WHEN WE CONTINUE, THE DAN
BROWN PHENOMENON.
IN THE FICKLE WORD OF FICTION,
FEW AUTHORS HAVE BECOME
WORLDWIDE SENSATIONS QUITE
LIKE DA VINCI CODE AUTHOR DAN
BROWN.
IN HIS LATEST BOOK, THE LOST
SYMBOL, SEEMS TO BE FOLLOWING
SUIT.
MORE THAN ONE MILLION COPIES
SOLD ON THE FIRST DAY.
MORE THAN TWO MILLION IN THE
FIRST WEEK.
AND MORE THAN 5.5 MILLION ARE
IN PRINT.
DAN BROWN HAS DONE IT AGAIN
WITH HIS LATEST THRILLER, "THE
LOST SYMBOL." IT'S BROWN'S
FIRST BOOK SINCE THE DA VINCI
CODE TOOK THE WORLD BY STORM
IN 2003.
THAT BOOK HAD SOLD OVER 81
MILLION COPIES.
THE MOVIE VERSION WAS RELEASED
IN 2006, GROSSING OVER $750
MILLION.
DESPITE HARSH CRITICISM FROM
THE VATICAN FOR THE MOVIE'S
LOOSE INTERPRETATION OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH'S HISTORY.
REGARDLESS, THE DA VINCIS CODE
CRACKING SIM BOLGS HAS BECOME
A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON.
TOURISTS CAN NOW TRACE HIS
STEPS IN DA VINCI CODE THEME
TOURS IN PARIS, LONDON AND
SCOTLAND. THIS TIME AROUND
BROWN FOCUSES ON THE
FREEMASONS WHOSE KRET
FRATERNITY LIES AT THE HEART
OF "THE LOST SYMBOL." WITH ME
NOW IS BOSTON COLLEGE
PROFESSOR MARTHA BAYLES,
LITERARY AGENT LORIN REES, AND
GRAND MASTER OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS FREEMASONS,
ROGER PAGEAU.
MARTHA, WHAT'S BEHIND THE
PHENOMENON OF THIS?
>> I THINK DAN BROWN IS THE
SON OF A TEACH, A MATH TEACHER
AT EXETER ACADEMY IN NEW
HAMPSHIRE AND I THINK HE HAS A
KIND OF TEACHERLY DESIRE TO
MAKE LEARNING FUN.
THIS IS THE POSITIVE SIDE.
I THINK HE DRAWS PEOPLE IN
WITH THE PROMISE THAT THEY'RE
GOING TO LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT
OUR HISTORY IN THE CASE OF THE
DA VINCI CODE, THEY'RE GOING
TO LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT THE
HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, ABOUT
THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED
STATES AND FOUNDING FATHERS IN
THE CASE OF THIS BOOK.
SO THERE'S A SENSE THAT
LEARNING WILL BE FUN, IT'S
GOING TO BE A GREAT PAGE
TURNER AND ALONG THE PAY
YOU'LL PICK UP STUFF YOU
DIDN'T LEARN IN SCHOOL BUT YOU
WISH YOU HAD.
THERE'S A NEGATIVE SIDE TO IT,
TOO, THOUGH BECAUSE I THINK HE
KIND OF, IT'S A KIND OF RIPOFF,
IT A CON TO SOME DEGREE
BECAUSE HE ALSO OFFERS YOU ALL
THIS OCCULT KNOWLEDGE AND THIS
IDEA THAT SOMEHOW ALL THIS
LEARNING IS STUDDED WITH ALL
THESE LITTLE CLUES AND THINGS
AND THAT SOMEHOW THE END OF
THE BOOK YOU'RE GOING TO GET
THE KEY THAT HELPS YOU TO
UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING.
AND THAT'S A CON.
>> THE ENDS ARE WAIDS --
THE ENDS ARE ALWAYS
DISAPPOINTING.
>> I'M NOT SURE PEOPLE CARE
BECAUSE THEY ENJOY THE RIDE.
>> LORIN, WHAT'S THE STORY ON
SELLING A BOOK LIKE THIS?
ONCE THE DA VINCI KOH TOOK OFF,
PEOPLE WENT BACK AND PICKED UP
ANGELS AND DEMONS.
SO A BOOK LIKE THIS WAS, WHAT
ARE THE EXPECTATIONS OF
SUCCESS?
>> WELL, A COUPLE THINGS TO
NOTE.
