He sees the book as heretical, deceiving Roman Catholics and others by its distortion of the origins of Christianity. Bertone says “there are certainly novels that offend millions of believers in their deepest faith, in their most lively hopes. I believe this is not acceptable," “The truth is that it spreads false ideas on the origins of Christianity to which we must answer with precise information and with a critical conscience," Bertone said,. "We want to say the truth about this book.” cited in:

Critical Comments continued Patrick McCormick “Painted out of the picture: part of the best-selling appeal of The Da Vinci Code is a conspiracy that has kept women from taking their rightful place in the Church” U.S. Catholic November 2003 v68 i11 p.36 (3) Professor of Christian ethics at Gonzaga University, Spokane Washington “”In the end Brown’s novel is a vastly entertaining read that mixes the thrill of a high speed chase with the magical pleasures of a quest through an enchanted forest of art, literature and history. And that is reason enough to recommend any book as a beach or bedstand companion. But, in its own popularizing way, it also gives voice to a growing feminist critique of a patriarchal church and secrets it keeps about the goodness and godliness of women. And that’s good news too.”

In a joint statement titled “The Freedom to Read”, the American Library Association and the American Association of Publishers stress that “the freedom to read is essential to democracy…the premise of democracy being that the ordinary individual by exercising critical judgment will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe.” Source: pdf

Author Highlights: Dan Brown Education: Amherst College, B.A., 1986; studied art history at University of Seville, Spain. Formerly an English teacher at Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH. Writings: Digital Fortress, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), Angels and Demons, Pocket Books (New York, NY), Deception Point, Pocket Books (New York, NY), The Da Vinci Code, Doubleday (New York, NY), Works in Progress: A sequel to The Da Vinci Code. Media Adaptations: Film rights to The Da Vinci Code were purchased by Columbia Pictures, Inc. Cited in : “Dan Brown." Contemporary Authors Gale Group Databases. Mohawk Valley Community College Lib., Utica, NY. 8 Mar

Publication Information Author: Brown, Dan, Publisher: Doubleday, March, 2003 Website: Available in: Hardcover, 454 p. $24.95 (ISBN ) MVCC Library Catalog: (BESTSELLER PS3552.R D3 2003) Genre: Fiction – Thrillers Publisher Summary: available online: “While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever.”

Research Tools Amazon.com web site “Search inside the book” feature Mid-York Library System Search: The Library Catalog : books, audiocassettes, videos (DVD/VHS) Electronic Resources: specialized databases for articles MVCC Library web site “If you liked the Da Vinci Code” bibliography

Amazon.com “Search Inside” Functions as an index: Enables one to locate where a specific term or terms is found in the text. To search, click on the search inside link on the top of the picture of the book. Type in your search term(s) example: “Vitruvian Man” and click

Search Results for “Vitruvian Man” 6 results listed Each result lists the page number and excerpt where the term appears. If you are a registered Amazon.com customer, you will go directly to the page you selected; if not you will have to register in order to access the page. On the page you will see your term highlighted throughout the page, and you can browse forward and back two pages. There is a search box above the page that allows you to perform additional searches for terms in the book and browse other pages

The Mid-York Library System Search their Library Catalog With a Mid-York Library card, you can search the Electronic Database resources for articles, book reviews and more from home! Log on to help/yellowcard.html to download a library card application form for your home library. help/yellowcard.html

MVCC Library Resources Search the Library Catalog Under the Subject Resource Lists link there is a bibliography titled “If You Liked The Da Vinci Code…”

Web Resources ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom Amazon.com web site “Cardinal Exorcizing 'The Da Vinci Code‘” The Da Vinci Code, the Catholic Church and Opus Dei: A response to The Da Vinci Code from the Prelature of Opus Dei in the United States. The Freedom to Read Mid-York Library System MVCC Library web site “If you liked the Da Vinci Code” bibliography National Library Week 2005 Proclamation

Part Two: Focus Questions

Why did you decide to read The Da Vinci Code? Has the popularity and controversy surrounding this book had a direct impact on your decision?

The characters’ use of cell phones figures prominently in the plot. In what way does this technology enable the characters to keep secrets? What are some ways in which technology compromises the characters’ abilities to keep secrets?

Which character in The Da Vinci Code changed the most during the course of the book? How did this affect other characters?

If you were writing the screenplay for The Da Vinci Code movie would Silas and Bishop Aringarosa continue to be represented as members of Opus Dei, or would you change the organization to represent a fictional group?

The “Teacher” and “The Professor” disagree on the Sangreal documents. What impact would these documents have if they were released?

The answers are… OPUS DEI LOUVRE HOLY GRAIL KEYSTONE PRIORY OF SION