I doubt your committment to edginess
Once, long ago, an author released a book unto the world. And this book was considered to be awful by many many many critics, to the point where much parody was made of the author, the book, and the fans. This mockery ramped up when a movie was made, and even more people were introduced to the author. And, of course, all truly "hip" readers turned up their noses, refusing to call that... that... tripe... literature.

I am, of course, talking about Dan Brown.

Over at Literary Tattoos, Loosma writes:

I love Dan Brown, particularly his Robert Langdon series and I have huge respect for him and his research for his new book The Lost Symbol. I'm reading that now and I'm having a hard time putting it down but there are some great quotes in here. I keep wanting to highlight them and come back because sometimes I come across a sentence that hits me hard just because it relates to me in a way. As do everyone when they tattoo a quote or lyric or whatever on their body

Anyway, so really if any readers of those books have gotten a tattoo relating to the plot or through some quote in there? Especially puzzle lovers? lol

Marvel at the pretentiousness, when we're assured that people are basically sheep and only the amazing folks at Literary Tattoos are capable of sorting that a dancing dog isn't that big a deal.

Be assured that a book is no longer any good once it's popular.

Discuss how Brown does research wrong! Have other people insist that Dan Brown actually does lots of research and is very accurate! (I skipped that, because I am an historian who lives with a theologian, so LOL NO)

OMG! Everyone is so meeen! - not from the OP, although she agrees. More MEEEN!

The OP ultimate tacks on her flounce, in bold:

Ok ok! I got the message! Dan Brown sucks, I have horrible literary sense, the oprah book club thing is probably I something should check into, etc etc etc. Anyway, everyone is entitled to their opinion, regardless of how polite or bitchy it was presented but to each their own.

I just want you all to know that I hated Dan Brown before it was "in" to hate Dan Brown. I bet it's now ~edgy~ to be scholar who loves Dan Brown for the plot, and I totes want to be ~edgy~. Dan Brown Forever! Go Robert Langdon!

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queencallipygos
2009-09-21 05:38 am UTC (link)

The two best observations I've heard about Dan Brown are:

a) One thing he does very, very well is write a good plot that makes you curious enough to want to know what happens next. Unfortunately, the language he uses to write ABOUT that plot sucks dingo kidneys. (Personally, that would be enough to put me off, but I am much more persnickety about the quality of the writing than most other people -- to the point that it's almost a fault. So I definitely know that "but that's just me".)

b) An anecdote -- when the Da Vinci Code movie was coming out, some friends tried to round up a bunch of us to all see it together. One of our friends -- a hard-core Jesuit and highly literary type -- insisted that he read the book before we all saw the movie. So he borrowed it from one of our other friends.

Except that after he read it, he returned the book and said, "I don't want to see a movie made out of this crap." And thus he sat our movie night out in protest.

(In Dan Brown's defense -- that friend is even more particular about writing than me.)

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	tez 2009-09-21 06:26 am UTC (link)
	The phrase "sucks dingo kidneys" is genius and I may have to begin employing it in my daily vernacular. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	queencallipygos 2009-09-21 12:39 pm UTC (link)
	It was adapted from Douglas Adams, so credit is due... (Reply to this)(Parent)

annathepiper
2009-09-21 06:32 am UTC (link)

One thing he does very, very well is write a good plot that makes you curious enough to want to know what happens next. Unfortunately, the language he uses to write ABOUT that plot sucks dingo kidneys.

This, in spades. I've read both The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, and I do have to grant that he kept me interested enough in the plot that I did make it to the end of both books. But yeah. His style is... well, the best thing I am able to say about it is that it's very lowest-common-denominator. And I won't be reading The Lost Symbol, because after reading the first two, I'm pretty sure I've already read the third. ;)

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	stella_polaris 2009-09-21 12:54 pm UTC (link)
	Pretty much, yeah. Angels & Demons and TDVC had almost exactly the same plot, anyway. I'm betting The Lost Symbol isn't that different. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	stella_polaris 2009-09-21 12:53 pm UTC (link)
	Wordy McFucking word. And you know what's worse? I can't leave a book unfinished. I read it in one night, not because it was "page-turner", but because I hated the idea of having to go back to it the next day. Why I read Angels & Demons after that, I will never know. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	snarkhunter 2009-09-21 01:53 pm UTC (link)
	Point A is why the movie of TDVC was so disappointing. When I read the book, slogging through the horrifically bad writing, I thought the whole time, "This would make a terrific movie." Pity they fucked it up so badly. It should've been much more National Treasure. That would've been fun. (Reply to this)(Parent)

zyna_kat
2009-09-21 02:09 pm UTC (link)

One thing he does very, very well is write a good plot that makes you curious enough to want to know what happens next.

I had to finish the Da Vinci Code because of this. Was waiting on the edge of my seat to find out what the Grandfather was doing in his ~~underground lair~~ basement that Sophie found so offputting. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by so much of where he went with the plot. With the grandfather in the basement, for example, I expected something on the order of making baby stew, and all I got was that, oh noes, he was having sex with a woman.

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