Discussion on Elements of Plot in Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' and Umberto Eco's 'The Name of The Rose'.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ i
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the study ............................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem ............................................................................... 3
Purpose of the Study ...................................................................................... 4
Method of Research ....................................................................................... 4
Organization of the Thesis ............................................................................ 4
CHAPTER TWO: DICUSSION ON ELEMENTS OF PLOT
IN DAN BROWN’S THE DA VINCI CODE ............................................. 6
CHAPTER THREE: DICUSSION ON ELEMENTS OF PLOT IN
UMBERTO ECO’S THE NAME OF THE ROSE .................................... 22
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ...................................................................... 42
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................... 47
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Da Vinci Code ..................................................................... 49
Synopsis of The Name of the Rose ................................................................. 50
Biography of Dan Brown ............................................................................... 51
Biography of Umberto Eco ............................................................................ 52
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ABSTRACT
Yang paling utama dari cerita misteri yang penuh ketegangan adalah
bagaimana menimbulkan pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang berhubungan dengan cerita
tersebut dalam diri pembaca. Elemen sastra yang paling cocok untuk menganalisis
jenis cerita seperti ini ialah elemen alur cerita. Di dalam skripsi ini, saya akan
menganalisis elemen alur cerita dari dua karya sastra, The Da Vinci Code,
karangan Dan Brown dan The Name of the Rose, karangan Umberto Eco.
Dari analisis kedua novel di atas, saya menemukan beberapa perbedaan
dan persamaan, yang di antaranya adalah: suspense dan alur cerita kedua novel
berbeda, tetapi keduanya berhasil dalam menyampaikan surprise dan artistic
unity. Kemampuan para penulis dalam memadukan informasi dan seluk-beluk
teka-teki di dalam misteri, patut diberi ancungan jempol, terutama keberhasilan
mereka dalam memadukan ketiga elemen alur cerita di atas sehingga berhasil
menyampaikan dua cerita misteri yang sangat memukau para pembaca, dengan
kelebihan dan kekurangannya masing-masing.
Akhir kata, meskipun kedua novel ini berasal dari dua pengarang yang
berbeda,
keduanya
berhasil
dalam
menyampaikan
kisah
misteri
yang
menegangkan.
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APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF THE DA VINCI CODE
The story starts with the murder of a renowned curator in Paris named Jacques
Saunière. Robert Langdon, a Harvard Professor, is asked to the crime scene to help
crack the message that is left by Saunière. Suddenly, a police cryptographer named
Sophie Neveu, Saunière’s granddaughter, comes and tells Langdon that the police
suspect him as the murderer. She believes that Langdon is innocent and that he may
be able to help her find out the message that her grandfather has left for her.
As they escape from the police, the clue which is left on Da Vinci’s work leads
Langdon and Neveu to a deposit box in the Bank of Zurich. It also reveals that
Saunière is the Grand Master of a secret society named Priory, which hides the fact of
the existence of Jesus Christ’s offspring. There is also information about the keystone
to Holy Grail, of which the whereabouts is only known by 4 of the Priory top
members. The assassin wants the keystone. With the help of Sir Leigh Teabing,
Langdon and Neveu go to London. When Teabing is kidnapped, the police discover
that Langdon is not the assassin, which makes it easier for Langdon and Neveu to
continue their investigation on the cryptex.
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Throughout the ending, it turns out that the mastermind of all the 4 murders is
Teabing. The final message in the cryptex leads them to Rosslyn Chapel, where
Neveu’s long-lost brother and grandmother live. Neveu and her family are Jesus’
offspring. After leaving Neveu with her family, Langdon suddenly realises that the
location of the grail is in Paris, buried in a miniature pyramid below the Louvre
Pyramid.
SYNOPSIS OF THE NAME OF THE ROSE
The story starts with the translation of the manuscript of Adso of Melk. Adso as
a Benedictine novice tells in his manuscript what happens in an Italian Abbey in 14th
century within a week while accompanying his master, Franciscan William of
Baskerville to attend negotiations involving emissaries from the Pope, who is in
heated conflict with the Emperor, and the Franciscan order.
There are more books about Christianity and various rare manuscripts in the
abbey compared to other libraries. On the first day, Abo, the Abbot of the Italian
abbey, asks William to investigate the murder of the assistant librarian, Adelmo. As
William and Adso investigate, they find out that Adelmo has killed himself because
of his guilt. On the second day, Venantius, the translator is also killed, followed by
the death of Berengar, the last assistant of librarian, and both die because of poison.
The more they investigate, the more hidden secrets are revealed concerning the
hypocrisy of the monks of this abbey. The fourth to die is the herbalist, Severenus,
who finds the book which seems to be the motive of all these murders.
