The Phantom of the Opera [Paperback]

In 1910, the mystery novelist Gaston Leroux, working from scraps of history, theatrical lore, and his own fertile imagination, created a masterpiece inLe fantôme de l’opéra, the story of a disfigured composer who lives in the labyrinthine depths of the Paris Opera. After the breathtaking debut of Christine Daaé, the whispers of an Opera ghost seem to become reality as the young singer vanishes. As the Phantom strikes again and again, targeting foes from a jealous diva to a romantic rival, Leroux spins a thriller of obsession and violence with, at its center, a tormented murderer who awakens our deepest fears and sympathies. The inspiration for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running musical, Leroux’s novel is still more riveting than anything Broadway could produce.“Ingenious . . . breathless suspense.”—The NationAnne Perry, the Edgar Award–winning author of more than thirty novels, is best known for her two Victorian mystery series. Her recent books includeDeath of a Stranger,The Whitechapel Conspiracy, andFuneral in Blue. She lives in Scotland.

1. 1. Some modern critics feel the characters inThe Phantom of the Operaare static and shallow, that Christine is too innocent, Raoul too noble, and Erik’s obsession with Christine never fully explained. Do you think Leroux purposely did this, and if so, why?

2. 2. The Phantom of the Operawas published as the romantic movement was slowly turning into the gothic movement. How would you classify it?

3. 3. Leroux wroteThe Phantom of the Operain a time when there was widespread French interest in Freudian psychoanalysis and particularly the libidinal/infantile/mother-seeking unconscious. How does Leroux work this into his novel? Are there characters that fit the infant or mother role?

4. 4. Some critics see thePhantomas simply the unconscious, the Freudian superelsA