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The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux REVIEW
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2021
- Should this novel deserve to be read as widely as other pop culture classics such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Sherlock Holmes? Or should the phantom be put to sleep forever?
The novel is available to read on Project Gutenberg - here it is in English:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/175
And here in the original French:
www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62215
US readers, buy the book on IndieBound (yep I'm an affiliate):
www.indiebound.org/book/97801...
UK & other European readers, buy it on Blackwell's (also an affiliate):
blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/pro...
These affiliate links are for the Penguin Classics edition of the book, but there are, of course, countless more editions to choose from.
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In a sea of superficial book reviews, your nuanced and insightful arguments, mixed with a book lover’s steady passion, is an absolute delight.
This is a very thoughtful analysis of the book! I’ve read it many times before but I haven’t picked it up in years. I’m reading it now. One thing I noticed is how awful Raoul is in the book, so it made me laugh when you called him a self-obsessed brute! The phantom is definitely sinister, but I almost have more compassion for him. I think this book is in part a commentary on how society creates monsters like Erik. There’s a quote I remember from years ago where Gaston Leroux states that Erik had a heart big enough to cradle the empire of the world, but he was just too ugly. Spillers: I can understand that Christine was concerned with her survival, but I had forgotten how she manipulates Erik into making him believe that she loves him. I thought it was kind of heartbreaking. I don’t think she was after Raoul for his title or wealth, but her love for him didn’t make much sense considering he thought she was a harpy. I definitely think there’s an Orientalist perspective in the book. As a person of Arab descent, though, I kind of love how deeply Erik resonates with those cultures (aside from being a killing machine) and the l Persian is probably my favorite character, as he is the most noble and upstanding one in the story. There is a lot to examine and discuss in this book!
Love the Lon Chaney film! Lovecraft went to see it in the cinema in New York, and initially cool towards the first act, was rapturous over the grotesque make up and Red Death ball colour sequence. The Folio Society put out a sumptuous illustrated edition recently.
Makes me wonder why the book is hella underrated, no one mentions this in Classics .
Btw the gesture of "holding pistol" is supposed to be upwards so that they don't get strangled. ( Erik is quick witted)
" Your hands at the level of your eyes"
Great review! I just finished it tonight and really enjoyed it. I was surprised at how comical it was in some parts when the ‘twist’ was revealed (the walking backwards man for eg), how wonderfully atmospheric it was and just how fun of a read it was with it’s overwrought, dramatic characters.
Thanks for the review! It's definitely on my reading list. I think Leroux was influenced by Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Absolutley
Great review, just finished this novel and couldn’t find any other reviews as good as this one! Cheers and keep it up.
Can you do a bookshelf tour sometime? I'm really curious what's on your shelves
The Phantom of the Opera is here inside your mind.
I was literally just thinking about reading this book soon.
The books on that book shelf look so satisfying 😌
Great review! Thank you :)
Good video! 😄
Indeed, two male leads vying for Christine: an entitled, creepy aristocratic narcissist who hurts Christine... and Raoul! ❤