The key to Dan Brown’s success - Page 3

SpiderMatt · 08-16-2009, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corroonb

Also Dan Brown and JK Rowling have an awful lot in common....

Neither can write.

I think you're way off the mark with that one. Rowling's stories are certainly formulaic (as Sonist pointed out) and not all that original but she can write. Dan Brown is a mediocre writer at best. Rowling characters are engaging and endearing told via a classic tale of good vs. evil. Neither Dan Brown's characters or plot is endearing or engaging. I think it's unfortunate that Rowling is the bestselling author in the world right now but at least she is a decent writer. Dan Brown, along with Stephanie Meyer, really aren't.

Abecedary · 08-16-2009, 07:35 AM

I think the big difference between Rowling and Brown is that one is writing stories aimed at people with a 5th grade reading level. The other one is writing stories about wizards.

HarryT · 08-16-2009, 07:37 AM

Dan Brown doesn't write "great literature", but he's not setting out to do so. I've read all his novels, and thoroughly enjoyed them. They are good "escapist" thrillers, not meant to be taken seriously.

weateallthepies · 08-16-2009, 08:05 AM

I hate book snobbery, if people are reading anything then I think it's a good thing given all the other things competing for our time.

Dan Brown obviously appeals to lots of people so fair play, I hope he continues to get people reading.

Timoleon · 08-16-2009, 09:30 AM

"Potboiler", or "Pot Boiler", is the term that came to mind when I started to read Da Vinci Code.

It inspired me, though --- writing poorly apparently is no barrier to getting published and making a ton of money. Maybe my pot of gold is out there somewhere?

Sweetpea · 08-16-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by griffonwing

Never really read any of his work. Just the premise of the Da Vinci Code kept me away from it. Also, I've not seen the movie.

Actually, the premis of the Da Vinci Code (and Angels and Demons) was the reason I read it.

(Angels and Demons, btw, is a good example why I don't read translated to Dutch books: the title in Dutch (translated back to English) is The Bernini Mystery....)

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Dan Brown doesn't write "great literature", but he's not setting out to do so. I've read all his novels, and thoroughly enjoyed them. They are good "escapist" thrillers, not meant to be taken seriously.

That goes for me too. I liked them, just because they were easy to read (and I loved the fact that people actually believed what he wrote in the Da Vinci Code

)

HarryT · 08-16-2009, 10:10 AM

... and it's been great for the tourist industry in Rome. Rome is absolutely full of people offering "Angels and Demons" tours

.

lilac_jive · 08-16-2009, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

... and it's been great for the tourist industry in Rome. Rome is absolutely full of people offering "Angels and Demons" tours

.

I didn't see them when I was there, thank goodness. But I did see DaVinci Code audio tours at the Louvre. Made me sad to see people walk by The Raft of the Medusa to go stare at the Mona Lisa for a half hour

zerospinboson · 08-16-2009, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

I didn't see them when I was there, thank goodness. But I did see DaVinci Code audio tours at the Louvre. Made me sad to see people walk by The Raft of the Medusa to go stare at the Mona Lisa for a half hour

They have always done that. It shocked me to see how many idiots (though that included lots of japanese tourists the last time I was there) were looking at that painting, through the 8" piece of (magnifying?) glass.

lilac_jive · 08-16-2009, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zerospinboson

They have always done that. It shocked me to see how many idiots (though that included lots of japanese tourists the last time I was there) were looking at that painting, through the 8" piece of (magnifying?) glass.

It's just not even that great. Definitely not worth waiting a half an hour in line to get a close up look at.

doreenjoy · 08-16-2009, 11:45 PM

See, here's another example of tastes differing. I personally think La Gioconda (aka the Mona Lisa) is a great painting.

b0ned0me · 08-17-2009, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abecedary

I've heard from a number of people that Brown is pretty much an everyman's version of Umberto Eco, so much so that he (as you point out) basically puts out watered down versions of Eco's stories.

Having read both Focault's Pendulum and The Davinci Code, I have to say that rarely have two such different books been written on the same approximate topic. Eco almost made my brain hurt with complexity of his thinking, and I was forced to dive for the dictionary on several occasions to look up words I'd never heard of. It's a challenging book, beautifully realised.

Brown - not so much. I have read all three of his books and couldn't help thinking how much better it would have been if he'd just handed over a plot summary to a ghost writer. Having said all that, even if he's not my cup of tea he's done very well for himself and provided a tremendous number of people with books they've enjoyed reading, which is a job well done. I just wish he'd spend a bit more time getting his details right before unleashing them on the world. And fleshing out his characters. And possibly looking up some synonyms.

As for Rowling, she wrote a bunch of kid's books that were good enough that millions of adults have happily read the whole series. They might be a little formulaic but they seem very competently crafted. How many other books for 10-18 year olds get treated and reviewed as adult fiction?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sassanik

Clive Cussler, sure his books are outrageous and the situations in them are HIGHLY unlikely, yet are enjoyable escapism.

