The Phantom of the Opera

Gaston Leroux

Nov 2009 · Penguin UK

About this ebook

Rumours that a ghost stalks the dark passages and cellars of the Paris Opera House, wreaking havoc, have long been rife among staff and performers. This Phantom also haunts the imagination of the beautiful and talented singer Christine Daaé, appearing to her as the 'Angel of Music' - a disembodied voice, coaching her to sing as she never could before. When Christine is courted by a handsome young Viscount, the mysterious spectre, who resides in the murky depths of the building, is consumed by jealousy and seeks revenge.

With its pervading atmosphere of menace, tinged with dark humour, The Phantom of the Opera (1910) offers a unique mix of Gothic horror and tragic romance that has inspired film, stage and literature since its publication.

About the author

Gaston Leroux (1868-1927) was a prolific French journalist, playwright and mystery novelist, best known for his Le Fantôme de l'opéra (1910).

Mireille Ribiere is a freelance author and translator. She holds a PhD in twentieth-century French Literature from the University of London and is a well-known specialist of the work of French writer Georges Perec.

Jann Matlock is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of French at UCL. She is the author of Scenes of Seduction: Prostitution, Hysteria, and Reading Difference in Nineteenth-Century France and has recently completed a book entitled Before the Voyeur: Spectacles of the Body, Aesthetics, and Vision in Nineteenth-Century France.