''The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut'' ( ) is a novel by Antoine François Prévost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of ''Mémoires et aventures d'un homme de qualité'' (''Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality''). The story, set in France and

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

in the early 18th century, follows the hero, the Chevalier des Grieux, and his lover, Manon Lescaut. Controversial in its time, the work was banned in France upon publication. Despite this, it became very popular and pirated editions were widely distributed. In a subsequent 1753 edition, the Abbé Prévost toned down some scandalous details and injected more moralizing disclaimers. The work was to become the most reprinted book in French Literature, with over 250 editions published between 1731 and 1981.

Plot summary

Seventeen-year-old Des Grieux, studying philosophy at

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

, comes from a noble and landed family, but forfeits his hereditary wealth and incurs the disappointment of his father by running away with Manon on her way to a convent. In

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, the young lovers enjoy a blissful cohabitation, while Des Grieux struggles to satisfy Manon's taste for luxury. He acquires money by borrowing from his unwaveringly loyal friend Tiberge and by cheating gamblers. On several occasions, Des Grieux's wealth evaporates (by theft, in a house fire, etc.), prompting Manon to leave him for a richer man because she cannot stand the thought of living in penury. The Burial of Manon Lescaut by Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret

The Burial of Manon Lescaut by Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret

The two lovers finally end up in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Étienne Perier, and asks to be wed to Manon, Perier's nephew, Synnelet sets his sights on winning Manon's hand. In despair, Des Grieux challenges Synnelet, to a duel and knocks him unconscious. Thinking he had killed the man and fearing retribution, the couple flee New Orleans and venture into the wilderness of Louisiana, hoping to reach an English settlement. Manon dies of exposure and exhaustion the following morning and, after burying his beloved, Des Grieux is eventually taken back to France by Tiberge. Manonlescaut2.jpg Manonlescaut3.jpg Manonlescaut4.jpg

Adaptations

Dramas, operas and ballets

*''Manon Lescaut'' (1830), a ballet by

Jean-Louis Aumer Jean-Louis Aumer (21 April 1774 – 6 July 1833), also referred to as Jean-Pierre Aumer, was a French ballet dancer and choreographer. Early life and career as a dancer Aumer was born in Strasbourg of a manual labourer and non-theatrical parents ...

*'' Manon Lescaut'' (1856), an opera by French composer

Daniel Auber Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (; 29 January 178212 May 1871) was a French composer and director of the Paris Conservatoire. Born into an artistic family, Auber was at first an amateur composer before he took up writing operas professionally when ...

*'' Manon'' (1884), an opera by French composer Jules Massenet *'' Manon Lescaut'' (1893), an opera by Italian composer

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long l ...

*''Manon Lescaut'' (1940), a drama in verse by Czech poet Vítězslav Nezval *'' Boulevard Solitude'' (1952) "Lyrisches Drama" (lyric drama) or opera by German composer Hans Werner Henze *'' Manon'' (first performed in 1884), a ballet with music by Jules Massenet and choreography by

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Ea ...

*''Manon'' (2015), a musical written for the Takarazuka troupe by librettist/director Keiko Ueda and composer Joy Son

Films

*'' Manon Lescaut'' (1926), directed by

Arthur Robison Arthur Robison (June 25, 1883 – October 20, 1935) was a German film director and screenwriter of the silent era. He directed 20 films between 1916 and 1935. Selected filmography * ''A Night of Horror'' (1916) * '' What Belongs to Darknes ...

, with Lya de Putti *'' When a Man Loves'' (1927), directed by

Alan Crosland Alan Crosland (August 10, 1894 – July 16, 1936) was an American stage actor and film director. He is noted for having directed the first feature film using spoken dialogue, '' The Jazz Singer'' (1927). Early life and career Born in New York C ...

, with

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Barrymore family, Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage ...

and

Dolores Costello Dolores Costello (September 17, 1903Costello's obituary in ''The New York Times'' says that she was born on September 17, 1905. – March 1, 1979) was an American film actress who achieved her greatest success during the era of silent movies. ...

*'' Manon Lescaut'' (1940), directed by

Carmine Gallone Carmine Gallone (10 September 1885 – 11 March 1973) was an early Italian film director, screenwriter, and film producer, who was also controversial for his works of pro-Fascist propaganda and historical revisionism. Considered one of Ital ...

, with

Vittorio de Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: '' Sciuscià'' and '' Bicycle Thieves'' (honorar ...

and

Alida Valli Alida Maria Laura, ''Freiin'' Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli (or simply Valli), was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, s ...

*'' Manon'' (1949), directed by

Henri-Georges Clouzot Henri-Georges Clouzot (; 20 November 1907 – 12 January 1977) was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best remembered for his work in the thriller film genre, having directed '' The Wages of Fear'' and '' Les Diaboliques' ...

