In this briskly paced program, Tony Robinson tries to get to the bottom of things in Dan Brown's mystery "The Lost Symbol." At the heart of the bestseller is a complex set of symbols of freemasonry that are part of the landscape of historic Washington, D.C.
In this whirlwind tour of the city, Robinson explores the degree to which Dan Brown keeps his facts straight. It is clear that, in close collaboration with his wife, Brown conducts research in preparing his potboiler novels. In the case of "The Lost Symbol," the hero, Robert Langdon, traces the connections of Enlightenment ideas as perceived such such founding fathers as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington that purportedly were encoded in the architectural landmarks of the nation's capital.
Unfortunately, much of Washington, D.C. was constructed long after the deaths of the founding fathers. While it is true that freemasonry was based on the idea of "liberation through enlightenment" and combined mysticism with science, the program reveals that many of the traditional symbols of freemasonry existed in the public domain and were not unique to the masons.
In the interviews with contemporary freemasons, it becomes apparent that despite a tradition based on secret handshakes and passwords, the masons are really not that secretive. Pierre L'Infant's original design of the city was not based on masonic iconography. In fact, L'Enfant was not even a freemason. And he never even reallized his design for the city, which was taken over by other architects and town planners.
The conclusion of Tony Robinson is that Dan Brown took great artistic license in exploring the iconography of freemasonry. The program offers a good tour of some of the great buildings, such as the Library of Congress, that still includes a stunning set of imagery connected to the freemasons. But, to put it mildly, Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" is not the last word on this subject.
In this whirlwind tour of the city, Robinson explores the degree to which Dan Brown keeps his facts straight. It is clear that, in close collaboration with his wife, Brown conducts research in preparing his potboiler novels. In the case of "The Lost Symbol," the hero, Robert Langdon, traces the connections of Enlightenment ideas as perceived such such founding fathers as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington that purportedly were encoded in the architectural landmarks of the nation's capital.
Unfortunately, much of Washington, D.C. was constructed long after the deaths of the founding fathers. While it is true that freemasonry was based on the idea of "liberation through enlightenment" and combined mysticism with science, the program reveals that many of the traditional symbols of freemasonry existed in the public domain and were not unique to the masons.
In the interviews with contemporary freemasons, it becomes apparent that despite a tradition based on secret handshakes and passwords, the masons are really not that secretive. Pierre L'Infant's original design of the city was not based on masonic iconography. In fact, L'Enfant was not even a freemason. And he never even reallized his design for the city, which was taken over by other architects and town planners.
The conclusion of Tony Robinson is that Dan Brown took great artistic license in exploring the iconography of freemasonry. The program offers a good tour of some of the great buildings, such as the Library of Congress, that still includes a stunning set of imagery connected to the freemasons. But, to put it mildly, Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" is not the last word on this subject.