50
Before William gets the book, Malachi, the librarian, takes it and he is next to
be murdered. Later, the mastermind of all these murders, the elder blind monk, Jorge,
kills the abbot, the last one to know the secret inside the book he wants to hide. To
hide the secret, Jorge eats the pages of this book, which have been smeared with
poison by Jorge. Jorge dies and the fire from the broken lamp spreads and burns the
library and abbey. Including Jorge, there have been 7 deaths in this abbey. Adso parts
from his master and a few years later he comes back to the Abbey and finds some
books that are not burnt by the fire and he brings them alone back to Melk.
BIOGRAPHY OF DAN BROWN
Dan Brown, the novelist of the bestseller novel The Da Vinci Code, was born in
Exeter, New Hampshire on June 22, 1964. Brown is the eldest of three children in his
family. His father is a mathematician who has received a Presidential Award winning
math granted by President George H. W. Bush while his mother is a professional
musician in performing sacred music.
Brown graduated from Amherst College with a degree in English and Spanish
in 1982. Later, he met his wife, Blythe, who is twelve years older than he is at Los
Angeles. She helped him in his musical career there. A few years later, Brown,
accompanied by Blythe, moved back to New Hampshire and married her in 1997.
A year after his marriage, he published his first thriller, Digital Fortress. Until
2009, he has written 2 humor books (co-written with his wife) and 5 thriller fictions
and two of them with the same protagonist: Robert Langdon. These two fictions have
51
been made into movies with the same title as the novels, The Da Vinci Code and
Angels and Demons.
Brown’s career revolved around teaching and music but finally he became a
full-time writer in 1996. His fourth novel, The Da Vinci Code has become the number
1 in New York bestseller list and later on also made a breakthrough for the selling of
his three earliest novels, Digital Fortress (1997), Angels and Demons (2000), and
Deception Point (2001). His novels have been translated into more than 40 different
languages. Brown now lives with his wife in New Hampshire.
(“Dan Brown Biography and Notes”, “Dan Brown – Biography”)
BIOGRAPHY OF UMBERTO ECO
Umberto Eco was born in Alessandria, Italy on January 5, 1932. His father,
Giulio Eco wanted him to study law, but instead, he dropped out and studied
medieval philosophy and literature in the University of Turin. After receiving his
doctorate of philosophy in 1954, he worked as editor for Cultural Programs at Italian
state-owned television network, RAI.
Eco’s first non-fictional book, which was the extension of his thesis Il problema
estetico in San Tommaso, was published in 1954 and he also started lecturing in the
University of Turin. His second work was published in 1959 at the same time as his
losing job at RAI. In the same year, he became the nonfiction senior editor of Casa
Editrice Bompiani, Milan, until 1975.
Il Nome Della Rosa or, in English, The Name of the Rose, is his first novel,
which was published in 1980 and put his name on the map of academia. The success
52
of this novel has caused the novel itself to be made into a movie in 1986. More than
80 of his works have been published, including his novels and academic writings.
His marriage with his wife Renate has given him a son and a daughter. He has
received Doctor Honoris Causa from more than 20 universities in Europe and
America. He also writes a weekly column for L’Espresso called “La bustina di
Minerva” and is now a professor at the University of Bologna. He is enjoying his life
between staying at his summer home in the hills near Remini and a residence in
Milan.
(Ruch, Liukkonen and Pesonen)
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Detective stories were popularized at the end of the nineteenth century by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle through his detective character, Sherlock Holmes, and at
the beginning of the twentieth century by Agatha Christie through her detective
characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple (Thornley and Roberts 156).
Nowadays, besides detective stories, there are many other genres popping up, but
still, the popularity of detective novels never withers. There are two contemporary
detective novels that I would like to analyse in this thesis, namely Dan Brown‟s
The Da Vinci Code and Umberto Eco‟s The Name of the Rose.
The Da Vinci Code is considered to be a controversial novel because it “not
only misrepresents the Church as a murderous institution but also implies that the
Christian faith itself is utterly false.” (“Cracking The Da Vinci Code”). The
novelist himself, Dan Brown, an American thriller fiction novelist of the late
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twentieth century, claims that he is a Christian; but he also states that “the more he
learns, the more questions he has” and that he only gives the information that has
been rumoured through centuries. (“Interview with Dan Brown on The Da Vinci
Code”) By combining facts and thriller mystery, Brown has created a way to
make his novel seem vivid so that when readers read it, they can feel that they are
watching a movie.
Brown keeps a fast pace in this novel by intriguing suspense throughout
the story followed by several surprises which make the readers unable to stop
reading it. What really builds the suspense is how the major characters have to run
away from the police‟s chase while trying to solve the mystery. Its exciting
elements of plot combined with the historical facts, which are unknown to
common people, make the readers unable to turn their eyes from the pages.
Despite the fact that the mastermind of all the murders is rather easy to guess, the
ending is amusing and very surprising. It is worth reading and analyzing.
Another novel which is worth reading and creates more or less the same
quality of suspense and surprise as The Da Vinci Code is Umberto Eco‟s The
Name of the Rose. The Name of the Rose is also a detective novel, which is set in
an abbey in Italy. The story revolves around the monks in the abbey and the dark
side inside them, such as their sexual activities, which is similar to The Da Vinci
Code. The Name of the Rose makes the readers question the oath of celibacy from
these holy men and put the idea that these men are merely ordinary men.