<flinch>
<twitch>
I read Iceberg, Pacific Vortex, Raise the Titanic and Deep Six. That must have been my limit since I've never been able to read more than the blurbs for the later ones without

Ea · 08-17-2009, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zerospinboson

It's amusingly explained in places like this one ;-)

Thanks for the link

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

I think having already read 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail' pretty much ruined 'The Da Vinci Code' for me - it was constant deja vu.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kikar

... Once I started reading it though it felt to me as if Dan Brown had a copy of 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail' beside him as he was writing. ...

It was like this for me, too. The main reason I finished it was to see if it kept being like the 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail' - which it did. What Dan Brown did best IMO, was the action scenes, but the pace overall was far too uneven. Oh, well. It's not like I have to read any other books by Mr. Brown

Penforhire · 08-17-2009, 01:00 PM

I like that comparison to Umberto Eco. I read both authors and while Eco certainly has more depth he is also MUCH more difficult to read. Dan Brown is like a light snack and sometimes that is all I want. I don't want a reading diet composed of only light snacks but they do let my mind decompress between more challenging reads.

As far as the public is concerned, I expect Brown's success comes from pandering to the lowest common denominator. He spoon feeds us the plot, similar to mainstream movies. It won't fly over the heads of the common man. No chance of missing a key observation. His guns are smoking heavily and his guilty hands are painted bright red.

LDBoblo · 08-17-2009, 01:58 PM

Wonder how many people read Dan Brown just to learn about the standards of "good" or "bad" writing, given the amount of critical attention he gets.

I have to admit, I'm tempted to pick it up and go through it just to see what people think of as "bad", though a link posted earlier gave me a few clues.

I mean there are lots of great ways to think of bad writing. It can be obtuse, redundant, repetitive, contrived, verbose, sparse, and a bunch of other adjectives. Sometimes a writer can roll more than one of these into an indigestible literary omelet...I wonder how Mr. Brown fares.

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08-16-2009, 07:35 AM	#32
Abecedary Exwyzeeologist Posts: 535 Karma: 3261 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: :PRS-505::iPod touch:	I think the big difference between Rowling and Brown is that one is writing stories aimed at people with a 5th grade reading level. The other one is writing stories about wizards.

08-16-2009, 07:37 AM	#33
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Dan Brown doesn't write "great literature", but he's not setting out to do so. I've read all his novels, and thoroughly enjoyed them. They are good "escapist" thrillers, not meant to be taken seriously.

08-16-2009, 08:05 AM	#34
weateallthepies Lord of the Pies Posts: 252 Karma: 103458 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle Scribe, Kindle Oasis 3, Kobo Sage, Onyx Boox Leaf 2, iPad Pro	I hate book snobbery, if people are reading anything then I think it's a good thing given all the other things competing for our time. Dan Brown obviously appeals to lots of people so fair play, I hope he continues to get people reading.

08-16-2009, 09:30 AM	#35
Timoleon Time Enough at Last Posts: 387 Karma: 1151316 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: New England Device: iPad 3, iPhone 5, Kindle 3, Fire, Sony PRS-350	"Potboiler", or "Pot Boiler", is the term that came to mind when I started to read Da Vinci Code. It inspired me, though --- writing poorly apparently is no barrier to getting published and making a ton of money. Maybe my pot of gold is out there somewhere?

08-16-2009, 10:10 AM	#37
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	... and it's been great for the tourist industry in Rome. Rome is absolutely full of people offering "Angels and Demons" tours .

08-16-2009, 11:45 PM	#41
doreenjoy 01000100 01001010 Posts: 1,889 Karma: 2400000 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Polyamorous	See, here's another example of tastes differing. I personally think La Gioconda (aka the Mona Lisa) is a great painting.

08-17-2009, 01:00 PM	#44
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	I like that comparison to Umberto Eco. I read both authors and while Eco certainly has more depth he is also MUCH more difficult to read. Dan Brown is like a light snack and sometimes that is all I want. I don't want a reading diet composed of only light snacks but they do let my mind decompress between more challenging reads. As far as the public is concerned, I expect Brown's success comes from pandering to the lowest common denominator. He spoon feeds us the plot, similar to mainstream movies. It won't fly over the heads of the common man. No chance of missing a key observation. His guns are smoking heavily and his guilty hands are painted bright red.

08-17-2009, 01:58 PM	#45
LDBoblo Wizard Posts: 1,385 Karma: 16056 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Asia Device: Kindle 3 WiFi, Sony PRS-505	Wonder how many people read Dan Brown just to learn about the standards of "good" or "bad" writing, given the amount of critical attention he gets. I have to admit, I'm tempted to pick it up and go through it just to see what people think of as "bad", though a link posted earlier gave me a few clues. I mean there are lots of great ways to think of bad writing. It can be obtuse, redundant, repetitive, contrived, verbose, sparse, and a bunch of other adjectives. Sometimes a writer can roll more than one of these into an indigestible literary omelet...I wonder how Mr. Brown fares.

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