The “Phantom of the Opera” Garnier is a book from Gaston Leroux published in 1910. It is “on the edge of detective fiction and fantasy”. The story takes place at the Opéra Garnier in the heart of Paris, near the Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. What is true, false or a figment of the author’s imagination?

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Gaston Leroux, lawyer, legal journalist and an finally French writer

Gaston Leroux was a French writer, born on May 6, 1868 in Paris (10th arrondissement) and died on April 15, 1927 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes). He is best known for his fantastic detective stories. His novel Le Mystère de la chambre jaune (The Mystery of the Yellow Room), a masterpiece of ingenuity that inspired the Surrealists, brought him success in 1908. He continued to write novels in the same vein, including Le Fantôme de l’Opéra in 1910, La Poupée sanglante in 1923 and the Chéri-Bibi series from 1913.

The events leading up to the writing of The Phantom of the Opera

The late 19th century saw a number of events directly or indirectly linked to operas.

A falling chandelier at the Opéra Garnier on May 20, 1896.

The Opéra Garnier was finally inaugurated in 1875, and is therefore practically brand new at that date.
If we look at the details of this drama, what fell was not the chandelier, but one of the chandelier’s counterweights located in the attic – it weighed 750 kg after all! It went through the ceiling and then the floor of the fortunately deserted fifth boxes, landing on seats 11 and 13 of the fourth boxes, where a very modest lady with a passion for opera, Claudine Chomeil née Rispal, was seated. She died instantly. Many people were injured in the panic.
No one has really explained why the chain supporting the counterweight broke.

The tank under the Opéra Garnier building

At the very beginning in 1862 of the excavation required for the construction of the Opéra Garnier, the builders discovered sandy, waterlogged soil. The nature of the soil called into question the design of the foundations for a portion of the building, increasing its cost and somewhat delaying its implementation.

The solution devised by the engineers was to create a casing to contain underground pressure and seepage. It acts like a trough over a body of water, which can be filled to a greater or lesser extent in order to sink it into the spongy soil and stabilize it as the building above it (the Opéra Garnier) is erected, leaning against the walls of the casing.

The tank was built in layers of aggregate 2.20 m thick, using Portland cement, concrete, hydraulic lime and bitumen. Next, the inverted vaults (invert), pillars and ordinary vaults are made of Burgundy bricks, which form the floor of the stage’s fifth undercroft.

The space between the two allows 2400 m3 of water – weighing 2400 tonnes – to be stored, facilitating the distribution of the load drops from the highest and most imposing part of the palace, the stage house, but also the emptiest.

The reservoir is located beneath the stage house, and is accessed by two metal ladders that plunge into the water. It can also be accessed via a wide overhanging passageway, the second of eighteen levels behind the stage cage.

The structural condition of the tank and its vaults is regularly monitored. The water in the tank is completely evacuated every twenty years. A brigade of divers from the sapeurs-pompiers de Paris comes to train there on a regular basis. This reservoir is also used as a back-up in the event of a fire in the surrounding area. At one time, there were fish in the tank, but following a contemporary choreographic production using special shower effects on dancers, a disinfectant spilled into the tank, causing the demise of the goldfish, carp and other catfish and barbel in the tank.

The Grange-Batelière River

It’s a mythical watercourse that runs under the rue de la Grange-Batelière (just north of Boulevard Haussmann). Originally, there was a fortified farmhouse built in 1243, known as the Grange-Batelière. It was located at 9, rue Drouot in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, just north of Charles V’s enclosure and south of the brook of Ménilmontant, now rue de Provence. The Grange Batelière fief extended over 58 hectares from the Champs-Élysées to chemin de Montmartre (present-day rue Montmartre and rue du Faubourg-Montmartre).

The farm was destroyed in 1847. The extension of rue Drouot between today’s rue Rossini and rue de Provence was created on its land. The bend in rue Rossini marks the south-east corner of the Grange-Batelière enclosure. The legend of the Grange Batelière river originates from the proximity of the brook of Ménilmontant, which became the large sewer on which the rue de Provence was created, and which was covered from 1760 onwards.

This sewer, replaced in the mid-19th century by a new network, has been dry since that time and does not precisely run under rue de la Grange-Batelière – or below the Opéra Garnier, for that matter.