, with Michel Auclair and Cécile Aubry * '' The Lovers of Manon Lescaut'' (1954), directed by Mario Costa *''

Manon 70 ''Manon 70'' is a 1968 drama film directed by Jean Aurel, and starring Catherine Deneuve, Elsa Martinelli, Sami Frey, Robert Webber, Paul Hubschmid and Jean-Claude Brialy. The screenplay by Aurel and Cécil Saint-Laurent is loosely based on the ...

'' (1968), directed by Jean Aurel, with

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

and

Sami Frey Sami Frey (born Samuel Frei; 13 October 1937) is a French actor of Iranian Jewish descent. Among the films he starred in are ''En compagnie d'Antonin Artaud'' (1993), in which he portrays French poet and playwright Antonin Artaud, and '' Bande � ...

* Manón (1986), Venezuelan movie directed by Román Chalbaud, with Mayra Alejandra *''Manon Lescaut'' (2013), directed by Gabriel Aghion, with Céline Perreau and

Samuel Theis Samuel Theis (; born 12 November 1978) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. He was awarded the Camera d'Or prize along with Claire Burger and Marie Amachoukeli for directing the film ''Party Girl'' at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival ...

Translations

English translations of the original 1731 version of the novel include Helen Waddell's (1931). For the 1753 revision there are translations by, among others, L. W. Tancock (Penguin, 1949—though he divides the 2-part novel into a number of chapters), Donald M. Frame (Signet, 1961—which notes differences between the 1731 and 1753 editions), Angela Scholar (Oxford, 2004, with extensive notes and commentary), and Andrew Brown (Hesperus, 2004, with a foreword by

Germaine Greer Germaine Greer (; born 29 January 1939) is an Australian writer and public intellectual, regarded as one of the major voices of the radical feminist movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Specializing in English and women's literatu ...

). Henri Valienne (1854–1908), a physician and author of the first novel in the constructed language

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...

, translated ''Manon Lescaut'' into that language. His translation was published at Paris in 1908, and reissued by the British Esperanto Association in 1926.

Citations

Additional references

* * * * Kunitz, Stanley J. & Colby, Vineta (1967). François Prévost, Antoine in ''European Authors 1000–1900'', pp. 743–44. H.W. Wilson Company, New York.

Bibliography

* Sylviane Albertan-Coppola, ''Abbé Prévost : Manon Lescaut'', Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1995 . * André Billy, ''L'Abbé Prévost'', Paris: Flammarion, 1969. * René Démoris, ''Le Silence de Manon'', Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1995 . * Patrick Brady, ''Structuralist perspectives in criticism of fiction : essays on Manon Lescaut and La Vie de Marianne'', P. Lang, Berne ; Las Vegas, 1978. * Patrick Coleman, ''Reparative realism : mourning and modernity in the French novel, 1730–1830'', Geneva: Droz, 1998 . * Maurice Daumas, ''Le Syndrome des Grieux : la relation père/fils au XVIIIe siècle'', Paris: Seuil, 1990 . * R. A. Francis, ''The abbé Prévost's first-person narrators'', Oxford: Voltaire Foundation, 1993. * Eugène Lasserre, ''Manon Lescaut de l'abbé Prévost'', Paris: Société Française d'Éditions Littéraires et Techniques, 1930. * Paul Hazard, ''Études critiques sur Manon Lescaut'', Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1929. * Pierre Heinrich, ''L'Abbé Prévost et la Louisiane ; étude sur la valeur historique de Manon Lescaut'' Paris: E. Guilmoto, 1907. * Claudine Hunting, ''La Femme devant le "tribunal masculin" dans trois romans des Lumières : Challe, Prévost, Cazotte'', New York: P. Lang, 1987 . * Jean Luc Jaccard, ''Manon Lescaut, le personnage-romancier'', Paris: A.-G. Nizet, 1975 . * Eugène Lasserre, ''Manon Lescaut de l'abbé Prévost'', Paris: Société française d'Éditions littéraires et techniques, 1930. * Roger Laufer, ''Style rococo, style des Lumières'', Paris: J. Corti, 1963. * Vivienne Mylne, ''Prévost : Manon Lescaut'', London: Edward Arnold, 1972. * René Picard, ''Introduction à l'Histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'', Paris: Garnier, 1965, pp. cxxx–cxxxxvii. * Naomi Segal, ''The Unintended Reader : feminism and Manon Lescaut'', Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1986 . * Alan Singerman, ''L'Abbé Prévost : L'amour et la morale'', Geneva: Droz, 1987. * Jean Sgard, ''L'Abbé Prévost : labyrinthes de la mémoire'', Paris: PUF, 1986 . * Jean Sgard, ''Prévost romancier'', Paris: José Corti, 1968 . * Loïc Thommeret, ''La Mémoire créatrice. Essai sur l'écriture de soi au XVIIIe siècle'', Paris: L'Harmattan, 2006, . * Arnold L. Weinstein, ''Fictions of the self, 1550–1800'', Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1981 .

External links

* Full texts at

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