The Opera ghost really existed. He was not, as was long believed, a creature of the imagination of the artists, the superstition of the managers, or a product of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box-keepers, the cloak-room attendants or the concierge. Yes, he existed in flesh and blood, although he assumed the complete appearance of a real phantom; that is to say, of a spectral shade. When I began to ransack the archives of the National Academy of Music I was at once ...
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The Opera ghost really existed. He was not, as was long believed, a creature of the imagination of the artists, the superstition of the managers, or a product of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box-keepers, the cloak-room attendants or the concierge. Yes, he existed in flesh and blood, although he assumed the complete appearance of a real phantom; that is to say, of a spectral shade. When I began to ransack the archives of the National Academy of Music I was at once struck by the surprising coincidences between the phenomena ascribed to the "ghost" and the most extraordinary and fantastic tragedy that ever excited the Paris upper classes; and I soon conceived the idea that this tragedy might reasonably be explained by the phenomena in question.
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Add this copy of The Phantom of the Opera to cart. $12.52, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by Createspace.
Add this copy of The Phantom of the Opera to cart. $673.67, new condition, Sold by Prime Goods Outlet rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Troy, OH, UNITED STATES, published 2015 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
The novel is dramatically different from all the film and theater versions. Its definately superior to the adapations. The original is still exciting and fun. Its still one of the most romantic novels ever written.
Raoul has a brother, the kindly Mrs Valerius, and a pretty dancer, la Sobelli are some of the characters which never made it into most of the other versions. The characters are diverse and very colorful. They are definately unique, each with their own personality. Though it is considered a horror novel, it actually seems closer to the historical mystery genre. There are deaths, but they are not shown in a gruesome fashion.
Erik, The Phantom, also has a long back story, often changed or shortened in film versions. Its worth reading just to learn the stories behind Christine , Raoul, and Erik who are well developed creations. There are all sorts of interesting subplots and pot twists to keep the readers attention.