Let’s break it down:īeat one: A disturbing man breaks into a museum and asks the curator, Saunière, where the holy grail is.īeat two: Saunière lies to him, and the mystery man fatally wounds him.īeat three: In his last moments of life, instead of trying to get help, the curator strips naked and draws a pentagram on his stomach in his own blood. Why is The Da Vinci Code one of the bestselling novels ever written? One reason could be because the inciting incident blends high art, the occult, nudity, and violence. It became a global bestseller, with its success leading to adaptations in film, sparking a renewed interest in art, history, and theology among readers and solidifying Dan Brown's status as a prominent author in the thriller genre. The novel’s plot follows Harvard professor Robert Langdon as he unravels a complex mystery involving the Holy Grail, the Vatican, and a secret society known as the Priory of Sion. The Da Vinci Code, written by Dan Brown and published in 2003, weaves together art, history, and religious conspiracy theories.
