The Phantom of the Opera
INTRODUCTION:
The Phantom of the Opera is a novel written by French writer Gaston Leroux. The novel is inspired by historical events happened at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century, in which the chandelier dropped from the roof and caused several death.
The author Leroux was born in 1868. After his parents passed away, he came back to Paris in 1886, majored in law and wrote some articles for local newspaper at the same time. When he was 22, he began working as a court reporter and theater critic. He soon became a successful international correspondent, and reported about the famous 1905 Russian Revolution.
It was not until 1907 that Leroux left journalism and began writing fiction. He popularized an entire sub-genre of detective fiction called ‘locked room mystery’ through his works like The Mystery of the Yellow Room .The Phantom of the Opera, probably his most famous work, Originally published as a series in French daily newspaper between 1909 and 1910, this terrific tale of suspense and passion was published as a novel in 1910.
The Phantom of the Opera is one among the most adapted novels in literary history. Nowadays, it is well-known of its various stage and film adaptations. The most notable of these is Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.
SUMMARY:
Christine, a ballet dancer at the Paris Opera House, amaze everyone with her fantastic singing on the night of the old managers' retirement. Her old childhood friend, Raoul, hears her sing and recalls his love for Christine. But Christine’s secret tutor, who teaches her how to exploit her given talent in music, is deeply in love with her.
At this time, there are rumors of a phantom living at the Opera and he informs the managers through letters. The prima diva Carlotta playing the lead, which is against the Phantom's wishes. During the performance, Carlotta loses her voice and the grand chandelier plummets into the audience.
Christine is kidnapped by the phantom and is taken to his home where he tell her his real name Erik. But Christine unmasks him and frightened by his horrible look. Fearing that she will leave him, he decides to keep her with him forever, but he finally agrees to let her go on condition that she must be faithful to him.
On the roof of the opera house, Christine and Raoul give each other the promise of lifelong love. Raoul tells Christine he will take Christine away to a place where Erik can never find her. Neither of them aware of that Erik has been listening to their conversation and become extremely jealous.
The following night, Erik kidnaps Christine again. He threaten that if she refuses, he will destroy the entire opera house. Christine refuses until she realizes that Erik has trapped Raoul. To save them and the people above, Christine agrees to marry Erik. He lifts his mask to kiss her on her forehead, and is given a kiss back. Erik is deeply moved by her kiss because he has never received a kiss (not even from his own mother).
Erik allows them to escape, Christine promise that she will visit him once on his death day, and return the gold ring he gave her. He also makes her promise that afterwards she will go to the newspaper and report his death.
THE CONCLUSION:
The book is a mixture of romantic fiction and detective fiction. It focuses on the love triangle between the key characters of Christine, an opera singer; Erik, a man with a horrible face, introduces himself just as a ‘voice’ to her initially and trains her in singing; and Raoul, her childhood friend who is in love with her. It is the passion and possessiveness arising from Erik’s love cause a series of violent events that happen in an Opera house, in which the legend of an ‘Opera Ghost’ drives this story forward.
I couldn't help but compare this book to Notre Dame de Paris, one of my favourite books, drawing so many parallels between the two stories. They share lots of commons:1)they both happened in Paris; 2)Quasimodo and Erik are hated only because their appearance, and experience no affection in their whole life until they meet their true love, but none of them get together with their love; 3) Esmeralda and Christine are innocent young girl.
While comparing Erik with Quasimodo, I can feel that he is darker and crazier than Quasimodo. With no faith in moral values, Erik is not afraid of fulfilling his mission through violence. He really is the best kind of character - twisted, complex, angry and evil, but I don't think we ever really hate him. Indeed, Erik is not a hero, but a monster. I like how this book doesn't turn into boring romance where the heroine is kidnapped by the bad and her Prince Charming comes to rescue her, defeats the bad and live happily ever after, that isn't the story being told here.
In the final chapter, the tension in the story builds up toward a climax. Christine, Raoul and Erik have to make their own choice. As far as I am concerned, few can reject Erik when he expresses his love so passionately, but despairingly:
“If I am the phantom, it is because man’s hatred has made me so. If I am to be saved it is because your love redeems me.”
"And yet I am not really wicked. Love me and you shall see! All I wanted was to be loved for myself. If you loved me, I should be as gentle as a lamb; and you could do anything with me that you pleased."
It is the monster's deep, crazed, unrequited love that makes him human to the reader, and makes this book so unique and popular, even after so many years.
The Phantom of the Opera is told from the point of view of a journalist (like the author himself) whose name is never given, who is examining the events of the novel thirty years after the fact. The Preface gives details of his search. By writing in the first person, the author gives us an immersive reading experience, as though we share the same feeling with the characters.
Although Leroux himself considered this work as an entertainment, for neither detection fiction nor romantic fiction was taken seriously at his time. I still want to find something not that superficial. This story simply tells us a philosophy that our parents and teachers have told us so many times: Do not judge a person by appearances. There is hidden beauty inside everyone. This can be seen in Erik, truly, he looks like a monster, and no one wants to spare some affection on him, but his love is so pure and ask for no response in return, that what Raoul can’t give Christine.
It is worth thinking about the book. Here comes an interesting question: which one will you choose, talented as Erik, and love you with all his heart, or Raoul, wealthy and handsome, but not love you that much?
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