DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Dan Brown's bestselling novel "The Da Vinci Code," set to be released as a major motion picture on May 19, has generated much-needed excitement in art history, says a University of North Texas expert. "You can go on ‘The Da Vinci Code' tours in Europe, and that's great," said Dr. Kelly Donahue-Wallace, assistant professor of art history at UNT. "People that are excited about works of art are going to work to preserve them and become sponsors of museums and donate. I think Dan Brown is doing a great service to art history." Donahue-Wallace has expertise in European Renaissance and Baroque art and has taught classes in Italian Renaissance art. She holds a doctoral degree and a master' s degree in art history from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and a bachelor's degree in art history from the University of California in Santa Cruz. "The Da Vinci Code" has come under harsh fire from critics who have said the book contains historical inaccuracies. But Donahue-Wallace says any inaccuracies should be forgiven for the greater good to art history. "This book had everything -- religion and drama and excitement and art and famous institutions -- and it managed to hit the entire world as a subject of interest. In doing so, it opened itself up to scrutiny that is unfair," she said. Donahue-Wallace can be reached at: E-mail: kwallace@unt.edu Phone: 940-565-3529 "The Da Vinci Code" is an entertaining read but doesn't present an accurate picture of history, says Joe Barnhart, professor of philosophy and religion studies at UNT. "If you want to learn how to write a novel, you can learn from it," Barnhart said. "If you want to learn about Jesus and first-century Christianity, it's way down the list." Barnhart has written several articles on the problem of the identity of the historical Jesus and is now writing a book on the topic. He is co-author of "In Search of First-Century Christianity" and is a former president of the Southwest Division of the American Academy of Religion, which recently presented him with the Distinguished Scholar Award. Barnhart says no good evidence exists to support theory that Jesus was married and had a family, a theory presented in "The Da Vinci Code." "The real problem with this is that trying to nail down the identity of the historical Jesus is exceedingly difficult. There are about four different views of who Jesus was, but you cannot harmonize these views," he said. "The scholars who have devoted years of their lives to studying the origin and development of Christianity regard this (Brown's) view as mostly fanciful." Barnhart recommends other writers, such as G.A. Wells, David Dungan, Dale Allison, John K. Riches, or Marcus Borg for more fruitful studies of early Christianity. But Brown, he says, "is a really good writer, and he knows how to tell a yarn. " Barnhart can be reached at: Home: (940) 387-3290 Cell: (940) 391-6615 |
