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1909 novel by Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera
One of the five watercolors by André Castaigne illustrating the first American edition of the Phantom of the Opera (1911).
Author	Gaston Leroux
Original championship	Le Fantôme de 50'Opéra
Country	France
Language	French
Field of study	Romance Mystery Horror
Genre	Gothic fiction
Publisher	Pierre Laie
Publication date	23 September 1909 to eight January 1910
Published in English language	1911
Media type	Print (Serial)
Pages	~145 including the glossary
Original text	Le Fantôme de l'Opéra at French Wikisource
Translation	The Phantom of the Opera at Wikisource

The Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra ) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 past Pierre Lafitte.^[1] The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century, and by an counterfeit tale concerning the utilise of a former ballet pupil'southward skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber'southward 1841 production of Der Freischütz.^[two] Information technology has been successfully adapted into diverse stage and moving-picture show adaptations, nearly notable of which are the 1925 film depiction featuring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.

History behind the novel [edit]

Leroux initially was going to be a lawyer, merely afterwards spending his inheritance gambling he became a reporter for 50'Écho de Paris. At the paper, he wrote about and critiqued dramas, as well as being a court reporter. With his chore, he was able to travel ofttimes, only he returned to Paris where he became a author. Considering of his fascination with both Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he wrote a detective mystery entitled The Mystery of the Yellow Room in 1907, and four years later he published Le Fantôme de l'Opéra.^[3] The novel was commencement published in newspapers before finally being published as a book.

The setting of The Phantom of the Opera is the bodily Paris opera business firm, Palais Garnier. Leroux had heard the rumours most the time the opera firm was finished: Act Ane of the opera Helle had simply finished when a burn down in the roof of the opera house melted through a wire holding a counterweight for the chandelier, causing a crash that injured several and killed ane. Using this accident paired with rumors of a ghost in that same opera firm, Leroux wrote Le Fantôme de fifty'Opéra and published information technology in 1910, which was later published in English language as The Phantom of the Opera.^[4] The details about the Palais Garnier, and rumours surrounding it, are closely linked in Leroux's writing. The cloak-and-dagger lake that he wrote well-nigh does exist beneath the opera house, and it is all the same used for training firefighters to swim in the nighttime. The infamous chandelier crash besides is true.^[5] ^[6] All the same, he dedicated the rumors to be true, even on his expiry bed.^[7]

The Phantom of the Opera 'due south origins came from Leroux's curiosity with the Phantom being real. In the prologue, he tells the reader about the Phantom and the research that he did to show the truth of the ghost. Leroux's findings connected the corpse from the opera house to the Western farsi, to the Phantom, himself.^[viii]

The serialized version contains an entire chapter ("L'enveloppe magique") that does not appear in the novel version—though much of its content was added in other capacity—and was not reprinted in English until 2014.^[9]

Plot summary [edit]

In the 1880s, in Paris, the Palais Garnier Opera Business firm is believed to be haunted past an entity known as the Phantom of the Opera, or just the Opera Ghost. A stagehand named Joseph Buquet is found hanged, the noose effectually his neck missing.

At a gala performance for the retirement of the opera firm's two managers, a young, petty-known Swedish soprano, Christine Daaé, is called upon to sing in place of the Opera'southward leading soprano, Carlotta, who is ill, and Christine'south functioning is an astonishing success. The Vicomte Raoul de Chagny, who was present at the operation, recognizes her every bit his childhood playmate and recalls his love for her. He attempts to visit her backstage, where he hears a man complimenting her from inside her dressing room. He investigates the room in one case Christine leaves, only to find it empty.

At Perros-Guirec, Christine meets with Raoul, who confronts her well-nigh the vocalism he heard in her room. Christine tells him she has been tutored by the Angel of Music, whom her father used to tell them about. When Raoul suggests that she might be the victim of a prank, she storms off. Christine visits her father's grave one night, where a mysterious figure appears and plays the violin for her. Raoul attempts to confront it but is attacked and knocked out in the process.

