[The Duchess of Mint]

Dear "TPotO" Fans,

SPOILER ALERT!

I am still sort of confused about the back-stories of Christine, Erik, Raoul, etc.

Let's see if I've got the situation right:

Madam Griry is about 12 or so (?) when Erik is burned; she sees him being teased, and she watches him as he kills one of his tormenters, and then she rescues him by hiding him, and somehow, her folks don't find out about what she's done. Erik is about 10 (?) when he's rescued.

Some odd years pass (10?), and Christine and her father live close to the infamous opera house; Mr. Daae thinks that his daughter would make a wonderful opera star, so he's paying Madam Griry to allow Christine to start out in the general company.

Christine and Raoul, who is around her age (?), become childhood sweethearts (at 7?)

Then, Mr. Daae falls ill, and he dies. Christine is about 7. Raoul is around the same age. Christine begins to believe in "The Angel of Music", and Madam Griry takes her in as her own ward, placing her in the exact same room that she KNOWS (?) that Erik has access to (?).

Meg and Christine are friends, and Raoul is still Christine's childhood sweetheart. Christine tells Raoul about "The Angel of Music", but Raoul doesn't even think to investigate.

Erik has been speaking, and singing, to Christine, through her wall, and she grows up believing that he is "The Angel of Music".

Etc., and so on...

I don't know much about the years, and the ages, that go along with the characters back-stories.

When was Madam Griry born? When was Erik born? Is Meg really Christine's age? When was Raoul born?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[operafantomet]

These are movie questions, right?

Originally (as in Leroux) Raoul spent parts of his childhood in the country (Perros-Guirec), where Christine and her father lived as well. Father and daughter were under the care of professor Valerius and his wife, which had discovered their unusual musical gifts. Raoul and Christine were of different social class, but played together every day, often by the sea. In the evening Christine's father told them fairy tales from the North, as well as old Breton legends. Those about "Little Lotte" was especially popular ("Little Lotte" is based on a poem by Norwegian Andreas Munch, can be read here: http://www.dagbladet.no/docarc/showdoc.php?a=1&d=147 ).

Originally (still Leroux) Christine's father lived until her teenage years sometimes. After that Mama Valerius took care of her, making sure she got an education at the "Conservatorie" (national music school at Palais Garnier aka the Paris Opera House). But Christine lost her will to sing, her musical nerve, when her father died. She still had a pretty voice, but it lacked life - it was mechanical. Enters: the Angel of Music.

A very nice and enlightenign chapter of Leroux (with the whole childhood affaire) can be read here: http://www.readprint.com/chapter-4843/Leroux-Gaston

Even though this doesn't directly answer your questions, it gives you a good framework and a background to the characters which is useful.