Tuesday 19 June 2012

Dan Brown "The Lost Symbol"


Dan Brown-The Lost Symbol
What if a woman does a serious business? I mean, Dr. Katherine Solomon, from the novel "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown. She is a classical image of a woman who devoted her life to noesis. She has a realistic, sober look at life and she is in charge of her brother Peter, also an outstanding scientist, who cannot orientate himself in real life. By the way, Katherine is herself a scientist of a high rank.

Everything has its price. Katherine Solomon has no family. Dan Brown is one of those authors who recognize two types of women: kitchen or laboratory. That is, of course, a very convenient way to work with your personages, but there are thousands of women who combine scientific work with marriage and raising children. With all the versatility of Katherine’s talents, she looks a bit dry; femininity in her life is absent and manifests itself only in respect of her genius brother.

I can not judge the author. He did not set himself the task to demonstrate the image from all sides. The book is good without it. But still, I felt somewhat disappointed - the world of Dan Brown is driven only by men.

3 comments:

  1. I think that it is a misnomer when you say that women can either be of kitchen or laboratory type. Mot women, sucessful ones easily combine them both and confidently outdo men in that regard.
    However, there is a wrong sense of perspective when you think that women belonging to the laboratory can only be intellectual or women belonging to kitchen can only be "feminine". There is a huge sense of sensuality in being an intellectual woman (example from the boook world: Vittoria Vetra from angels & demons, Sophie from Da Vinci Code) and also a woman who can be a successul homemaker (the kitchen type) can be highly intellectual.
    If you look at women in Brown's books in that regard, I think you'll find that the perception of women being dry and unispiring as very wrong and incomplete.

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    1. That is exactly my point that Dan Brown is limiting women to two types (not me:). I agree with you that women are more than kitchen and laboratory, however Dan Brown does not, at least in his books. I partly understand why he is not focused on developing women characters. His task was different. However it would have been highly appreciated if he had worked on women characters more.

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