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The Phantom of the Opera
Le Fantôme de l'Opéra
First published in 1909.
This edition translated from the French in 1911 by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos.
The Phantom of the Opera lives under a famous opera house. A mere chorus girl, Christine Daae, becomes, under his guidance, a well known singer with a beautiful voice. But her old child hood sweetheart, the Vicount Raoul de Changy, has also entered the picture. The past comes back to haunt her, the future ahead is uncertain, and the present is undecided. Who will win the heart of Christine?; the handsome, rich Raoul or the masked Angel of Music? A story of romance, murder, sacrifice and sadness, this riveting, seductive tale will keep your emotions high until the very last page of the shocking conclusion.--Submitted by child of the wilderness. 1869 Paris, winter. All is normal for the retirement of the old managers of the Opera...until it is discovered that a stagehand, Joseph Boquet, has been found hanging in the third cellar. Was it murder? Was it suicide? The mystery continues when the new managers get blackmailed for thousands of francs, the letter signed "Opera Ghost." For the Vicomte Raoul de Chagney, the mystery is not with the letters, but a much more personal reason. A childhood friend of his, Christine Da'ae, has recently triumphed in a production of Gonounds Faust, but when he goes to congratulate her, he hears a man's voice with Christine in her dressing room, saying "You must love me! Your soul is a beautiful thing, child, and no emperor ever recieved a fairer gift." Are the two incidents related? Will O.G. come out of the dark? Will the scorpion be unleashed on them all, or the grasshopper hop into infinity?--Submitted by Lillotte Christine Daae, an obscure chorus girl at the Paris Opera House triumphs on her debut at the Gala performance in place of the Prima Donna who has inexplicably fallen ill at the last minute. Daae astounds all with her unearthly, angelic voice, including Vicomte Raoul de Chagny who instantly recognizes his childhood playmate from the days long passed that they had spent playing by the sea. When the Viscount manages a visit to the Diva's dressing room on that same evening, he is unable to see that her behaviour is odd -- much too wounded from not having been recognized and then brushed off. However, a bruised ego does not hinder Raoul's endeavor to find the truth behind the mysterious voice he hears one day from within Christine's dressing room, speaking to her. Christine has blindly accepted that her father has indeed sent her the Angel of Music as he promised, but as the mystery unravels, the events soon reveal the frightening correlation between this Angel, an Opera Ghost, and The Phantom of the Opera.--Submitted by Gabriella U
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Recent Forum Posts on The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera- (original novel by Leroux)
So, when I was about 14 my sister was reading this book and said it was very very good, buy super creepy and suggested that I not read it (I don't easily forget creepy stuff! Haha). Recently I bought my own copy at the bookstore and decided to give it a go and I am loving it so far! Not only is it delightfully suspenseful, but it's written so eloquently and I love the parts that talk about the ecstasy of music. The romance between Christine and Raoul doesn't do much for me, it's more the way the story is told. Has anybody read it? Got anything similar you would recommend? :)
Raoul Bashing-Was Leroux the one who started it?
I've seen this question posted before on other forums and thought I would post it here. I don't think I have ever seen a character as maligned as Raoul. I know there are people out there who are ardent Raoul fans and I am among them. But I think we are the vast minority. Unlike the musical or the movie, Leroux's Raoul is no match for Erik. He's not even a serious threat to Erik. Despite his bravery and his accomplishments, he's labeled a fop, a wimp, jerk, and a thousand other criticisms. He's accused of "taking" Christine from Erik, having a bad temper, interfering where he doesn't belong, and many other bad attributes that I won't name here. I read parts of Leroux from time to time, and in my opinion, Leroux himself may have been the instigator for all of this Raoul bashing. Raoul has some very good points. For instance, we are told of his bravery and his intelligence early in the book. Yet, after those one or two sentences, Leroux simply chooses to ignore those great qualities and instead focuses on Raoul's bad attributes. This young man simply cannot get a break. In the end, Erik still wins despite the fact that Christine loves and hurries off with Raoul. So.....did Leroux start the Raoul bashing trend?
