The Phantom of the Opera
Gaston Leroux
2/5 stars
(Please note: I am a great fan of both Victorian and Edwardian novels, especially the thrillers, and am no stranger to this style of writing.)
The Phantom of the Opera is a classic gothic horror story, about the Opera Ghost ("Erik") of the Paris Opera House, and his unrequited love for singer Christine Daaé. The plot, with Erik's tragic history, the sad one-sided romance, and love triumphing over all, is a marvelous one. The presentation of it, not so much.
Leroux's chronicler vacillates--sometimes mid-chapter--between an investigative reporter recounting the facts he has uncovered, and an omniscient narrator sharing the thoughts of the characters. These changes are intrusive and break the flow of the account over and over again.
The conversations are stilted, unnatural. The characters, especially Christine and Raoul, are one-dimensional. The telling of the mysteries and horrors is so flat that they are simply not shocking. The repetitive phrases, especially in dialogue, but also in description and narration, are jarring and annoying.
The story itself is fascinating, and it's easy to see why it has had such far-reaching influence. How the book has become a classic, though, is a conundrum.
For the Classics Club, I'm supposed to write what this book made me feel and think, and I have to say that I was bored and just trying to get through to the end. I kept thinking that it would get better--and I was right. The last chapter was good, and even moving, but by then I just wanted it to be over.
