Discussion on Elements of Plot in Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' and Umberto Eco's 'The Name of The Rose'.

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i Maranatha Christian University

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.

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49 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

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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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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2 Maranatha Christian University twentiethcentury, 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.

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3 Maranatha Christian University 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:

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4 Maranatha Christian University 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

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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

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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

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43 Maranatha Christian University 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

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44 Maranatha Christian University 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

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45 Maranatha Christian University 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.

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46 Maranatha Christian University 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

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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.

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48 Maranatha Christian University 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.