Student Question
Why did Gaston Leroux write "The Phantom of the Opera"?
Quick answer:
Gaston Leroux wrote "The Phantom of the Opera" inspired by a real ghost story about the Paris Opera House, involving a mysterious death of an opera singer. The narrative evolved to include supernatural elements, such as the Phantom. During this period, literature featuring ghosts and mysteries was popular and profitable, catering to a growing audience reading for enjoyment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
According to Leroux, the story is based on a real ghost story about the Paris Opera House. There was a mysterious death of a opera singer during the time period. Eventually the story came to include elements of the supernatural and eventually the figure of the Phantom. If you read the introduction, there are some details about the background of the story. The idea of the supernatural (ghosts, mysteries) was common in literature during that time period. Books with these topics could be very profitable to the writers on the common market. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, many more people were reading for personal enjoyment.
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