Dorsum at the Palais Garnier, the new managers receive a alphabetic character from the Phantom demanding that they allow Christine to perform the lead function of Marguerite in Faust, and that Box 5 be left empty for his use, lest they perform in a house with a curse on it. The managers assume his demands are a prank and ignore them, resulting in disastrous consequences, equally Carlotta ends upwards croaking similar a toad, and the chandelier all of a sudden drops into the audition, killing a spectator. The Phantom, having abducted Christine from her dressing room, reveals himself as a deformed man called Erik.

Erik intends to hold her prisoner in his lair with him for a few days. Nonetheless, she causes him to change his plans when she unmasks him and, to the horror of both, beholds his noseless, sunken-eyed face, which resembles a skull dried upward by the centuries. Fearing that she will get out him, he decides to hold her permanently, but when Christine requests release afterwards ii weeks, he agrees on the condition that she wear his ring and be true-blue to him.

On the roof of the Opera House, Christine tells Raoul nearly her abduction and makes Raoul promise to take her away to a identify where Erik can never observe her, fifty-fifty if she resists. Raoul tells Christine he will act on his promise the next day, to which she agrees. However, Christine sympathizes with Erik and decides to sing for him one last fourth dimension every bit a means of maxim cheerio. Unbeknownst to Christine and Raoul, Erik has been watching them and overheard their whole chat.

The following dark, the enraged and jealous Erik abducts Christine during a production of Faust and tries to strength her to ally him. Raoul is led past a mysterious Opera regular known only as "The Persian" into Erik'south secret lair deep in the bowels of the Opera Business firm. Still, they stop up trapped in a mirrored room by Erik, who threatens that unless Christine agrees to marry him, he will impale them and anybody in the Opera House past using explosives.

Christine agrees to marry Erik. Erik initially tries to drown Raoul and the Western farsi, using the water which would have been used to douse the explosives. Notwithstanding, Christine begs and offers to be his "living bride", promising him not to kill herself after becoming his bride, every bit she had just attempted suicide. Erik eventually releases Raoul and the Persian from his torture chamber.

When Erik is lonely with Christine, he lifts his mask to kiss her on her forehead and is eventually given a kiss back. Erik reveals that he has never kissed anyone, including his own mother, who would run abroad if he e'er tried to kiss her. He is overcome with emotion. He and Christine then weep together, and their tears "mingle." She too holds his hand and says, "Poor, unhappy Erik," which reduces him to "a dog fix to die for her."

He allows the Persian and Raoul to escape, though not before making Christine promise that she will visit him on his death solar day and return the gold ring he gave her. He also makes the Persian promise that later, he will go to the newspaper and report his death, equally he will die shortly "of love."

Indeed, sometime later, Christine returns to Erik'due south lair, and by his request, buries him someplace where he volition never exist constitute, and returns the gold ring. Afterward, a local newspaper runs the simple note: "Erik is dead." Christine and Raoul elope together, never to return.

The epilogue pieces together bits of Erik'due south life, information that "the narrator" obtained from the Farsi. It is revealed that Erik was the son of a construction business owner, deformed at birth. He ran away from his native Normandy to work in fairs and caravans, schooling himself in the arts of the circus across Europe and Asia, and eventually building trick palaces in Persia and Turkey. Eventually, he returned to France and started his own construction business. After being subcontracted to piece of work on the Palais Garnier'southward foundations, Erik had discreetly built himself a lair to disappear in, consummate with hidden passages and other tricks that immune him to spy on the managers.

Characters [edit]

Erik: The Phantom of the Opera, a deformed conjurer also referred to as the Angel of Music and the Opera Ghost. He tutors and eventually becomes obsessed with Christine Daaé.
Christine Daaé: A young Swedish soprano at the Paris Opera Firm with whom the Phantom develops a deep obsession.
Vicomte Raoul de Chagny: Christine's childhood friend and love interest.
The Persian: A mysterious human being from Erik'southward past.
Comte Philippe de Chagny: Raoul'south older blood brother.
Armand Moncharmin and Firmin Richard: The new managers of the opera house.
Madame Giry: The opera's box keeper (Female parent of Meg)
One thousand thousand Giry: Often referred to as "Little Meg", Madame Giry'due south daughter, a ballet girl.
Debienne and Poligny: The previous managers of the opera house
Carlotta: A spoiled prima donna; the atomic number 82 soprano of the Paris Opera Business firm.
Madame Valérius: Christine's elderly guardian.

