Résumé
Résumé de Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
À qui s’adresse-t-il ?
For readers who love atmospheric mysteries, old theaters, and love stories shadowed by fear. It also rewards anyone who knows the musical and wants to meet the source.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
What if the ghost the stagehands whisper about were a living man? Gaston Leroux, a newspaper reporter and crime writer, builds his novel on that question. He sets it inside the real Paris Opera House and tells it like a journalist checking the facts of a strange case. The managers dismiss the rumor, the young singer Christine Daaé hears a voice she cannot place, and the nobleman Raoul de Chagny loves her. A detective story, a ghost story and a love story move together, and the opera house is as much a character as any singer.
Dans ce résumé
- 1Leroux presents the story as a reportFree
- 2The old managers leave in a hurry
- 3Backstage the rumors grow darker
- 4The new managers learn to be afraid
- 5Christine Daaé, a voice from nowhere
- 6Raoul follows the voice behind the wall
- 7A great chandelier falls on the audience
- 8What the story is really about
- 9How Leroux builds the tale
Point clé 1 sur 9
Leroux presents the story as a report
Leroux opens with a preface in which he speaks as himself. He says the Opera Ghost truly existed, and that he spent many hours on research. He talked to witnesses, read the memoirs of a former manager and searched the archives of the Opera.
The book does not present itself as a fairy tale. It reads as a report on events the public once laughed at. Leroux says the ghost was a man of flesh and blood, and that this is the surprise of the case. He also says workmen dug up a body in the cellars, and he believes it belongs to the story.
The real Paris Opera, opened in 1875, lends the pose weight. It has deep foundations, an underground lake and a great many levels. You are asked to read like an investigator, collecting rumors and testing witnesses.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Christine Daaé
- A young Swedish singer, Christine studies with a mysterious teacher and shares a childhood friendship with Raoul.
- Raoul de Chagny
- A young viscount, Raoul loves Christine and worries about the mysterious influence surrounding her.
- The Opera Ghost
- A masked presence hidden within the theater, the ghost teaches Christine and demands obedience from the managers.
- Madame Giry
- The keeper of Box Five, Madame Giry respects the ghost and conveys his demands to the managers.
- Count Philippe de Chagny
- Raoul's protective older brother, Philippe fears that his attachment to Christine threatens the family's standing.
- Firmin Richard and Armand Moncharmin
- The theater's new managers dismiss the ghost's demands and try to assert their authority over the company.
- Carlotta
- The theater's established leading soprano, Carlotta regards the rising Christine as a threat to her position.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 87,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 5 h 45 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about Le Fantôme de l’Opéra
What is The Phantom of the Opera about?
It is about a mysterious figure said to haunt the Paris Opera House, a young singer named Christine Daaé who hears a hidden teacher's voice, and the nobleman Raoul who tries to understand and protect her.
Is The Phantom of the Opera a true story?
No. Leroux wrote it as fiction in 1909 and 1910, though he presents it as a report of real events. The Paris Opera House is real, and the story reaches into its cellars and underground lake.
Is the book different from the musical?
Yes. The musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber draws on Leroux's novel, but the book is more of a mystery, with a reporter's frame, comic managers and many scenes and characters that the stage show leaves out.
Is The Phantom of the Opera hard to read?
Not very. It reads like a classic adventure with a steady pull.
What does Box Five mean in the story?
Box Five is the private seat in the Opera House that the ghost claims as his own. It becomes a test of his power when the new managers refuse to keep it reserved for him.