I've never read the book or seen the musical; I freely admit that my only exposure to POTO is the movie and the original Broadway cast recording. That said, I've never quite understood the E/C insanity or the Raoul-bashing in this fandom. After I saw the movie I went looking for R/C fic and was shocked at how little there was. All that to say, great essay, and I completely agree with your points. I'll have to put the book on my million pages long reading list.