Appearance and Reality
The fact that The Phantom of the Opera takes place behind the scenes of the opera almost automatically draws readers’ attention to the disparity between reality and appearances. Leroux gives backstage details, starting with the dancers who line up in the first chapter, gossiping, and continuing on to point out the backdrops and the business arrangements that few opera goers are allowed to see. Unlike most backstage stories, though, this novel also goes into details about the Paris opera house that few of the average workers would be aware of,...
Source: Novels for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
(The entire page is 903 words.)
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