International Journal of Practical and Pedagogical Issues in English Education

International Journal of Practical and Pedagogical Issues in English Education

Fantasy and Ambiguity in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code: A Structuralist Reading

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 English Language Department, Faculty of Humanities, Al-Muthanna University, Samawah, Iraq
2 Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
Abstract
Dan Brown is a highly successful American author known for his suspenseful thriller novels that often incorporate elements of history, art, symbolism, and cryptography.One of his most famous and influential works is The Da Vinci Code (2003).Tzvetan Todorov is a Bulgarian-French literary theorist, philosopher, and cultural critic known for his influential contributions to the fields of literary theory, semiotics, and structuralism. He played a significant role in shaping the way we analyze narratives and understand the underlying structures and meanings within them. Brown’s The Da Vinci Code has been analyzed from different perspective but not Todorov’s structuralist theory. This research argues that Brown’s characters deploy ambiguity and element of fantastic to create suspense. It focuses on the use of hesitation and uncertainty as a tool of fantastic to create ambiguity in Brown's novel through Todorov's theory of narrative ambiguity. The use of multiple narrators, conflicting accounts of events, and references to real historical figures and events create a narrative that blurs the line between fact and fiction. The ambiguity in the narrative serves as a way for Brown to explore complex themes related to religion, power, and history without taking a definitive stance. By leaving the truth open to interpretation, Brown encourages readers to engage with the narrative on a deeper level, prompting them to question their own assumptions and beliefs.
Keywords
Subjects

Borges, J. (2013). But why you say that I am mad?’ ambiguity in the configuration of the narrator in Poe’s the tell-tale heart. MA Thesis. Federal University of Paraíba.
Brown, D. (2009). The Da Vinci Code. Ebook.
Jackson, R. (1981). Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion. New York: Routledge.
Lihong, W., & Weijie, G. (2017). Analysis of Ambiguity. In 7th International Conference on Social science and Education Research (SSER2017).
Nebbou, A. (2018). The Fantastic Work in the English and African Literatures Case Study: Beowulf, Swift, and Soyinka. Dirraset7(3), 224–231.
Newheiser, A.-., Kaisa, M., & Farias, N. (2011). The functional nature of conspiracy beliefs: Examining the underpinnings of belief in the Da Vinci Code conspiracy. Personality and Individual Differences5(8), 1007–1011.
Todorov, T. (1975). The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Genre.
Rini, R., Paturohmah, P. S., & Suyatman, U. (2019). The Roles of Sophie Neveu as Reflection of Women’s Equality in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code Novel”. Call Journal of Critical Theory, Art, Language, and Literature1(1), 1–8.
Widodo, W., Unggul, M., & Thoyibi, P. D. (2003). Between Fact and Fiction in Dan Brown’s the Da Vinci Code. In Reader Response Analysis. Diss. Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta.
Volume 3, Issue 3
Summer 2025
Pages 134-147

  • Receive Date 20 June 2025
  • Revise Date 22 August 2025
  • Accept Date 31 August 2025