Umberto Eco is an Italian novelist of the late twentieth century as well as a
semiotic professor, which “reflects his many intellectual interests and wideranging knowledge of philosophy, literature, medieval history, religion, and
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politics (Gale). His novel, The Name of the Rose, deals with historical events as
well as philosophical knowledge, which somewhat different from the normal kind
of detective novels. The mystery behind the killings as well as the dark side of the
holy people in the abbey is very surprising. Eco has succeeded in creating a fine
artistic unity in this detective novel with the logical explanation of the events
happening in this novel.
I choose to analyse elements of plot in The Da Vinci Code and The Name
of the Rose because both novels are about murders that include the thrill of
chasing the suspects and finding the motives of the killers. The elements of plot
will help the readers to find the rationality behind the reciprocal relationship in
the suspense and surprise found in both novels.
According to the book Story and Structure by Laurence Perrine, the
elements of plot consist of suspense, surprise and artistic unity. Suspense is the
element of plot which makes the readers ask „what will happen after this or what
will this character do?‟ and questioning the events which raise their curiosity and
anxiety. Moreover, surprise happens when the event in the story ends differently
from the readers‟ expectation. Then, there is artistic unity which is “essential to a
good plot; nothing irrelevant that does not contribute to the total meaning; nothing
that is there only for its own sake or its own excitement.” (Reuben)
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problems I am going to analyse in this thesis are:
1. Which parts of the story act as suspense in the novels?
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2. Which parts of the story act as surprise in the novels?
3. How do the suspense and surprise create artistic unity in the novels?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Based on the problems above, the purposes of the study are:
1. To identify the events that act as suspense in the novels.
2. To identify the events that act as surprise in the novels.
3. To show how the suspense and surprise create artistic unity in the novels.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
I use library research for my thesis, first by reading The Da Vinci Code
and The Name of the Rose as the primary texts. Second, I also read a couple of
books and compile some data from the Internet so as to support my analysis of
suspense, surprise, and artistic unity of the novels. Finally, I draw some
concluding points from my analysis.
ORGANIZATION OF THESIS
This thesis consists of four chapters, preceded by the Table of Contents,
and the Abstract. The first chapter is the Introduction, which consists of the
Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study,
the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis. The second chapter
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is the analysis of the elements of plot in Dan Brown‟s The Da Vinci Code. The
third chapter is the analysis of the elements of plot in Umberto Eco‟s The Name of
The Rose. The fourth chapter is the Conclusion, followed by the Bibliography and
Appendices, which contain the synopses of the novels and the biographies of the
authors.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the elements of plot, I find some similarities and
differences in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Umberto Eco’s The Name of
the Rose, in terms of how the novelists express the elements of plot in their
novels.
First of all, there are two similarities that I find between the two novels,
which are based on surprise and artistic unity. Based on the element of surprise,
both novels have succeeded in surprising the readers every step in the way until
the end of the story. This element supports the suspense in both novels and makes
the readers intrigued by several unpredicted outcomes, which are beyond their
expectations. As a thriller novel, The Da Vinci Code has put some intense events:
when the main characters are driven into the corner, they are usually being saved
by their intelligence. Their actions are out of the box; thus, the readers are being
impressed by the shocking revelations. In the end, the most surprising event is the
disclosure of Sauniere’s true secret about Sophie’s last living relatives and the true
location of the Holy Grail. This proves that certain information, especially
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extraordinary one can make the surprise more shocking to the readers’ mind.
Besides, as a detective novel, The Name of the Rose’s element of surprise
manages to shock the readers by something that is not a cliché. Most of the
surprises manage to pull a reaction ‘Oh, that’s how he did it’ or ‘I thought he…’
from the readers. Due to the many possible suspects, the readers’ inquisitiveness
is being put to a test and when it fails, they will find many surprises. Finally, the
most surprising revelation is the reason behind Jorge, the murderer’s motive. The
element of surprise works well in both novels, thus making sense with its
relationship to the element of suspense.
In terms of artistic unity, each of these two novels has good balance in the
relevancy between its suspenses and surprises, which creates good artistic unity.
In The Da Vinci Code, the example can be seen through the connection between
Sauniere’s secret and Langdon’s involvement in the search of the Holy Grail. The
readers do not know the reason behind Sauniere’s last message, that he wants his
granddaughter, Neveu to find Langdon, until they find out that Sauniere’s secret
seems to have a connection to Langdon’s expertise. Surprisingly, with Neveu’s
skill in puzzles and Langdon’s knowledge in the Holy Grail, they succeed in
cracking the codes and find the Holy Grail and Sophie’s last relatives. And, in The
Name of the Rose, the example can be seen through the connection between all the
murdered monks and the Library. At first, the readers are curious to know why
someone would want to kill a monk and later the mystery begins to escalate as
soon as the readers learn about facts and testimonies along with the following
murders involving a certain book in the Library. The readers are questioning
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about the identity of this book, which makes the killer kill so many monks in
order to hide it. However, when the mystery is solved and the murderer is caught,
the readers are surprised to find out the murderer’s obsession to hide this book,
which can destroy people’s belief in God.