Why Christine?
Out of all of the beautiful women of the Opera, why does Erik fall in love with Christine? OK, I know he gave her singing lessons for 3 months, angel of music, etc., but why did he give her lessons in the first place? Was he already in love with her? Or did he fall in love with her as time passed on? :idea:Maybe he felt somewhat connected to her! Her father's dead, she only works at the Opera because she has to, and maybe, before the Angel of music helped her, felt a little trapped in a world of the past! Maybe he thought he could win her trust, and only began to love her after she noticed Raoul at the opera (before the gala)! Anyone else got an idea?
Addiction to PHANTOM
In the first week of purchase, I read PHANTOM OF THE OPERA seven times in seven days. ILOVE IT. My friend even made me a shirt for my birthday that said PHANTOM ADDICT. I wear it at least once a week. I learned every line of the musical in 3 months (it took me over 12 years to memorie most of WIZARD OF OZ), can quote part of the book, and plan on watching the silent film (with the AMAAAAAAAZING Lon Chaney Sr.) the next time it comes on Turner Classic Movie Channel. Correction: I'm not addicted, I'M IN LOVE!
Has anyone else compared PHANTOM and TWILIGHT?
Being 13, many of my freinds are obsessed with TWILIGHT. I hate it. But I can't help but notice some similarities in the plots, charecters, etc. 1.Bella Swan has two guys in love with her. 2. Jocob Black , even though he's a werewolf, is able to show himself in "the garish light of day". 3. Edward, being a vampire, has to hide in a dark lonliness for a hundred yers before falling in love with Bella. Even then, there is a possibility of her rejecting him for not being the same. Some other people may have already shown this, but I don't know...there may be other similarities, but I only read TWILIGHT to chapter 8. Even the ODYSSEY was better than it (and I usually LOVE vampires and werewolves). But I LOVE PHANTOM!
100 Years of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
Just to spread the word, 23 September 2009 will mark the 100th anniversary of the appearance of the first installment of Gaston Leroux's Le Fantôme de l'Opéra in Le Gaulois, the French paper in which the novel was initially serialised in Le Gaulois prior to publication in book format the following year in 1910. To celebrate this achievement, a brand new Phantom Twitter stream has been launched to spread the word of the centenary and the latest news and developments concerning the Opera Ghost. Eventually it is hoped the stream will be used to release exciting new ongoing research currently being undertaken into the novel and all its subsequent adaptations (including, of course, the Lloyd Webber musical) in areas never previously explored. The more fans who join the stream, the better, so we can spread word of the centenary to the wider world and draw attention to all things Phantom! Please follow by clicking here, logging on to Twitter and clicking the 'Follow' button.
different interpretations of the musical?
For you Phantom fanatics (phanatics?), I was wondering if you'd like to share the weird quirks of different shows you've seen. A week ago, I saw Phantom in Las Vegas at the Venetian hotel. My boyfriend took me there for Valentine's Day. It was soooo different from any other Phantom show I've seen. They shortened it so that there was no intermission! (I know, right?) They left out a couple songs like "The Magical Lasso" and omitted the verses of several others. I was most miffed that they left out the scene where Piangi is rehearsing for the Phantom's new opera and cannot sing on key! :D That's one of my favorites! They also left out the famous line "your hand at the level of your eyes". Boo. But...being Vegas...they made this Phantom visually spectacular. As a segue between what would usually be the first and second acts, they blew up fireworks RIGHT THERE in the theater! And the Phantom had lots of pyrotechnics surrounding him as well. When he would disappear or fire a gun, there would always be a spray of sparks. I had mixed feelings about it. The pyrotechnics gave the show a punch it often lacks in other venues. The opening scene when we're transported back in time and the broken chandelier repairs itself was AMAZING. Very techno with all the flashing lights and organ music, but in an unspeakably cool way. Of course, there were times when I felt it was blasphemy to mess with the original score so much. I understand omitting some dialogue. But leaving out three full verses of "Masquerade"? Or even "Angel of Music"? (In general, I feel like Meg has such a diminished role in the musical anyways...they could do a lot more with her...that it's insulting to take away the few instances where she has quality singing time with Christine.) The Finale was also shortened