The Phantom of the Opera (1910) is a novel by French writer Gaston
Leroux. Originally serialized in Le Galois, the novel was inspired by
legends revolving around the Paris Opera from the early nineteenth
century. Originally a journalist, Leroux turned to fiction after reading
the works of Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe. Despite its lack of
success relative to Leroux's other novels, The Phantom of the Opera
has become legendary through several adaptations for film, theater, and
television, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's celebrated 1886 Broadway
musical of the same name.
In 1880s Paris, the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House is rumored to
be haunted by a malignant entity. Known as the Phantom of the Opera, he
has been linked to the hanging death of a stagehand in addition to
several strange and mysterious occurrences. Just before a gala
performance, a young Swedish soprano named Christine is called on to
replace the opera's lead, who is suffering from a last-minute illness.
From the audience, the Vicomte Raoul de Chagny recognizes Christine, his
childhood sweetheart, and goes backstage after the opera has ended to
reintroduce himself. While waiting by her dressing room, he hears her
talking to an unknown man, but upon entering finds himself alone with
Christine. Pressing her for information, she reveals that she has been
receiving lessons from a figure she calls the Angel of Music, prompting
suspicion and terror in Raoul, who is familiar with the legend of the
Phantom. As Raoul makes his feelings for Christine known, the Phantom
professes his love for his protégé, and a battle for her affection
ensues. Caught in this love triangle, threatened on all sides by
jealousy and pursuit, Christine struggles to hold on as her star in the
Paris Opera rises.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera is a classic
of French literature reimagined for modern readers.