From my analysis, the artistic unity is the best element among three
elements of plot because the readers’ questions are all being answered reasonably
by facts and logic, which makes both novels appear realistic and interesting.
However, the suspense that builds the readers’ inquisitiveness and the surprise
that helps in exhilarating the latter’s joy in reading them are also very important
because they are the basic elements that make these novels pleasant to read.
Based on my analysis, I find two differences between Dan Brown’s The
Da Vinci Code and Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. According to my
analysis, in terms of suspense, in The Da Vinci Code, the suspenses keep on
increasing the readers’ curiosity in each of its appearance, while in The Name of
the Rose’s, the suspenses are being interupted by some new discussions after each
of its appearance, which lessens the readers’ curiosity. Therefore, the suspense in
The Da Vinci Code is more effective than in The Name of the Rose, because in the
latter novel, the readers’ precision is being challenged.
Another difference is in the order of the suspense and surprise. In The Da
Vinci Code, Brown arranges the suspenses and surprises in a straight order side by
side, aiming at the plausibility and finally giving the readers enjoyment of the
three elements of plot with ease. Whereas In The Name of the Rose, Eco uses an
unusual order of suspense and surprise, for example the fifth suspense that I find
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is connected to the third surprise. This method keeps the readers’ curiosity built in
a way that they want to read until the end. Both the authors use different method
in arranging their elements of plot; yet, they succeed in keeping the readers’
enthusiasm about the mysteries and investigations. The suspenses keep on
building the readers’ curiosity higher and higher and together with surprises that
are amazingly unexpected, so that they make the readers unable to stop reading it
until the end. The elements of plot work well in both the novels, which makes the
readers easily comprehend the investigation throughout both mystery novels.
In my opinion both the novels are good in their own way in terms of their
plot and mystery. In terms of plot, The Da Vinci Code uses a traditional structure
of plot, focusing on the mystery of finding the Holy Grail. Brown’s plot never
curves from the lane of the Holy Grail, which makes it easier for the readers to
follow the story, especially for beginners in reading detective novels. On the other
hand, The Name of the Rose uses an unusual structure, which mixes the mystery
with new information, such as philosophy and history that has nothing to do with
the mystery; hence, it is hard to follow the story when the readers lose their focus
on the mystery. In terms of mystery, The Name of the Rose gives more thrilling
intense feeling to the readers and more mysteries to solve because of the many
suspects and facts revealed during the investigation along with some of its
surprises that come late (not right after its suspense) to keep the readers asking
about the answer to the suspenses, whereas The Da Vinci Code’s mystery is a
thrilling kind of mystery in which the surprises come right after the suspense;
therefore, the mystery flows rather flatly.
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Based on the reasons above, I can conclude that it is clear that both
novelists have managed to bring the curiosity and enjoyment of entertaining and
worth-reading detective thriller novels to the readers, in their own ways.
Therefore, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Umberto Eco’s The Name of the
Rose unquestionably are great mystery novels, which succeed in lighting the fire
of curiosity in the readers’ mind until many speculations appear in their head
about what will happen next and then surprise them with new unanticipated
outcome, along with the artistic unity as the tool of plausibility.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New York City: Doubleday, a division of
Random House, Inc., 2004. Print.
Eco, Umberto, and William Weaver, trans. The Name of The Rose. Florida:
Harcourt, Inc., 1983. Print.
References:
“Cracking The Da Vinci Code.” Catholic Answers, 2004. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
“Dan Brown – Biography.” Age-of-the-sage.org: Transmitting the Wisdoms of
The Ages, 2002. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
“Dan Brown Biography and Notes.” Biblio.com, 2000-2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
Gale, Thomson. “Encyclopedia of World Biography on Umberto Eco.” BookRags,
2005-2006. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
“Interview with Dan Brown on The Da Vinci Code.” Beliefnet, n.d. Web. 19 Aug.
2011.
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Liukkonen, Petri and Ari Pesonen. “Umberto Eco (1932-) - Pseudonym: Dedalus.”
Books and Writers, 2008. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. 4th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jonanovich, Inc., 1974. Print.
Reuben, Paul P. “PAL: Appendix G: Elements of Fiction.” PAL: Perspectives in
American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide – An Ongoing
Project, 2011. Web. 29 Dec. 2011.
Ruch, Allen B. “A Short Biography of Umberto Eco.” The Modern World, 2004.
Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
Thornley, G.C. and Gwyneth Roberts. An Outline of English Literature. New ed.