and it really frustrated me cuz I didn't get the time to work up to the emotional pitch that really makes the Phantom's decision such a heart-breaker. Other times, I felt the omissions worked. For example, they left out one verse of "Music of the Night." Okay, I get that it's the Phantom's signature song, but I'm sorry...that song DRAGS on forever. There's only so much that the actor can do onstage while he's singing; shortening it helped keep my attention. (On that note, I wish directors would be more creative in what they stage during "All I Ask of You"...sure Christine and Raoul are in love, but the song is four minutes long, and all they do is stare into each others' eyes the whole time.) "Prima Donna" also IMO benefited from its shortening because 1) the interweaving of the multiple lines can be confusing if you've never heard it before, and often, you can't follow any one line so it just sounds like gibberish and 2) it's hard to stage anything that can keep the audience's interest for that long (the Phantom movie, btw, did an awesome job keeping all the lyrics AND staging an over-the-top spectacle.) That said, most of the emotional touchstones were there. I got a lump in my throat every time I heard the monkey/music box play it tinny tune. There were definitely times when I was scared of the Phantom (unfortunately, I wasn't close enough to the stage to see his face when Christine unmasks him). I felt more sympathy for Raoul in this production than I did in the movie. (shudder) And I burst into tears during that last line when Christine returns to the Phantom after he's freed her, and he sings "Christine, I loooove you"....and his voice BREAKS. It was absolutely heart-breaking. Well I've babbled on enough. Sorry, it's one of my favorite musicals. Anyone else want to share?
My Take On My Phantom Of The Opera
I every so often come to this site to check my mail, an see what is going on. I check on the phantom every few months or so and I read what everyone has to say about Erik and the Little miss Christine (do not let me get started on her.) I think my favorite post would have to be "I'm The Real Phantom", I told the cat my story but he found it to be a joke and took great offense. I find the rest of the random stuff i find in these stories to be the same and funny. How they portray him as a monster and Lil miss thing the beauty and how it is a great love story (HAHAHAHA.) Sorry got a little out of hand there forgive me. Everyone has a right to their opinions and points of views but have any of you ever tried seeing the story in a different light? I'm done trying to say how well he lived and how happy he was and how it was NOT with Lil miss Christine he married ( yes their was someone else and he loved her). Look at the time it was written and who was alive and who missed out over gossip and fear. keep in mind the times back then if you weren't right you were a problem that should not see the day of light, a lot of superstition back in those day's and mouths to keep is rolling. One more thing to keep your minds running, he did not marry anyone from the opera house, or should I say someone that worked at and for the opera house. Peace
The Story's Allure
What Do You Think Is So Alluring About The Story of The Phantom of the Opera? I think that the whole allure to The Phantom of the Opera is the classic storyline of the beauty and the beast. In my opinion, Christine was a portrait of the beauty wherease the Phantom was a portrayal of the beast. In all essence, it is Christine who tames Erik enough for him to risk coming out into the open and revealing himself as a real man and not some supernatural force. Her song bewitches him as his music bewitches her. While he hides his face because of his grotesque deformity, her beauty seems enough to resonate within both of them and make him believe that he is a demon and she is an angel. In one way, she saves him from the darkness, but luring him into the light. There is a potent passion between them that seems to echo from everything from the book to the musical to the movie. There is something timeless about it.....maybe, it is its version of love.
The phantom (has anyone noticed?)
Has anyone noticed,that Gaston was alive when Erik was.No,I guess not...It is also clear that Gaston and Erik did not know each other as far as I can tell, cause if they did then maybe there wouldn't be so many questions.There is someone on here who say's he is the real phantom and then you have someone who lived it on here in that lifetime with Erik on here,what a mind trip. Allow me to clarify myself to those who do not understand me, I am not bashing the phantom in anything I say in this or in any of my posts.Do not read inbetween the lines I am a very forward person.Thank you and good day
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