Themes [edit]

Music [edit]

Leroux uses the operatic setting in The Phantom of the Opera to utilize music as a device for foreshadowing.^[10] Ribière makes note that Leroux was once a theatre critic and his brother was a musician, so he was knowledgeable nigh music and how to use information technology equally a framing device. She uses the instance of how Leroux introduces Danse Macabre which means "trip the light fantastic of death" in the gala scene which foreshadows the graveyard scene that comes after where the Phantom plays the fiddle for Christine and attacks Raoul when he tries to arbitrate.

Drumright points out that music is axiomatic throughout the novel in that it is the basis for Christine and Erik's relationship. Christine sees Erik as her Affections of Music that her male parent promised would come up to her 1 twenty-four hour period. The Phantom sees Christine as his musical protege, and he uses his passion for music to teach her everything he knows.^[11]

Mystery [edit]

Stylistically, the novel is framed equally a mystery novel every bit it is narrated through a detective pulling his information from various forms of research.^[12] The mystery existence uncovered is the Phantom who lurks through the opera business firm, seemingly actualization in places out of nowhere equally if by magic. But, it seems that the mystery novel persona was a facade for the real genre being more of a Gothic romance. ^[thirteen]

Gothic horror [edit]

In his commodity, Fitzpatrick compares the Phantom to other monsters featured in Gothic horror novels such as Frankenstein's monster, Dr. Jekyll, Dorian Gray, and Count Dracula. The Phantom has a torture chamber where he kidnaps and kills people, and the walls of the chapel in the graveyard are lined with human being basic.^[13] Indeed, Drumright notes that The Phantom of the Opera checks off every trope necessary to take a Gothic novel according to the Encyclopedia of Literature's description which says, "Such novels were expected to exist dark and tempestuous and full of ghosts, madness, outrage, superstition, and revenge."^[14] Although the Phantom is actually only a deformed human, he has ghost-like qualities in that no i can ever notice him or his lair and he is seen equally a monster. People are frightened by him considering of his deformities and the acts of violence he commits.^[11]

Romance [edit]

The novel features a dearest triangle between the Phantom, Christine, and Raoul. Raoul is seen every bit Christine'due south babyhood love whom she is familiar with and has amore for. He is rich and therefore offers her security as well as a wholesome, Christian marriage. The Phantom, on the other hand, is not familiar. He is dark, ugly, and dangerous and therefore represents the forbidden love. However, Christine is drawn to him because she sees him as her Angel of Music, and she pities his existence of loneliness and darkness.^[eleven]

Critical reception [edit]

This section needs expansion. You can aid by adding to it. (Nov 2019)

By the time Leroux published The Phantom of the Opera, he had already gained brownie equally a crime mystery author in both French- and English language-speaking countries. He had written six novels prior, ii of which had garnered substantial popularity inside their first twelvemonth of publication called The Mystery of the Yellow Room and The Perfume of the Lady in Black.^[10] Although previous commentators take asserted that The Phantom of the Opera did not attain as much success equally these previous novels, beingness particularly unpopular in French republic where it was first published,^[15] recent enquiry into the novel'due south early reception and sales has indicated the contrary.^[16] One book review from the New York Times expressed disappointment in the way the phantom was portrayed, maxim that the feeling of suspense and horror is lost once it is plant out that the phantom is just a man.^[17] The majority of the notability that the novel caused early on was due to its publication in a series of installments in French, American, and English newspapers. This serialized version of the story became important when information technology was read and sought out by Universal Pictures to be adapted into a picture show in 1925.^[15] Leroux did not live to come across all the success from his novel; he died in April 1927.^[18]

Adaptations [edit]

At that place take been many literary and other dramatic works based on Leroux's novel, ranging from stage musicals to films to children's books. Some well-known stage and screen adaptations of the novel are the 1925 film and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

Leroux's novel was fabricated into two silent films. The commencement film version, a German adaptation chosen Das Gespenst im Opernhaus, is now a lost moving-picture show. It was made in 1916 and was directed by Ernest Matray.^[3]