Hong Kong: Longman Group Ltd, 1984. Print.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ i
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the study ............................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem ............................................................................... 3
Purpose of the Study ...................................................................................... 4
Method of Research ....................................................................................... 4
Organization of the Thesis ............................................................................ 4
CHAPTER TWO: DICUSSION ON ELEMENTS OF PLOT
IN DAN BROWN’S THE DA VINCI CODE ............................................. 6
CHAPTER THREE: DICUSSION ON ELEMENTS OF PLOT IN
UMBERTO ECO’S THE NAME OF THE ROSE .................................... 22
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION ...................................................................... 42
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................... 47
APPENDICES
Synopsis of The Da Vinci Code ..................................................................... 49
Synopsis of The Name of the Rose ................................................................. 50
Biography of Dan Brown ............................................................................... 51
Biography of Umberto Eco ............................................................................ 52
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ABSTRACT
Yang paling utama dari cerita misteri yang penuh ketegangan adalah
bagaimana menimbulkan pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang berhubungan dengan cerita
tersebut dalam diri pembaca. Elemen sastra yang paling cocok untuk menganalisis
jenis cerita seperti ini ialah elemen alur cerita. Di dalam skripsi ini, saya akan
menganalisis elemen alur cerita dari dua karya sastra, The Da Vinci Code,
karangan Dan Brown dan The Name of the Rose, karangan Umberto Eco.
Dari analisis kedua novel di atas, saya menemukan beberapa perbedaan
dan persamaan, yang di antaranya adalah: suspense dan alur cerita kedua novel
berbeda, tetapi keduanya berhasil dalam menyampaikan surprise dan artistic
unity. Kemampuan para penulis dalam memadukan informasi dan seluk-beluk
teka-teki di dalam misteri, patut diberi ancungan jempol, terutama keberhasilan
mereka dalam memadukan ketiga elemen alur cerita di atas sehingga berhasil
menyampaikan dua cerita misteri yang sangat memukau para pembaca, dengan
kelebihan dan kekurangannya masing-masing.
Akhir kata, meskipun kedua novel ini berasal dari dua pengarang yang
berbeda,
keduanya
berhasil
dalam
menyampaikan
kisah
misteri
yang
menegangkan.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
APPENDICES
SYNOPSIS OF THE DA VINCI CODE
The story starts with the murder of a renowned curator in Paris named Jacques
Saunière. Robert Langdon, a Harvard Professor, is asked to the crime scene to help
crack the message that is left by Saunière. Suddenly, a police cryptographer named
Sophie Neveu, Saunière’s granddaughter, comes and tells Langdon that the police
suspect him as the murderer. She believes that Langdon is innocent and that he may
be able to help her find out the message that her grandfather has left for her.
As they escape from the police, the clue which is left on Da Vinci’s work leads
Langdon and Neveu to a deposit box in the Bank of Zurich. It also reveals that
Saunière is the Grand Master of a secret society named Priory, which hides the fact of
the existence of Jesus Christ’s offspring. There is also information about the keystone
to Holy Grail, of which the whereabouts is only known by 4 of the Priory top
members. The assassin wants the keystone. With the help of Sir Leigh Teabing,
Langdon and Neveu go to London. When Teabing is kidnapped, the police discover
that Langdon is not the assassin, which makes it easier for Langdon and Neveu to
continue their investigation on the cryptex.
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Throughout the ending, it turns out that the mastermind of all the 4 murders is
Teabing. The final message in the cryptex leads them to Rosslyn Chapel, where
Neveu’s long-lost brother and grandmother live. Neveu and her family are Jesus’
offspring. After leaving Neveu with her family, Langdon suddenly realises that the
location of the grail is in Paris, buried in a miniature pyramid below the Louvre
Pyramid.
SYNOPSIS OF THE NAME OF THE ROSE
The story starts with the translation of the manuscript of Adso of Melk. Adso as
a Benedictine novice tells in his manuscript what happens in an Italian Abbey in 14th
century within a week while accompanying his master, Franciscan William of
Baskerville to attend negotiations involving emissaries from the Pope, who is in
heated conflict with the Emperor, and the Franciscan order.
There are more books about Christianity and various rare manuscripts in the
abbey compared to other libraries. On the first day, Abo, the Abbot of the Italian
abbey, asks William to investigate the murder of the assistant librarian, Adelmo. As
William and Adso investigate, they find out that Adelmo has killed himself because
of his guilt. On the second day, Venantius, the translator is also killed, followed by
the death of Berengar, the last assistant of librarian, and both die because of poison.
The more they investigate, the more hidden secrets are revealed concerning the
hypocrisy of the monks of this abbey. The fourth to die is the herbalist, Severenus,
who finds the book which seems to be the motive of all these murders.
50
Before William gets the book, Malachi, the librarian, takes it and he is next to
be murdered. Later, the mastermind of all these murders, the elder blind monk, Jorge,
kills the abbot, the last one to know the secret inside the book he wants to hide. To
hide the secret, Jorge eats the pages of this book, which have been smeared with
poison by Jorge. Jorge dies and the fire from the broken lamp spreads and burns the
library and abbey. Including Jorge, there have been 7 deaths in this abbey. Adso parts
from his master and a few years later he comes back to the Abbey and finds some
books that are not burnt by the fire and he brings them alone back to Melk.