The many fires of theaters

In this period fires in theaters were very frequent, due to the use of candles and the flammability of painted scenery. On the night of January 14 to 15, 1838, a fire destroyed the Salle Favart after a performance of Mozart’s Opéra comique Don Giovanni. There were also fires at the Le Peletier opera house in 1873 and 1861.

Dancers burned alive on stage

In the 19th century, dancers faced a common danger. Ballerinas wore costumes made of light fabrics such as muslin and tulle, which were highly flammable. Gas-lamp lighting made the stage particularly dangerous.

On November 15, 1862, while Emma Livry, a promising young prima ballerina, was rehearsing for the ballet La Muette de Portici, her muslin tutu came into contact with the flame of a gas lamp used to light the stage. Her costume, made of light, flammable fabric, caught fire instantly. Within seconds, she was enveloped in flames.

Despite attempts to extinguish the fire (including wrapping her in a coat), she suffered burns over 40% of her body. She survived for eight months in excruciating pain before dying on July 26, 1863, aged just 21.

In 1887 Ballerina Louise Mérante’s costume caught fire, but she survived.

The spectacular fire at the Bazar de la Charité

The Bazar de la Charité was a charity auction organized in Paris from 1885 onwards by financier Henri Blount and chaired by Baron de Mackau. The aim was to sell objects – objets d’art, curios, paintings, jewelry, books and donated items for the benefit of the poor.

The history of this mundane event was marked by the disaster of May 4, 1897, when a fire was caused by the combustion of ether fumes used to power the lamp of a cinema projector.

The fire killed 125 people, including 118 women – often hobbled or even burned alive by their extremely awkward and flammable corsets and crinoline dresses – among them Sophie-Charlotte, Duchesse d’Alençon (sister of Empress “Sissi”), painter and ceramist Camille Moreau-Nélaton and Madame de Valence and her two daughters.

Gaston Leroux also drew inspiration from George du Maurier’s novel Trilby.

Published in book form in 1895, the novel of George du Maurier became a success thanks to the character of the hypnotist Svengali, for whom the author was inspired by the relationship between the famous French musician Nicolas-Charles Bochsa (†1856) and the English soprano Anna Bishop.

Trilby O’Ferrall, was a washerwoman with a beautiful voice but no ear for music. Trilby falls under Svengali’s spell: he hypnotizes her and transforms her into a diva, “La Svengali”, who sings beautifully when kept under hypnosis.

Later, during another concert, Svengali is struck down by a stroke and is no longer able to hypnotize Trilby, who begins to sing horribly, provoking mockery from the audience. Trilby is baffled: she remembers living and traveling with Svengali, but has no memory of having had a singing career. She leaves the stage, and Svengali dies. Trilby becomes ill with nerves. Despite her friends’ best efforts, she dies a few weeks later, staring at a photo of Svengali.

So now you have all the data you need to write your own good book on opera. Then compare your work with that of Gaston Leroux!

What happened to all this information in Gaston Leroux’s work?

• The story takes place at the Opéra Garnier, a prestigious and fashionable venue at the turn of the century.
• The chandelier is sabotaged by a mysterious figure
• One character has been the victim of severe burns that have stared him in the face.
• He hides from the others in the vastness of the Opéra Garnier
• We’re in an opera house, with girls dancers everywhere
• But one of them is courted by an aristocrat, but loved by the monster hiding in the opera house
• To make the story more romantic, the reservoir beneath the Opéra Garnier becomes a lake.
• This lake is fed by an underground river

This leads to Main Characters:

• Erik (the Phantom) – A disfigured genius who lives in the catacombs beneath the opera house. He is a master architect, musician, and illusionist.
• Christine Daaé – A young, talented soprano whom Erik secretly trains, believing she will love him in return.
• Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny – Christine’s childhood friend and love interest, who tries to save her from the Phantom’s grip.
• The Opera Managers – Skeptical of the Phantom’s existence but find themselves manipulated by his threats and demands.

The Phantom of the Opéra : the (true?) story by Gaston Leroux

Le Fantôme de l’Opéra (1910) by Gaston Leroux is a gothic novel blending mystery, romance, and horror. It tells the tragic tale of Erik, the disfigured genius who haunts the Paris Opera House, and his obsessive love for the young singer Christine Daaé.

