The Phantom of the Opera
Gaston Leroux
- First
- published
- in
- French
- as
- a
- serial
- in
- 1909,
- "The
- Phantom
- of
- the
- Opera"
- is
- a
- riveting
- story
- that
- revolves
- around
- the
- young,
- Swedish
- Christine
- Daaé.
- Her
- father,
- a
- famous
- musician,
- dies,
- and
- she
- is
- raised
- in
- the
- Paris
- Opera
- House
- with
- his
- dying
- promise
- of
- a
- protective
- angel
- of
- music
- to
- guide
- her.
- After
- a
- time
- at
- the
- opera
- house,
- she
- begins
- hearing
- a
- voice,
- who
- eventually
- teaches
- her
- how
- to
- sing
- beautifully.
- All
- goes
- well
- until
- Christine's
- childhood
- friend
- Raoul
- comes
- to
- visit
- his
- parents,
- who
- are
- patrons
- of
- the
- opera,
- and
- he
- sees
- Christine
- when
- she
- begins
- successfully
- singing
- on
- the
- stage.
- The
- voice,
- who
- is
- the
- deformed,
- murderous
- 'ghost'
- of
- the
- opera
- house
- named
- Erik,
- however,
- grows
- violent
- in
- his
- terrible
- jealousy,
- until
- Christine
- suddenly
- disappears.
- The
- phantom
- is
- in
- love,
- but
- it
- can
- only
- spell
- disaster.
- Leroux's
- work,
- with
- characters
- ranging
- from
- the
- spoiled
- prima
- donna
- Carlotta
- to
- the
- mysterious
- Persian
- from
- Erik's
- past,
- has
- been
- immortalized
- by
- memorable
- adaptations.
- Despite
- this,
- it
- remains
- a
- remarkable
- piece
- of
- Gothic
- horror
- literature
- in
- and
- of
- itself,
- deeper
- and
- darker
- than
- any
- version
- that follows.
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