The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most famous stories in the world, and is celebrated on stage as an eerie, romantic mystery of a man/ghost with a musical mission and a woman with the voice of an angel. The main characters are Christine Daaë, the Phantom (Erik), and Raoul the Vicomte de Chagnyl. The place is the Paris opera house Le Palais Garnier and the story is one of bittersweet love and betrayal.
Christine Daaë grows up with the story about an "angel of music" who guides her in her passion for singing. The opera ghost, otherwise known as the "Phantom", lives under and haunts Le Palais Garnier. Once he hears Christine's voice, he falls in love with her. The problem is that Christine is in love with Raoul the Vicomte de Chagnyl, whom the Phantom despises. Another person who gets caught in the cross-fire is Carlotta, the prima donna of Le Palais Garnier. Carlotta's voice grates on the Phantom's nerves and he lets Carlotta know of his discontent. (To put it lightly.) The directors, Messieurs André and Firmin, become frustrated with the Phantom's intervention in the production of their shows. The Phantom, anxious to please Christine, starts killing people who he thinks are in the way of Christine's success, and in the process, terrifies Christine. Christine's respect and admiration for the Phantom dissolves with the deaths and threats caused by the Phantom. In the end, Raoul challenges the Phantom and the Phantom, "past the point of no return", leaves his lair in the murky under-dark of Le Palais Garnier. The players try to "track down" the Phantom, but lose him in the darkness of the Opera House's basement. The Phantom gets away, but the love he has for Christine is tainted with the blood shed from his "acts of love".
This is just the outer layer of the intrigue of The Phantom of the Opera. If you want to know the details of the story, go see the show! It's really one of the most beautiful love stories of all time.
The Phantom of the Opera was first Published in February of 1910 by the French house Lafitte, in Paris. Original artwork used for the interior was a series of five watercolor illustrations by André Castaigne. The following year (1911), the novel appeared in both an American (Bobbs-Merrill) and a British (Mills and Boon) edition. Translations for both were done by Alexander Teixeiros de Mattos. Although the American edition retained the interior artwork, publishers of the British edition decided not to include it. The first British publication to carry the color plates was the 1987 reprinting by Michael O'Mara Books Limited (Queen Anne Street, London W1N9FB). A newer, American Edition to include them appeared in 1988 as a publication of THE MYSTERIOUS PRESS, 129 West 56th Street, New York, NY, 10019. In 1990, Bantam Books put out the most recent English translation, a much more complete than the one by de Mattos.
**Just remember that any translated versions are not completely accurate, due to inconsistencies in translation and "the very meaning of the original work is at the mercy of the translator" (Carrie Hernandez, La Rue Leroux). Your best bet is to read the original work by Gaston Leroux, even if that means carrying around a French-English/English-French dictionary.
Since 1910, the story of the Phantom has fascinated readers and curdled the blood of critics almost uniformly throughout the nearly 90 years of its existence. The very first review of the story to appear in the New York Times was a pan. Never-the-less, since it's initial panning, the story has sparked the imagination of readers, writers and producers alike, spawning nine theatrical stagings, no less than 18 motion pictures, well over a dozen novels and countless short-stories, all based on Leroux's original plot and characters.
Debate rages even now with regard to whether or not the Phantom actually existed. And a number of people affirm that the story itself has changed their lives.
Interested in some of Leroux' other works? The La Rue Leroux Reading Room has a list. Check it out!
NOTE: References are listed here.
©Copyright 1998-2003 Kristen Wolfe. All Rights Reserved.
Last modified 03 Nov 2003