A Study Resources Page For DVC Readers

The DaVinci Code reference I made to there being now ‘a hundred books, documentaries and websites debunking the work’s claims’ has attracted comment. Of course, not all of these explicitly set out to debunk TDVC (many predate it), but none of the works I’ve seen seem to support its claims in any detail, even though their own theories and viewpoints range considerably. For the many whose first point of contact with the ‘holy blood, holy grail’ field and its complex corpus of legends was TDVC, I’ve put together a Resources Page listing nonfiction books and documentaries of interest - totalling a hundred items.

Back On The Trail Of The ‘Holy Legend’

Now interest in The DaVinci Code is dying down, with the film ending its cinema run, and a hundred books, documentaries and websites debunking the work’s claims, it’s time to look beyond the trail it follows. The ‘DaVinci Code Trail’ goes from Paris to London to Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, and has its own tourist packages and ‘set-jetter’ promo literature. (An item I posted in May, ‘Caveat Set-Jetters…’ links to an illustrated locations-trail guide webpage I put together at the time.) This DVC Trail actually ignores both the main places actually associated with the ‘holy blood, holy grail’ legends the work draws on: Rennes-le-Chateau and Glastonbury. While the stories surrounding the former site may be the the result of modern hype and even hoax, Glastonbury’s legends can be traced back to the Middle Ages or even earlier. For those unfamiliar with the Glastonbury mythos, I’ve reproduced an introductory account together with some photos. I wrote it some ten years ago after taking a day-course on Glastonbury at the U. Of Bristol, and just before I myself was asked to take a group there. I’ve since been developing my own theories, but this will serve as an introduction in the meantime: Introduction To The Glastonbury Legend.

The Books Behind The Da Vinci Code

Anyone who has taken the trouble to read the judgement in the recent DVC-HBHG plagiarism-case now going to appeal, as well as Dan Brown’s own lengthy defense statement, will discover an interesting breakdown of Brown’s actual sources in the ‘holy blood, holy grail’ field, as well an outline of his writing approach to adapting the source material into a thriller glossing over a vast thematic territory. That is, part of Brown’s defense was that he didn’t get his ideas from the HBHG but he used research from quite a few other books, which he named, while the judge delivered a slightly different account of what he thought was used when. … [more]