ONE IS THAT FOR FICTION
AUTHORS, REAR SUS NONFICTION
AUTHORS, THE AUTHOR IS THE
REAL DRIVER OF SALES.
SO IN THE PUBLISHING WORLD
DANIELLE STEELE, STEPHEN KING
AND DAN BROWN, THEY HAVE A
HUGE AUDIENCE AND THAT'S HOW
PEOPLE BUY BOOKS.
SO ONCE THESE AUTHORS ARE BIG,
PEOPLE WILL FOLLOW THEM AND
BUY ALL THEIR BOOKS.
THIS ISN'T THE CASE WITH
NONFICTION.
SO ONCE THE DA VINCI CODE HIT
THERE WAS GREAT EXPECTATIONS
FOR THIS BOOK BECAUSE PEOPLE
WILL BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR
HIS NEXT BOOK.
>> WILL IT MATTER WHETHER IT'S
DONE AS GOOD?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR
NOT IT'S GOOD IS SUBJECTIVE.
IS IT TAKEN SERIOUSLY AS A
WORK OF LITERATURE?
YOU KNOW, THAT'S A QUESTION
FOR THE CRITICS.
BUT I DON'T THINK IT REALLY
MATTERS.
WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS FOR
PUBLISHERS IN THIS DAY AND AGE,
WILL IT SELL AND WILL IT, YOU
KNOW, EARN THE MONEY THAT THEY
NEED RIGHT NOW.
>> ROGER, TO MARTHA'S POINT,
IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS BOOK
DAN BROWN MAKES A LIST OF
THINGS HE SAYS ARE FACT, TRUE.
AND HE TALKS ABOUT THINGS THAT
EXIST AND ONE OF THEM OF
COURSE IS FREEMASONS AND SOME
OF THE STUFF HE BRINGS UP,
ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
YOU'VE READ THE BOOK.
I JUST READ PART OF IT TODAY.
BUT IN SOME CIRCLES THERE'S
BEEN A PUSHBACK FROM THE FREE
FREEMASONS AS THERE WAS FROM
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WITH SOME
OF THE STUFF.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT
PERSONALLY?
DO YOU FEEL LIKE I CAME OFF
PRETTY WELL IN IT?
>> YES, THE FREEMASONS DO COME
OFF FAIRLY WELL IN IT BECAUSE
HE TALKS ABOUT THIS ISSUE OF
SECRECY, AND HE COMPARES IT
WITH COCA-COLA WHERE YOU CAN'T
WALK BOO THE COCA-COLA OFFICES
AND ASK TO SEE THE FORMULA FOR
COKE.
HE SAID THERE ARE
ORGANIZATIONS WITH SECRETS.
WELL, IF ANYTHING, I THINK THE
FREEMASONS ARE PROBABLY HAVE
PAST THAT MANY MANY YEARS AGO.
EVERYTHING THAT WE DO,
EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE FOR
RITUALS AND ALL THESE THINGS
ARE AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET.
THE FIRST EXPOSURE CAME OUT
ROUGHLY NINE YEARS AFTER THE
FIRST GRAND LODGE WAS FORMED.
SO THERE REALLY ISN'T A LOT OF
SECRETS THERE, BUT IT'S
PERCEIVED TO BE THAT WAY, SO
IT'S A VERY ATTRACTIVE TARGET
FOR SOMEONE WHO IS WRITING
FICTION.
>> IT'S GOT SOME GREAT, YOU'RE
IN GREAT COMPANY, MOZART,
GEORGE WASHINGTON, BENJAMIN
FRANKLIN, I WAS SURPRISED TO
SEE HOW MANY POLITICAL FIGURES
OF A CERTAIN TIME WERE MEMBERS
OF THE FREEMASONS.
BUT PICKING SOMETHING LIKE
THAT THAT HAS KIND OF, PEOPLE
KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE
FREEMASONS, THEY DIDN'T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT SOME OF THOSE
--
>> THE ILLUMINATI.
>> YES, AND ONCE YOU'RE SAYING,
WELL, IT'S EDUCATION, IT'S NOT,
BOUGHT IT IS BECAUSE HE'S
TEACHING YOU SOMETHING.
WHETHER IT'S ACCURATE IS
ANOTHER THING.
BUT YOU ARE LEARNING SOMETHING
YOU COULDN'T BELIEVE EXISTED.
DO YOU DISAGREE WITH THAT?
>> NO, I THINK PEOPLE ENJOY
SLEUTHING.
AMATEUR LOOUTING.