BIOGRAPHY OF DAN BROWN
Dan Brown, the novelist of the bestseller novel The Da Vinci Code, was born in
Exeter, New Hampshire on June 22, 1964. Brown is the eldest of three children in his
family. His father is a mathematician who has received a Presidential Award winning
math granted by President George H. W. Bush while his mother is a professional
musician in performing sacred music.
Brown graduated from Amherst College with a degree in English and Spanish
in 1982. Later, he met his wife, Blythe, who is twelve years older than he is at Los
Angeles. She helped him in his musical career there. A few years later, Brown,
accompanied by Blythe, moved back to New Hampshire and married her in 1997.
A year after his marriage, he published his first thriller, Digital Fortress. Until
2009, he has written 2 humor books (co-written with his wife) and 5 thriller fictions
and two of them with the same protagonist: Robert Langdon. These two fictions have
51
been made into movies with the same title as the novels, The Da Vinci Code and
Angels and Demons.
Brown’s career revolved around teaching and music but finally he became a
full-time writer in 1996. His fourth novel, The Da Vinci Code has become the number
1 in New York bestseller list and later on also made a breakthrough for the selling of
his three earliest novels, Digital Fortress (1997), Angels and Demons (2000), and
Deception Point (2001). His novels have been translated into more than 40 different
languages. Brown now lives with his wife in New Hampshire.
(“Dan Brown Biography and Notes”, “Dan Brown – Biography”)
BIOGRAPHY OF UMBERTO ECO
Umberto Eco was born in Alessandria, Italy on January 5, 1932. His father,
Giulio Eco wanted him to study law, but instead, he dropped out and studied
medieval philosophy and literature in the University of Turin. After receiving his
doctorate of philosophy in 1954, he worked as editor for Cultural Programs at Italian
state-owned television network, RAI.
Eco’s first non-fictional book, which was the extension of his thesis Il problema
estetico in San Tommaso, was published in 1954 and he also started lecturing in the
University of Turin. His second work was published in 1959 at the same time as his
losing job at RAI. In the same year, he became the nonfiction senior editor of Casa
Editrice Bompiani, Milan, until 1975.
Il Nome Della Rosa or, in English, The Name of the Rose, is his first novel,
which was published in 1980 and put his name on the map of academia. The success
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of this novel has caused the novel itself to be made into a movie in 1986. More than
80 of his works have been published, including his novels and academic writings.
His marriage with his wife Renate has given him a son and a daughter. He has
received Doctor Honoris Causa from more than 20 universities in Europe and
America. He also writes a weekly column for L’Espresso called “La bustina di
Minerva” and is now a professor at the University of Bologna. He is enjoying his life
between staying at his summer home in the hills near Remini and a residence in
Milan.
(Ruch, Liukkonen and Pesonen)
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Detective stories were popularized at the end of the nineteenth century by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle through his detective character, Sherlock Holmes, and at
the beginning of the twentieth century by Agatha Christie through her detective
characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple (Thornley and Roberts 156).
Nowadays, besides detective stories, there are many other genres popping up, but
still, the popularity of detective novels never withers. There are two contemporary
detective novels that I would like to analyse in this thesis, namely Dan Brown‟s
The Da Vinci Code and Umberto Eco‟s The Name of the Rose.
The Da Vinci Code is considered to be a controversial novel because it “not
only misrepresents the Church as a murderous institution but also implies that the
Christian faith itself is utterly false.” (“Cracking The Da Vinci Code”). The
novelist himself, Dan Brown, an American thriller fiction novelist of the late
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twentieth century, claims that he is a Christian; but he also states that “the more he
learns, the more questions he has” and that he only gives the information that has
been rumoured through centuries. (“Interview with Dan Brown on The Da Vinci
Code”) By combining facts and thriller mystery, Brown has created a way to
make his novel seem vivid so that when readers read it, they can feel that they are
watching a movie.
Brown keeps a fast pace in this novel by intriguing suspense throughout
the story followed by several surprises which make the readers unable to stop
reading it. What really builds the suspense is how the major characters have to run
away from the police‟s chase while trying to solve the mystery. Its exciting
elements of plot combined with the historical facts, which are unknown to
common people, make the readers unable to turn their eyes from the pages.
Despite the fact that the mastermind of all the murders is rather easy to guess, the
ending is amusing and very surprising. It is worth reading and analyzing.
Another novel which is worth reading and creates more or less the same
quality of suspense and surprise as The Da Vinci Code is Umberto Eco‟s The
Name of the Rose. The Name of the Rose is also a detective novel, which is set in
an abbey in Italy. The story revolves around the monks in the abbey and the dark
side inside them, such as their sexual activities, which is similar to The Da Vinci
Code. The Name of the Rose makes the readers question the oath of celibacy from
these holy men and put the idea that these men are merely ordinary men.