Prologue: The Mystery of the Opera Ghost

Leroux presents the novel as a true story, claiming that the “Opera Ghost” (Fantôme de l’Opéra) really existed. He refers to historical events, like the falling of the Palais Garnier’s chandelier in 1896, to lend credibility to the tale.

Act 1: The Phantom of the Opera and Christine’s Rise

Setting: The Palais Garnier, Paris, 1880s.

The New Owners and the Phantom’s Presence

The Opera House has just changed management, and the new owners, Messrs. Moncharmin and Richard, laugh off rumors of the Opera Ghost, a mysterious figure who supposedly haunts the building. The old managers warn them that the Ghost demands Box Five be reserved for him and that he must receive a salary of 20,000 francs per month. The managers ignore the warnings—but strange events begin happening.

Christine Daaé’s Sudden Success

The Opera’s leading soprano, Carlotta, mysteriously loses her voice during a performance of Faust, and the unknown Christine Daaé takes her place, astonishing the audience with her angelic voice.

Christine’s childhood friend, Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny, watches her performance and recognizes the girl he once loved.

Raoul overhears Christine speaking to an unseen man in her dressing room. She calls him “the Angel of Music,” claiming her deceased father sent him to guide her voice.

Act 2: The Phantom of the Opera Obsession and Jealousy

The Phantom of the Opera Reveals Himself

Christine confesses to Raoul that the “Angel of Music” is actually a real man who visits her in secret. One night, the Phantom abducts Christine through a hidden passage behind her mirror.

The Phantom’s Underground Lair

Christine wakes up in a strange, dark underground world beneath the Opera House, where Erik (the Phantom) lives.

Erik reveals his deformed face, a skull-like horror that has caused him to live in hiding.

He professes his love for Christine and insists she must stay with him forever. Christine, terrified, agrees to wear the golden ring he gives her as a sign of commitment.

Christine’s Escape & Erik’s Wrath

Christine pretends to accept him, but when Erik lets her go back to the surface, she rushes to warn Raoul. The Phantom, realizing she loves Raoul, becomes jealous and enraged.

Act 3: Tragedy and the Phantom of the Opera Revenge

The Masquerade & Erik’s Warning

At a masked ball, Erik appears dressed as Red Death and warns Christine not to betray him. Christine and Raoul try to secretly escape Paris together, but Erik discovers their plan.

The Opera House Terror Begins

During a performance, Erik kidnaps Christine from the stage and brings her back to his underground lair. He gives her an ultimatum: Marry him, or he will destroy the Opera House with explosives.

The Persian & Raoul’s Search

The Persian, a former officer from Erik’s past, helps Raoul navigate the trap-filled underground passages of the Opera House. They fall into Erik’s torture chamber, a mirrored room designed to make victims go mad.

Christine’s Sacrifice & The Phantom of the Opera Redemption

Christine, seeing Erik’s pain and loneliness, kisses him—an act of kindness he has never experienced. Touched by her compassion, Erik releases Christine and Raoul and promises never to see her again. He tells Christine: “Go and marry the one you love.”

Erik, heartbroken, dies of despair shortly after, leaving a note stating: “Erik is dead.”

Themes & Symbolism of The Phantom of the Opera

Beauty vs. Monstrosity

• Erik is hideous on the outside but deeply emotional and intelligent.
• Society rejects him, showing that real monstrosity lies in people’s cruelty rather than appearances.

Love & Obsession

• Erik’s love for Christine is twisted and possessive, while Raoul’s love is innocent and protective.
• Christine is torn between fear, sympathy, and duty.

Isolation & Tragedy

• Erik, abandoned from birth, lives in self-imposed exile.
• He longs for love but believes he is unworthy of it, leading to his downfall.

Epilogue: The Opera Ghost’s Legend Lives On

• The Persian confirms that Erik was real and that he truly died of a broken heart.
• The Opera House remains haunted by his legend, fueling rumors of the Phantom’s curse.

Conclusion: A Story of Love, Madness, and Redemption

The Phantom of the Opera is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a psychological drama all in one.

It explores the depths of human loneliness, obsession, and compassion. But this is only a summary, it’s best to read the book in its entirety. The book “Le fantôme de l’Opéra” can easily be found in bookshops or on the Internet, in French, English and many other languages.