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Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera is a Gothic novel which tells the story of a beautiful young prima donna who is being watched over by the ghost of the Paris Opera House. Summary of the Book Christine Daaé has been brought up in the Paris Opera House ever since the death of her father. A famous musician, her father promised her that she’d be watched over by a protective angel of music who’d guide her. She begins to hear a mysterious voice which begins to teach her how to sing beautifully. She assumes this is the very angel her father promised her about. She enjoys the attentions of her eerie guide, thinking him to be a harmless spirit. She has no idea how wrong she is, for when her childhood friend, Raoul comes to visit his parents and meets her once again, the “angel” turns jealous. He is no angel of music. He is Erik, the mysterious and unseen “ghost” of the Opera. He is in love with Christine, obsessed with caring for her and for her attentions. If Christine dares to notice any other man, Erik will stop at nothing to win her back. This book is a classic Gothic novel, considered a tragic romance and a remarkable example of the genre’s potential to court the macabre. About Gaston Leroux Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux was a French writer and journalist. He has also written The Mystery of the Yellow Room and The Perfume of the Lady in Black. The Phantom of the Opera has been adapted into several movies and plays. The most notable adaptations are the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.