The Phantom of the Opera (novel) facts for kids
One of the five watercolors by André Castaigne illustrating the first American edition of the Phantom of the Opera (1911).
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| Author | Gaston Leroux |
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| Original title | Le Fantôme de l'Opéra |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Subject |
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| Genre | Gothic fiction |
| Publisher | Pierre Laie |
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Publication date
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23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910 |
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Published in English
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1911 |
| Media type | Print (Serial) |
| Pages | ~145 including the glossary |
The Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a famous novel written by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first released in parts, like a TV show, in a newspaper called Le Gaulois from 1909 to 1910. Later, it was published as a full book in 1910.
The story was partly inspired by real events at the Paris Opera house in the 1800s. It also uses an old tale about a dancer's skeleton being used in an opera. This exciting story has been turned into many plays and movies. The most famous ones are the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.
Contents
The Story Behind the Book
Gaston Leroux first planned to be a lawyer. But after losing his money gambling, he became a reporter for a newspaper. He wrote about plays and reported from courtrooms. His job let him travel a lot. He eventually returned to Paris and became a writer.
Leroux loved detective stories by authors like Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This led him to write his own mystery, The Mystery of the Yellow Room, in 1907. A few years later, he published Le Fantôme de l'Opéra. It first appeared in newspapers before becoming a book.
The story of The Phantom of the Opera takes place in the real Paris opera house, the Palais Garnier. Leroux had heard rumors about the opera house when it was built. These rumors became a big part of his novel. For example, during an opera, a fire in the roof caused a heavy chandelier to fall. This accident injured many people and killed one.
Leroux combined this event with rumors of a ghost in the opera house. He then wrote Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, which was later published in English as The Phantom of the Opera. The book also mentions an underground "lake" beneath the opera house. This is actually a huge water tank, and it's still used today to train firefighters to swim in the dark.
Story Summary
The story begins in the 1880s in Paris, at the Palais Garnier Opera House. People believe a ghost, called the 'Phantom of the Opera', haunts the building. This belief grows stronger after a stagehand is found dead.
During a special show, a young singer named Christine Daaé takes the place of the main singer, Carlotta, who is sick. Christine's performance is amazing! A young nobleman, Raoul de Chagny, is in the audience. He recognizes Christine as his childhood friend and remembers how much he loves her. He tries to visit her backstage. He hears a man's voice praising her from inside her dressing room. But when Christine leaves, Raoul checks the room and finds it empty.
Later, Christine meets Raoul and he asks her about the voice. Christine tells him she has been taught by the "Angel of Music." Her father used to tell her and Raoul stories about this angel. When Raoul thinks it might be a trick, Christine gets upset and leaves. One night, Christine visits her father's grave. A mysterious figure appears and plays the violin for her. Raoul tries to stop the figure but is knocked out.
Back at the opera house, the new managers get a letter from the Phantom. He demands that Christine sing the main role in the opera Faust. He also wants box 5 to be left empty for him. If they don't listen, he threatens a curse. The managers think it's a joke and ignore him. This leads to terrible things happening. Carlotta starts making strange croaking sounds, and the chandelier suddenly crashes into the audience, killing a spectator. The Phantom then takes Christine from her dressing room. He reveals himself as a man named Erik, who has a deformed face.
Erik plans to keep Christine in his secret home for a few days. But Christine takes off his mask, and they both see his face. It looks like an old, dried-up skull with no nose and sunken eyes. Erik is afraid she will leave him. So, he decides to keep her forever. After two weeks, Christine asks to be set free. Erik agrees, but only if she wears his ring and promises to be loyal to him.
On the roof of the Opera House, Christine tells Raoul about being taken by Erik. She makes Raoul promise to take her far away, where Erik can never find her. Raoul agrees to do this the next day. However, Christine feels sorry for Erik. She decides to sing for him one last time as a way to say goodbye. Unknown to them, Erik has been watching and heard their whole conversation.
The next night, Erik is angry and jealous. He takes Christine during a performance of Faust and tries to force her to marry him. Raoul is led by a mysterious man, known only as 'the Persian', to Erik's secret home deep under the Opera House. But Erik traps them in a room with mirrors. He threatens to kill them and everyone in the Opera House with explosives if Christine doesn't marry him.
Under pressure, Christine agrees to marry Erik. Erik first tries to drown Raoul and the Persian. He uses the water that was meant to put out the explosives. But Christine begs him and offers to be his "living bride." Erik finally lets Raoul and 'the Persian' go.
When Erik is alone with Christine, he lifts his mask and kisses her forehead. Christine then kisses him back. Erik says he has never kissed anyone, not even his own mother. He is filled with emotion. They both cry together, and their tears mix. She also holds his hand and says, "Poor, unhappy Erik." This makes him feel so loved that he is "a dog ready to die for her."