Umberto Eco is an Italian novelist of the late twentieth century as well as a
semiotic professor, which “reflects his many intellectual interests and wideranging knowledge of philosophy, literature, medieval history, religion, and
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politics (Gale). His novel, The Name of the Rose, deals with historical events as
well as philosophical knowledge, which somewhat different from the normal kind
of detective novels. The mystery behind the killings as well as the dark side of the
holy people in the abbey is very surprising. Eco has succeeded in creating a fine
artistic unity in this detective novel with the logical explanation of the events
happening in this novel.
I choose to analyse elements of plot in The Da Vinci Code and The Name
of the Rose because both novels are about murders that include the thrill of
chasing the suspects and finding the motives of the killers. The elements of plot
will help the readers to find the rationality behind the reciprocal relationship in
the suspense and surprise found in both novels.
According to the book Story and Structure by Laurence Perrine, the
elements of plot consist of suspense, surprise and artistic unity. Suspense is the
element of plot which makes the readers ask „what will happen after this or what
will this character do?‟ and questioning the events which raise their curiosity and
anxiety. Moreover, surprise happens when the event in the story ends differently
from the readers‟ expectation. Then, there is artistic unity which is “essential to a
good plot; nothing irrelevant that does not contribute to the total meaning; nothing
that is there only for its own sake or its own excitement.” (Reuben)
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The problems I am going to analyse in this thesis are:
1. Which parts of the story act as suspense in the novels?
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2. Which parts of the story act as surprise in the novels?
3. How do the suspense and surprise create artistic unity in the novels?
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Based on the problems above, the purposes of the study are:
1. To identify the events that act as suspense in the novels.
2. To identify the events that act as surprise in the novels.
3. To show how the suspense and surprise create artistic unity in the novels.
METHOD OF RESEARCH
I use library research for my thesis, first by reading The Da Vinci Code
and The Name of the Rose as the primary texts. Second, I also read a couple of
books and compile some data from the Internet so as to support my analysis of
suspense, surprise, and artistic unity of the novels. Finally, I draw some
concluding points from my analysis.
ORGANIZATION OF THESIS
This thesis consists of four chapters, preceded by the Table of Contents,
and the Abstract. The first chapter is the Introduction, which consists of the
Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study,
the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis. The second chapter
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is the analysis of the elements of plot in Dan Brown‟s The Da Vinci Code. The
third chapter is the analysis of the elements of plot in Umberto Eco‟s The Name of
The Rose. The fourth chapter is the Conclusion, followed by the Bibliography and
Appendices, which contain the synopses of the novels and the biographies of the
authors.
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CHAPTER FOUR
CONCLUSION
After analyzing the elements of plot, I find some similarities and
differences in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Umberto Eco’s The Name of
the Rose, in terms of how the novelists express the elements of plot in their
novels.
First of all, there are two similarities that I find between the two novels,
which are based on surprise and artistic unity. Based on the element of surprise,
both novels have succeeded in surprising the readers every step in the way until
the end of the story. This element supports the suspense in both novels and makes
the readers intrigued by several unpredicted outcomes, which are beyond their
expectations. As a thriller novel, The Da Vinci Code has put some intense events:
when the main characters are driven into the corner, they are usually being saved
by their intelligence. Their actions are out of the box; thus, the readers are being
impressed by the shocking revelations. In the end, the most surprising event is the
disclosure of Sauniere’s true secret about Sophie’s last living relatives and the true
location of the Holy Grail. This proves that certain information, especially
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extraordinary one can make the surprise more shocking to the readers’ mind.
Besides, as a detective novel, The Name of the Rose’s element of surprise
manages to shock the readers by something that is not a cliché. Most of the
surprises manage to pull a reaction ‘Oh, that’s how he did it’ or ‘I thought he…’
from the readers. Due to the many possible suspects, the readers’ inquisitiveness
is being put to a test and when it fails, they will find many surprises. Finally, the
most surprising revelation is the reason behind Jorge, the murderer’s motive. The
element of surprise works well in both novels, thus making sense with its
relationship to the element of suspense.
In terms of artistic unity, each of these two novels has good balance in the
relevancy between its suspenses and surprises, which creates good artistic unity.
In The Da Vinci Code, the example can be seen through the connection between
Sauniere’s secret and Langdon’s involvement in the search of the Holy Grail. The
readers do not know the reason behind Sauniere’s last message, that he wants his
granddaughter, Neveu to find Langdon, until they find out that Sauniere’s secret
seems to have a connection to Langdon’s expertise. Surprisingly, with Neveu’s
skill in puzzles and Langdon’s knowledge in the Holy Grail, they succeed in
cracking the codes and find the Holy Grail and Sophie’s last relatives. And, in The
Name of the Rose, the example can be seen through the connection between all the
murdered monks and the Library. At first, the readers are curious to know why
someone would want to kill a monk and later the mystery begins to escalate as
soon as the readers learn about facts and testimonies along with the following
murders involving a certain book in the Library. The readers are questioning
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about the identity of this book, which makes the killer kill so many monks in
order to hide it. However, when the mystery is solved and the murderer is caught,
the readers are surprised to find out the murderer’s obsession to hide this book,
which can destroy people’s belief in God.
