The individual as a whole: Leroux's use of opposite and the uncanny in The Phantom of the Opera

Drawing primarily from the work of Sigmund Freud's "The Uncanny," this research suggests that Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera utilizes defamilarization to draw attention to the paradoxical nature of the human spirit, taking this oft overlooked text and placing it within a worthy discussion of Leroux's contribution as a psychological writer. A major premise of this paper highlights Leroux's use of opposites to create a broader picture of the nature of humanity, something he achieves through his depiction of the Paris Opera House and in his characters of Christine and Erik. (Author abstract)