The Sequential Schematic Scene-building Theory in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code: A Cognitive Semantic Study

Abstract

Everything in the universe is movable or being moved, starting from galaxies and planets to the smallest object, such as the atom. But how can we conceptualize the motion of such entities and what are the basic elements of sequential scene? To do that, a theory of the sequential schematic scene-building has developed to treat this issue. This theory deals with the basic dynamic, on-line, or real-time perceptual processes by which we build a scene. The study focuses on the schematic, not conceptual, elements of sequential scenes which deal with the highly abstracted, primitive system. Such system is considered as the skeleton or building blocks of any sequential scene. To make the theory more applicable, the study selects a scene from Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code to be analyzed in terms of the theory developed. The study arrived at a conclusion that the moveable scene can include a group of sequential schematic structures, such as the mover, motion, causality, geometrical structures, and containment. All these elements work together sequentially in the sense that they are inherently consolidated.