Following the paper trail

(incomplete so far)

In my studies of literature and film, several examples create a particular bond with the reader, closing the gap between sign -- the written word -- and syntax -- the meaning the reader carries away upon observing the sign.

Long ago I was confronted with this particular genre of linear narrative when observing not only the game of Clue, in which the players watch a dramatization of events while trying to solve the murder, but also the movie Clue and the related who-dunnit murder mysteries in film and text.

Novels and films and poems (even Web sites) that encourage more interaction than just simply comprehending the text from the reader (or audience) fascinate me. Nabokov's Pale Fire leads the reader on a chase of clues to solve the novel's mystery. Bouncing between sections one must also consider several other books by Nabokov and also particular biographies in which clues may be hidden.

Pale Fire is one such text, sending the reader on an expansive paper trail through the narrative and searching other reference materials in an effort to unlock the true meaning of Pale Fire. Word games and uncovered clues lead the reader through a labyrinthian narrative, playing (preying?) on the reader-response psychology. This brings me to my point.

Dan Brown's critically (and popularly) acclaimed novel The Da Vinci Code gained a great success through his controversial uses of Christian history intertwined with pseudo-art history and a deftly delivered iconography and symbolism. The quick pace of the book makes it easy to read (again preying on the psychology of the reader as the shorter the chapters are the more the reader feels they have accomplished. Not unlike tales of Sherlock Holmes, Brown's protagonist Robert Langdon must solve riddles and follow clues in the effort to locate history's greatest treasure, the Holy Grail.

While I may not necessarily agree with Brown's style or thematic points, I do enjoy the way he encourages readers to interact with the text via several word puzzles and written cues to begin exploring elsewhere.

Anyone that hasn't read the novel should pick up a secondary reference in art history or even the cheap Barnes & Nobel books on Da Vinci or other painters for relatively cheap. The reader can double check famous paintings and referenced landmarks with relative ease, and also better check Brown's accuracy -- because as a former literature student and writer myself, I can offer this one piece of advice: Never trust a narrator, author, printed word, your mother, etc. Granted double-checking every reference book may not provide you with the truth, but you will become better knowledgeable in a given circle.

The film version of Brown's novel is scheduled for release May 19, 2006, and as a film fanatic I can only say the film will be a large disappointment for many fans of the book. The translation from text to screen is a difficult process to follow, and few books have made a better transition. Unless the filmmakers can recreate that same intertextuality made popular within the novel, the audience will leave the theaters mostly unfulfilled.

The film's saving grace may be the release on DVD in which the viewer is heavily encouraged to interact with the film, i.e. the releases of Christopher Nolan's Memento, in which the viewer can navigate various channels of the film to unlock the mystery Leonard is trying to solve.

Such a feat will be hard to create on the big screen unless  the filmmakers are able to include extra puzzles within the film, not puzzles the characters try to solve, but additional puzzles and riddles within the subtext of the film. A mise-en-scene rebus or homophobic speeches. Otherwise the many who have read the book, will already know the outcome (in general), so why not reward the individuals who have invested so much into the book and movie anyway.

 

For the unititiated, the site below is a teaser for The Da Vinci Code: http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/da_vinci_code/large.html