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Angels & Demons by Dan Brown:
This book represents the patterns of Power Theory in fiction. The Power Theory of Social Change is well-supported by scholars such as C. Wright Mills, who describes how the American power elite have managed to stay in power through more than four eras and into a fifth, and Art Klein, who “asserts that many organizations have been co-opted by elites, whose purpose is to serve their own, and their children’s, needs” (Bishop, 2012, p. 155)
In Angels & Demons, The Pope has died, and Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is once again called to decipher the clues of a terrifying plot to steal antimatter research that can be used to create a weapon of mass destruction. To determine the Pope’s successor, a conclave has been called to select from among four preferitti. However, in an elaborate revenge scheme, a mysterious secret society called the Illuminati (There they are again! They’re everywhere!) has kidnapped and murdered the four cardinals. It is a race against time to uncover the secret clues that threaten to blow up the Vatican.
Key Theorists / Tenants:
C. Wright Mills’ (1957) “The Power Elite” describes how military, corporate, and political elements of society work together to render ordinary citizens powerless
Art Kleiner (2003) “Who Really Matters” revealed that many organizations have been co-opted by a core group of influential individuals