The next adaptation into a silent moving picture was made in 1925 past Universal Studios. This version stars Lon Chaney Sr. as the Phantom. Due to tensions on the fix, at that place was a switch in directors and Edward Sedgwick finished the film while changing the direction the movie was going to take. His have on the novel and making information technology a dark romantic movie with comedy was not pop with audiences.^[3] Finally, the film was reworked one last time past Maurice Pivar and Lois Weber. They removed about of Sedgwick's contribution and returned to the original focus. This time, the motion picture was a success with audiences in 1925.^[3]

In Lloyd Webber'southward musical, he was focused on writing more of a romance slice and found the volume and the musical took off from there. Leroux's novel was more than simply a mystery and had romance and other genres that would entreatment to more audiences.^[11] Lloyd Webber used accounts from inside the novel in the musical equally well such as the existent-life outcome of the chandelier falling.^[xix] When Andrew Lloyd Webber created the musical, at that place started to be disagreements over whether it was "inspired by" or "based on" Gaston Leroux's novel. Bill O'Connell, an banana to moving-picture show producers in New York, contended for the original author's name to be included with the book that the musical is "based on" rather than "inspired by" because he viewed the latter as a minimization of Gaston Leroux's connection with the story.^[20] This was first produced in the mid-80s and has continued to remain pop, still running on Broadway and the West Finish and spawning multiple touring productions. The musical has received more than fifty awards and is seen by many every bit being the nigh popular musical on Broadway.^[11]

References [edit]

^ Shah, Raj (2016). "The Publication and Initial French Reception of Gaston Leroux'southward Le Fantôme de l'Opéra". French Studies Bulletin. 37 (138): 13–sixteen. doi:10.1093/frebul/ktw004.
^ Shah, Raj (2014). "No Ordinary Skeleton: Unmasking the Secret Source of Le Fantôme de fifty'Opéra". Forum for Modern Linguistic communication Studies. l (1): 16–29 (17, 25n11). doi:ten.1093/fmls/cqt048.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "A History of Classic Monsters: The Phantom of the Opera | Librarypoint". Librarypoint.org . Retrieved April 26, 2018.
^ "Paris opera firm accident inspired Leroux's Phantom". world wide web.dailytelegraph.com.au. 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2020-11-11 .
^ Palais Garnier. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. 2002. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.o903811.
^ Everett, Lucinda (February 17, 2010). "Where the Phantom was born: the Palais Garnier". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
^ Carter, Tim (2002). Prologue (opera). Oxford Music Online. Oxford Academy Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.o007990.
^ "The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux : Prologue". ebooks.adelaide.edu.au . Retrieved Apr 27, 2018.
^ "The original version of Leroux's Phantom, published in le Gaulois is available online at BNF's Gallica site".
^ ^a ^b Ribière, Mireille. "The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, annotated edition". Mireille Ribière Writings, Photographs . Retrieved Apr 27, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^eastward Drumright, Patricia (Apr 16, 2018). "The Phantom of the Opera: Spectacular Musical or Archetypal Story?".
^ Myers, Cathleen. "The Phantom'south Evolution". PEERS Dance . Retrieved April 29, 2018.
^ ^a ^b Fitzpatrick, Sean (26 January 2017). "The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux: Triumphant Tragedy". Crisis Mag . Retrieved Apr 29, 2018.
^ Merriam-Webster'south encyclopedia of literature. Merriam-Webster, Inc. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. 1995. ISBN0877790426. OCLC 31434511. {{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ ^a ^b Haining, Peter. "The Human being Who Created the Phantom". The Phantom of the Opera . Retrieved April 27, 2018.
^ Shah, Raj (Mar three, 2016). "The Publication and Initial French Reception of Gaston Leroux's Le Fantôme de L'opéra". French Studies Bulletin. 37 (138): 13–16. doi:x.1093/frebul/ktw004. ISSN 0262-2750.
^ "An Opera-House Phantom". The New York Times Book Review. February 19, 1911.
^ "The Phantom of the Opera: Creep of Music". www.librarypoint.org . Retrieved 2020-11-11 .
^ "The Phantom of the Opera: myth versus reality". cmuse.org . Retrieved Apr 27, 2018.
^ Rothstein, Mervyn (1988-05-11). "Quondam Novel Returns to Haunt a Current Musical (Published 1988)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-eleven .