Palais Garnier

The most obscure character in The Phantom of the Opera, is the Paris Opera House. Working in duality, the opera house not only provides the setting, but it also shines a light on the hypocritical and social ills French society at the time. The opera house emphasizes the social status during a period known as the Belle Époque (The Beautiful Season), which the upper-class would come to call 'The Golden Age', during this period the standards of living was increased for the middle and upper-class. The Belle Époque is supposed to be a period of joy and peace, however, if we look deeper into the novel we understand that that is not the case. Leroux claims that "None will ever be a true Parisian who has not learned to wear a mask of gaiety over his sorrows and one of sadness, boredom or indifference over his inward joy" (L. Gaston 35). Leroux emphasizes that even though the Parisian society is to be one of a gilded age, but a facade for of what was really happen. Even more complexly, Leroux has split the opera house into two distinguishable layers; the luxurious above and the dark underground. The Opera House's upper layer is luxurious building, which represents the wealth and social status of the upper-class members that attended Opera. Leroux's descriptions of the opera's backstage life draw a realistic view of how society worked at the time; with those at the poorest ranks taken advantage of and often discarded by the ones above them: Mme. Giry turned purple with indignation.…

The focus on aesthetics, or more commonly known, the admiration of beauty, might seem abnormal when discussing monsters, after all, a monster is known for its lack of beauty. Early myths portrayed the monster as something to be killed, a brute that may have resembled humankind, similarly as their divine beings did, however as opposed to being worshiped, they were consistently kept in the cemetery of crushed enemies. Over the years, the monsters of myths have moved from the iconic literary works…

The most famous building that we can find in Paris are Eiffel Tower, the cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Paris, Arc de Triomphe, Palais du Louvre, Sacré-Cœur, Panthéon, Opéra Garnier, Les Invalides, Centre Pompidou and Palais du Luxembourg. From all of them, the Eiffel Tower is the most famous architectural landmark of Paris, called the Lady of Paris, also recognized as a symbol of France. Today, it is the fifth tallest building in France and the tallest building in Paris. Eiffel Tower is located at…

Edgar Degas was making drawings of the ballerinas and dancers in the 19th century. French artist Edgar Degas created hundreds of artworks that captured the ballet world of 19th century Paris. Degas regularly went to the Palais Garnier Opera House to observe the ballerinas (Edgar Degas). His focus was on their natural movement as they practiced. Exploring the way the dancers' bodies flowed through performance. Edgar showed a talent for drawing while young and wanted to become and artist. Edgar…

she walked out the door, a cold wind danced across her skin. Drawing the red cloak, which she had been told was her mother 's, closer to her, she rushed off to the stables. "Monsieur, do you think you could take me to the hospital?" Her voice was quiet for if she spoke louder, she feared she would break down. "Of course, but the trip and the amount of time I have to wait will add on to the amount of francs owed." He looked at her suspiciously. All she did was nod and the coachman assisted her…

In the original novel, Leroux presents the story as entirely true. A journalist by trade, Leroux based his characters on real people, such as contemporary soprano Christina Nilson. He details actual productions that the opera company had been performing at the time, including Faust. The climactic chandelier crash in the novel was based on an actual event in which the counterweights of the chandelier in the Palais Garnier fell. The novel is considered “faction” by many. While the specific…

voice that could sound like an angel from heaven above for a demon from hell below. It wasn't enough that he could create beauty with his voice, was it? It seemed that the Almighty had one last gift in store for Mr. Raison when He made those pianist's hands that were just as adept at tuning an instrument as they were at creating building plans. There had been many that whispered it wasn't fair that one man should be both a talented composer, singer, and architect. Surely those talents could…