Themes of transpersonal quest in Dan Brown’sThe Da Vinci Code
Anthony Edwards
Transpersonal Psychology Review 2007 DOI: 10.53841/bpstran.2007.11.1.70 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that The Da Vinci Code can be read as an account of a quest for repressed contents of a creative unconscious mind, with its references to the Kabbala and wordplay around Sophie Neveu supporting this reading. Contends that the novel's questionable etymologies and portrayals of Opus Dei can be defended when it is treated as such a quest rather than as factual exposition. |
Abstract
There exist many reasons why transpersonal psychologists can benefit greatly from study of Dan Brown’sThe Da Vinci Code.Seen from a superficial angle, the most obvious aspect of a theme that will be of interest to transpersonal psychology is the reference to the feminine in the Divine. However, at a deeper level, the quest for the feminine inThe Da Vinci Codemay be understood as a search for repressed contents of a creative unconscious mind. References to the Kabbala and word-play inThe Da Vinci Code,linked with the feminine person of Sophie Neveu, help to clarify this point. It is true that there are questionable assertions and scholarship behind this novel, but that does not alter its potential to offer much study for the transpersonal psychologist. Questionable etymologies of the word ‘Paganism’ are presented in the novel, and there are odd portrayals of Opus Dei, but both may be defended when one understandsThe Da Vinci Codenot as a narrative factual exposition, but as an account of a quest to find undiscovered unconscious potential.