Every month the Classics Club puts out a challenge for the members to respond to. This month is February 2015 and this months meme is -
What about Modern Classics?
Pick a Book Published SINCE 2000, and state why you think it is a classic?
I think the best modern classic since 2000 is The Da Vinci Code.
It is the one of highest selling books since the year 2000. The closest competition in terms of modern book sales are the Harry Potter Books. While those are great childrens books, I don't consider them to be classics.
The Da Vinci Code (published in 2003) on the other hand has influenced a major portion of the population on this planet in terms of religion.
It even influenced the Catholic Church into telling it's congregation to NOT read this book - which got many people upset and angry because that was blatant censorship. This book has since been placed on the Catholic Church's Banned Books List.
Noone should be telling anyone else what they can or cannot read.I certainly never listen to what anyone tells me what I can or cannot read. If anyone tells me that I cannot read something, I promptly go out and read it.
The basic story of the Da Vinci Code is that Jesus was married and had a child, and that his descendents have survived to the 21st century.
The Catholic church says that Jesus was never married, but they have no proof.
In Jewish society back then, noone could be called a Rabbi if they were not married. And Jesus was certainly called a Rabbi in the New Testament. Therefore he must have been married.
Since I no longer attend any religious church, it does not bother me if Jesus was married or not. But in terms of the customs of Jewish society back then, I think it highly likely that yes he was married.
Any books or author that can influence religious dogma and church policies this much, certainly has got to be a modern classic!!!!
PS While the Harry Potter books have also influenced opinions about religion - these books were considered to be anti religion because they spoke about children and magic. The influence was pretty much the idea that these books were from Satan and the devil. Anti-religion. Because in the religious world, there is no such thing as magic. Never mind that these books were all just fictional novels.
Interesting how popular this book was when it first came out and now no one seems to read it. Sigh. That is the way with so many wonderful books.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great choice! I definitely can see that this book will become a classic. In a way, it already is! It makes people talk no matter what their beliefs are, and it makes even the non-readers read. I remember loving this book when I was a teen just because it was so new and foreign.
ReplyDeleteHere's mine - > Modern Classics
I had no idea this book was on a Banned Books list by the Catholic Church! Ha! Thanks for that bit of info. I had really rather overlooked just how much influence this novel did have and I do believe it is timeless in that regard. I am definitely a secular humanist who does not believe in any deity or organized religion, so I was personally glad to see a book cause so many people to perhaps truly think about and evaluate their beliefs. Great post! Love your thoughts!
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