From my analysis, the artistic unity is the best element among three
elements of plot because the readers’ questions are all being answered reasonably
by facts and logic, which makes both novels appear realistic and interesting.
However, the suspense that builds the readers’ inquisitiveness and the surprise
that helps in exhilarating the latter’s joy in reading them are also very important
because they are the basic elements that make these novels pleasant to read.
Based on my analysis, I find two differences between Dan Brown’s The
Da Vinci Code and Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. According to my
analysis, in terms of suspense, in The Da Vinci Code, the suspenses keep on
increasing the readers’ curiosity in each of its appearance, while in The Name of
the Rose’s, the suspenses are being interupted by some new discussions after each
of its appearance, which lessens the readers’ curiosity. Therefore, the suspense in
The Da Vinci Code is more effective than in The Name of the Rose, because in the
latter novel, the readers’ precision is being challenged.
Another difference is in the order of the suspense and surprise. In The Da
Vinci Code, Brown arranges the suspenses and surprises in a straight order side by
side, aiming at the plausibility and finally giving the readers enjoyment of the
three elements of plot with ease. Whereas In The Name of the Rose, Eco uses an
unusual order of suspense and surprise, for example the fifth suspense that I find
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is connected to the third surprise. This method keeps the readers’ curiosity built in
a way that they want to read until the end. Both the authors use different method
in arranging their elements of plot; yet, they succeed in keeping the readers’
enthusiasm about the mysteries and investigations. The suspenses keep on
building the readers’ curiosity higher and higher and together with surprises that
are amazingly unexpected, so that they make the readers unable to stop reading it
until the end. The elements of plot work well in both the novels, which makes the
readers easily comprehend the investigation throughout both mystery novels.
In my opinion both the novels are good in their own way in terms of their
plot and mystery. In terms of plot, The Da Vinci Code uses a traditional structure
of plot, focusing on the mystery of finding the Holy Grail. Brown’s plot never
curves from the lane of the Holy Grail, which makes it easier for the readers to
follow the story, especially for beginners in reading detective novels. On the other
hand, The Name of the Rose uses an unusual structure, which mixes the mystery
with new information, such as philosophy and history that has nothing to do with
the mystery; hence, it is hard to follow the story when the readers lose their focus
on the mystery. In terms of mystery, The Name of the Rose gives more thrilling
intense feeling to the readers and more mysteries to solve because of the many
suspects and facts revealed during the investigation along with some of its
surprises that come late (not right after its suspense) to keep the readers asking
about the answer to the suspenses, whereas The Da Vinci Code’s mystery is a
thrilling kind of mystery in which the surprises come right after the suspense;
therefore, the mystery flows rather flatly.
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Based on the reasons above, I can conclude that it is clear that both
novelists have managed to bring the curiosity and enjoyment of entertaining and
worth-reading detective thriller novels to the readers, in their own ways.
Therefore, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Umberto Eco’s The Name of the
Rose unquestionably are great mystery novels, which succeed in lighting the fire
of curiosity in the readers’ mind until many speculations appear in their head
about what will happen next and then surprise them with new unanticipated
outcome, along with the artistic unity as the tool of plausibility.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts:
Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New York City: Doubleday, a division of
Random House, Inc., 2004. Print.
Eco, Umberto, and William Weaver, trans. The Name of The Rose. Florida:
Harcourt, Inc., 1983. Print.
References:
“Cracking The Da Vinci Code.” Catholic Answers, 2004. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
“Dan Brown – Biography.” Age-of-the-sage.org: Transmitting the Wisdoms of
The Ages, 2002. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
“Dan Brown Biography and Notes.” Biblio.com, 2000-2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
Gale, Thomson. “Encyclopedia of World Biography on Umberto Eco.” BookRags,
2005-2006. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
“Interview with Dan Brown on The Da Vinci Code.” Beliefnet, n.d. Web. 19 Aug.
2011.
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Liukkonen, Petri and Ari Pesonen. “Umberto Eco (1932-) - Pseudonym: Dedalus.”
Books and Writers, 2008. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
Perrine, Laurence. Story and Structure. 4th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace
Jonanovich, Inc., 1974. Print.
Reuben, Paul P. “PAL: Appendix G: Elements of Fiction.” PAL: Perspectives in
American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide – An Ongoing
Project, 2011. Web. 29 Dec. 2011.
Ruch, Allen B. “A Short Biography of Umberto Eco.” The Modern World, 2004.
Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
Thornley, G.C. and Gwyneth Roberts. An Outline of English Literature. New ed.
Hong Kong: Longman Group Ltd, 1984. Print.
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