AND THERE'S A COTTAGE TRY OF
STRAIGHTENING OUT DAN BROWN.
OR BIGING DOWN UNDERNEATH WHAT
HE TELLS YOU TO SEE WHAT'S
TRUE AND THEN ARGUING ABOUT
IT.
IT JUST KEEPS PEOPLE VERY
OCCUPIED.
IT'S ENTERTAINING, IT'S
DIVERTING, IT'S A DISTRACTION
FROM YOUR REAL PROBLEMS, AND
HE SAYS ALL SORTS OF LITTLE
THINGS LIKE THAT UP FOR PEOPLE
TO CHASE DOWN.
THERE'S A GOOD SIDE TO IT.
THE TOUR IN THE LOUVRE, THE
DAN BROWN DA VINCI CODE TOUR
ACTUALLY TAKES TO YOU SEVERAL
GREAT WORKS OF ART AND IN THE
COURSE OF TELLING YOU WHAT
HAPPENED IN THE NOVEL THEY
STEP BACK AND TELL YOU, WELL,
ACTUALLY, THIS PAINTING IS
BLAH BLAH BLAH AND TELL YOU
SOMETHING YOU MIGHT NOT
OTHERWISE KNOW THAT IS
ACTUALLY TRUE.
>> ONE INTERESTING THING ABOUT
DAN BROWN IS THAT HE'S
SOMETHING OF A MYSTERY HIMSELF,
TALK ABOUT THE OCCULT.
HE DOESN'T LIKE TO DO
INTERVIEWS, HE DID ONE LAST
WEEK WITH MATT LAUER ON THE
TODAY SHOW.
BUT HE REALLY DOESN'T DO ANY
PUBLICITY, HE DOESN'T HAVE TO.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S PART OF
THE ALLURE THAT THE GUY
HIMSELF IS SO MYSTERIOUS?
>> I DON'T THINK SO.
I THINK THERE'S AUTHORS OUT
THERE WHO ARE VERY BIG AND WHO
ARE ACCESSIBLE, AND THEY HAVE
A LOT OF SUCCESS.
IT MIGHT ADD SOMETHING TO THE
WORK, BUT I THINK PEOPLE BUY
FICTION BECAUSE OF THE.
AND BECAUSE OF THE WORK.
AND IF THEY'RE ATTRACTED TO
THE AUTHOR, SURE.
BUT YOU KNOW, HIS WORK
RESONATES, SOMEHOW HIS WORK
CONNECTS WITH A LARGE
POPULATION.
A LARGE AUDIENCE.
HE HAS A LOT OF ELEMENTS.
>> DO YOU FEEL IN SOME WAYS IT
WAS A GOOD THING THAT HE CHOSE
THE FREEMASONS?
>> INITIALLY, YES.
I THINK IN THE END IT IS.
INITIALLY THERE WAS A GREAT
DEAL OF QUESTIONS, FOR MANY
PEOPLE, ABOUT WHAT THE TOPIC
WOULD BE OF THE BOOK.
IT WAS, GOING TO BE ABOUT THE
FREEMASONS, BUT NO ONE KNEW
WHETHER IT WAS GOING TO BE
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE IN TERMS
OF THE WAY HE TREATED THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE DA VIN
CHICAGO CODE.
AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE VERY
POSITIVE.
BUT IT WAS VERY INTERESTING.
>> I JUST STARTED IT BECAUSE I
HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT WHICH
PARTY IS THE BAD GUY.
I'M SURE HE MUST BE SOME PLIBLER
--
>> THE ROGUE MASONS.
>> HE'S NOT THOUGH.
>> DON'T RUIN IT.
I WILL GET THROUGH IT.
IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE NE THE
NEXT EIGHT MONTHS.
>> DON'T BOTHER.
FIRST HE'S AN INDIVIDUAL, HE'S
NOT PART OF A GROUP.
>> OKAY, ALL RIGHT, THAT'S
ENOUGH.
I ALREADY READ ONE "NEW YORK
TIMES" REVIEW THAT GAVE AWAY
MOST OF IT.
THAT IS IT FOR "GREATER
BOSTON".
FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO OUR
WEBSITE.
TOMORROW NIGHT, THOSE PINK
BREAST CANCER RIBBONS AND HOW
CHARITIES PROFIT.
F AT ALL.
PLUS JARED BOWEN WITH THE
ACTRESS DREW BARRYMORE, THAT
AND MORE TOMORROW NIGHT AT
7:00.
I'M EMILY ROONEY.
GOOD NIGHT.