Ana Sucaldito
Mrs. WilsonAP Multicultural Literature B
15 January 2013
Sympathetic
In the epilogue of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera, Leroux uses his signature journalistic format to create credibility, using it as a base in order to establish direct dialogue with the reader and make Erik seem more sympathetic. Both The Phantom of the Opera and The Mystery of the Yellow Room ask the reader to believe in fantastical tales. So, credibility factors greatly into Leroux’s works. Leroux’s credibility here takes on even more importance because he has to prove that the discovered skeleton was “the skeleton of the Opera Ghost” (Leroux 264), an entity that some don’t even believe existed.
Creating ethos is the foundation of Leroux’s novels. Footnotes, one of the unique features of Leroux’s work, direct the reader to “see the interview of the special correspondent” (Leroux 263) in order to prove that Erik resembled the Sultan. Including this footnote gives the audience the opportunity to check the author’s sources; it also proves that the author did research, building ethos. This ethos is further cemented through Leroux’s use of direct quotes. Using quotes insures that Erik’s wish to be “like everybody else” (Leroux 263) is not compromised through paraphrasing. They also let Leroux include other voices besides his own into the piece, keeping it authentic.
The credibility created by quotes and footnotes works to make Leroux’s theories and opinions seem reasonable. Leroux wants the reader to view the Phantom as a real man, as “poor unhappy Erik” (Leroux 263). “I need only say” that Leroux’s use of first person establishes a rapport with the audience (Leroux 263). His conversational tone and colloquial diction also help establish the speaker as one of the people. Diction, specifically his choice of adjectives, labors to make Erik more accessible. Erik’s sympathetic qualities are highlighted, while his horrific, assassin past is downplayed, described as “adventurous” (Leroux 262). Rhetorical questions enhance this relatable quality. When Leroux asks “shall we pity him?” (Leroux 263) the reader knows that he wants the answer to be yes. Rhetorical questions help plant the author’s ideas in the reader’s head, making the author’s views seem more acceptable.
Structure, literary device and purpose go hand in hand. In The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux uses structure to enhance his credibility. This credibility provides the foundation of the piece so that literary devices can be used to make Erik more sympathetic, the author’s ultimate goal.
In response to “Sympathetic,” your close reading essay on the passage from The Phantom of the Opera:
ReplyDeleteI totally enjoyed your, complete, captivating, entertaining presentation in class on the mind of Leroux, a name I had never heard mention of before, though I’ve heard numerous mentions and references made of The Phantom of the Opera.
Your analysis of Leroux’s focus in his literary/writing style impressed me greatly in its pinpoint precision and impact on the analysis of his writing. I loved how you expounded on, and focused on, Leroux’s attention to detail and his constant appeal to ethos as his main style of rhetoric. I enjoyed how you used his background, a journalist, to reason as to why Leroux wrote in such a style.
I agree with all the points you made in your close reading essay on the passage you chose from The Phantom of the Opera. I especially enjoyed your connection between Leroux’s use of first person and sympathetic diction to appear as the person next to appears to us—a normal, everyday man or woman. Perhaps, however, you might have been able to mention a bit upon how Leroux, using this style, is giving off an air of un-bias, closeness, and trustworthiness, but in actuality, his use of these techniques is only a mask of his true intent—to get the audience to sympathize with the Phantom of the Opera along with him. In other words, Leroux’s use of these techniques accomplishes a double purpose, a feat that many authors throughout history are painfully unable to accomplish.