He allows 'the Persian' and Raoul to escape. But he makes Christine promise to visit him when he dies and return the gold ring. He also makes 'the Persian' promise to tell the newspaper about his death, saying he will die soon "of love."
Some time later, Christine does return to Erik's home under the Opera House. As he asked, she returns the gold ring and buries him in a secret place. Afterward, a local newspaper prints a short note: "Erik is dead."
Christine and Raoul then run away together and are never seen again.
Erik's Past
The end of the book shares details about Erik's life. This information was learned from 'the Persian'. It turns out Erik was born with a deformed face. He was the son of a construction business owner. He ran away from his home in Normandy. He worked in fairs and traveling shows, learning circus skills across Europe and Asia. He even built amazing trick palaces in Persia and Turkey.
Eventually, Erik came back to France. He started his own construction business. When he was hired to work on the foundations of the Palais Garnier, Erik secretly built his own hidden home. It had secret passages and tricks that let him spy on the opera managers.
Main Characters
- Erik: Also known as the Phantom of the Opera, the Angel of Music, or the Opera Ghost. He is a deformed magician and loves opera. He teaches Christine Daaé to sing and becomes obsessed with her.
- Christine Daaé: A young singer at the Paris Opera House. The Phantom is obsessed with her.
- Vicomte Raoul de Chagny: Christine's childhood friend. They fall in love again as adults.
- 'The Persian': A mysterious man who knows Erik from his past.
- Comte Philippe de Chagny: Raoul's older brother.
- Armand Moncharmin and Firmin Richard: The new managers of the opera house.
- Madame Giry: The person in charge of the opera's private boxes. She is Meg Giry's mother.
- Meg Giry: Madame Giry's daughter, a ballet dancer.
- Msrs. Debienne and Poligny: The previous managers of the opera house.
- Carlotta: A famous, sometimes difficult, main singer at the Paris Opera House.
- Madame Valérius: Christine Daaé's elderly guardian.
Story Themes
Music's Role
Leroux uses the opera house setting to make music important in the story. Music often hints at what will happen later. For example, a song called Danse Macabre (meaning "dance of death") is played early on. This hints at a later scene in a graveyard where the Phantom plays his violin for Christine.
Music is also the main connection between Christine and Erik. Christine believes Erik is the "Angel of Music" her father promised would come to her. The Phantom sees Christine as his special student. He uses his love for music to teach her everything he knows.
The Mystery
The novel is written like a mystery novel. A detective tells the story, gathering clues and information. The main mystery is finding out who the 'Phantom' is and why he acts the way he does. He seems to appear out of nowhere in secret places. But even though it feels like a mystery, the story is more like a Gothic romance.
Gothic Horror
The Phantom can be compared to other scary characters in Gothic horror novels. These include Frankenstein's monster and Count Dracula. Even though the Phantom is just a deformed man, he seems like a ghost. No one can find him or his secret home. People are scared of him because of his looks and the violent things he does.
Romance and Choices
The novel has a love triangle between the Phantom, Christine, and Raoul. Raoul is Christine's childhood friend. She knows him well and feels affection for him. He is rich and offers her a safe, traditional life.
The Phantom, on the other hand, is unknown and mysterious. He is dark, ugly, and dangerous. He represents a forbidden kind of love. However, Christine is drawn to him because she sees him as her Angel of Music. She also feels pity for his lonely and dark life.
Other Versions of the Story
Many plays, movies, and even children's books have been made based on Leroux's novel. The most famous versions are the 1925 movie and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical.
Leroux's novel was made into two silent films. The first one, a German movie from 1916, is now lost.
The next silent film was made in 1925 by Universal Studios. This version stars Lon Chaney as the Phantom. The movie had some problems during filming, and the director was changed. The new director tried to make it a dark romantic comedy, but audiences didn't like it. Finally, the film was changed again to focus more on the original story. This time, it was a big success in 1925.
The most famous version of the novel is Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical from 1986. This musical became popular because it included many different styles, especially romance, which appealed to many people. The creators used the book's story and real accounts of the chandelier falling. They made a musical that stayed true to the original story while also creating a powerful new version.
There were some discussions about whether the musical was "inspired by" or "based on" Gaston Leroux's novel. Some people felt it should say "based on" to give more credit to Leroux. The musical's creators said they always wanted to honor Leroux's work. In the end, the show's program used "inspired by." This musical has won many top theater awards in the UK and the US. It first opened in London in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988. The Broadway show became the longest-running musical ever, playing for 35 years before closing in 2023. It is still running in London and is the second longest-running musical there. The show has also been performed in many other countries and languages.
Images for kids
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One of the five watercolors by André Castaigne illustrating the first American edition of the Phantom of the Opera (1911).
See also
In Spanish: El fantasma de la ópera para niños
