I debated how to title today’s post. In part, I wanted to examine The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (yes, there’s a novel backing that all-famous musical!). That makes this something of a book review. But that’s not entirely my focus. I think you’ll see very quickly that this book opens a lot of questions about whether or not the tale is actually Gothic.
And in that vein, I’d like to discuss what would have made this a much more Gothic tale, along with my current work-in-process, which is based on The Phantom of the Opera, but is very different in many ways.
Beware: Plot Spoilers Ahead!
I love the Phantom of the Opera…the musical. I’ve seen it (or the movie version) or listened to the music many many times. I find myself spontaneously singing songs from the soundtrack on a fairly regular basis. It has a very Gothic feel: the underground caverns; a Phantom whom the musical implies may or may not actually be a person- he may truly be a phantom; the richly baroque setting of the Paris Opera House in the 1880s. It’s a siren-call to Gothic lovers.
Not surprisingly, I wanted to read the book behind the musical. Where the book differs most is with respect to the Phantom’s backstory. In Leroux’s novel, we learn much about Erik, the book’s contemporary villain. He wears the mask – initiated by his mother – to hide a facial disfigurement that he’s had since birth. He’s proficient in many languages and instruments and had lived abroad in Persia, designing a palace for the Shah, before fleeing to Paris. And he’s a murderer, one with a signature: the Punjab Lasso.
All of this is fascinating, but what it does is eliminate some of the mystery behind the Phantom. All of a sudden he’s a particularly maligned and sympathizable man with a difficult and troubling past. This is a two-edged sword and a good learning experience for all writers.
Whereas backstory usually creates a more multi-dimensional villain who’s more believable and, sometimes, more fearsome because of this, it can reduce the very thing that would have made this a truly Gothic story. I’ll show you why.
Gothic or Not?
In this story, other than the ambiance itself, which really just serves to set the scene, the most potentially Gothic element is the Phantom.
Christine Daae is a singer with the opera house, but an ordinary one at best – ordinary even for a professional. Some even think of her as less than professional quality. But when the lead singer, Carlotta, mysteriously falls ill and Christine is placed in the lead role, she brings the house down with her spectacular performance.
This sets off the story – a story of a young Swedish girl (Christine) who desperately loved her father’s fairy tale about an Angel of Music. It isn’t long before we learn the reason for her marked improvement. Behind the scenes, the Phantom, Erik, has taken a liking to her and tells her that he is that same Angel. She believes him and places herself under his tutelage. From that point, she is progressively controlled by him. This escalates until Erik realizes that she intends to run away with another man, Raoul, and instead kidnaps her. He takes her to the underground caverns where he lives.
Thus, a young woman who had nearly lost her love for music, is drawn back into it, shown to be wonderfully talented and ultimately is enslaved by it.
If you’re thinking actively, I think you can see how a Gothic writer could use the character of the Phantom to put forth a very Gothic (aka: irrational) theme. He is a symbol of the music that Christine couldn’t access on her own. He opens a door to her so that she can revel in it and excel. And so that everyone who hears her can see the beauty of the music as well. He’s a key to both the power and the control that music can have over someone. A ghost that speaks, not just to Christine, but to all of us.
The musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber leaves us with just that impression. The book does not.
Why? Because of the backstory. Whereas we usually want our characters – especially the antagonist – to have a rich backstory that readers can glimpse to some extent, in this case, the backstory undermines the Gothic elements.
By giving Erik too much humanity, the symbol of him as an Angel of Music (for good or evil) is largely eliminated. He becomes just a man who’s desperate to be loved. It’s a moving tale from his perspective, but I would have left him a shadowy character, largely unknown, his motives nebulous.
As a side note, if the primary elements contributing to what would have been a Gothic theme had been something other than Erik, this backstory could have worked. By that I mean that, if the story had used something like a hidden portal or a magical score of music that, once discovered, ushered Christine into a new enlightenment about music, the Phantom could have been just a villain. He could have had the elaborate backstory, making him just a well-developed antagonist, and the story would have been Gothic.
However, in the present case, Erik’s humanity overshadows any of the Gothic thematic elements, leaving us with a suspenseful murder/ kidnapping story with a distinctively Gothic ambiance. There’s a lot to like about that…but it doesn’t have the Gothic theme I had hoped to find. At best, it’s very loosely explored and somewhat vague.
My Work-in-Process
I’ve given this story more thought than I otherwise would have because my current manuscript is influenced by the Phantom of the Opera. My story features a young violin prodigy who’s born in the mid-1800s in Vienna. His greatest dream is to be the city and country’s lead violinist, but of course there are obstacles. He quickly understands the extent of his father’s contempt for musicians. And the Conservatory is more political than he – as a child – can initially understand. In addition, there are other brilliant young musicians in Vienna and some of them are the favorites of the board.
His dream seems untenable except for a mysterious stranger who has been following him and who offers to help him…for a price, of course. From that point on, his life vacillates between increasing success and the horrible consequences that come with the actions he takes to gain that success.
The theme I’m exploring is the origin of monstrosity: what brings a person to do evil? Is it something that we already are? Is it a difficult circumstance? Is it a choice?
The point of all of that is that in my book, the music is the vehicle to expose the truth. It isn’t the mysterious stranger per say, although he plays a very dark, inciting role. I can afford to bake in some backstory as to why this person would inject himself into this young boy’s life and why he would become such a malignant catalyst. That backstory won’t make the story any less Gothic because the mysterious stranger isn’t the central symbol that’s supporting the Gothic theme. Rather, I strongly imply (and the story proves) that what happens would have happened regardless of his presence. He just happens to be a tangible representation of the main character’s true nature.
Conclusion
The Phantom of the Opera is a good example of a story that walks the edge between Gothic and non-Gothic writing more so than most. That makes it a bit confusing to understand what kind of story this is. Perhaps the shortest way to say it is: if your antagonist (or other character) is the central Gothic symbol that would prove your Gothic theme, don’t allow backstory, or subplots, or any other element to downplay or overshadow that symbol. It needs all the weight you can give it.
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