Women in Dan Brown's life:
The Da Vinci Code has drawn very heavily on the sacred feminine. So it is interesting to take this little peek into the life of author Dan Brown. The author, in his acknowledgements before the novel, mentions the contribution of his mother and his wife, in this order. He terms his mother as his 'role model', and his wife as "the most astonishingly talented woman he had ever known", along with many other adjectives. In fact, he has dedicated this book to his wife Blythe Brown.
Facts (presented at the beginning of the novel):
The Priory of Sion – a European secret society founded in 1099 – is a real organization. In 1975 Paris‘s Biblioth que Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci.
The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic sect that has been the topic of recent controversy due to reports of brainwashing, coercion, and a dangerous practice known as “corporal mortification.” Opus Dei has just completed construction of a $47 million World Headquarters at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York City.
All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.
About state of women at Opus Dei:
Their views on women were medieval at best. Female luminaries were forced to clean the men’s residence halls for no pay while the men were at mass; women slept on hardwood floors, while the men had straw mats; and women were forced to endure additional requirements of corporal mortification… all as added penance for original sin. It seemed Eve’s bite from the apple of knowledge was a debt women were doomed to pay for eternity. Sadly, while most of the Catholic Church was gradually moving in the right direction with respect to women’s rights, Opus Dei threatened to reverse the progress.
[The series continues... ]
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