This guide opens with a general survey of Massenet's career and continues with two essays about the opera 'Manon' in particular. Professor Hugh Macdonald explores the interplay of speech and song in this opera and Massenet's genius for comedy. Professor Vivienne Mylne traces the sources of Prévost's novel, setting it in the context of other racy, supposedly improving, 18th century novels of the seduction and ruin of women.

A comprehensive guide to Massenet's MANON, featuring Principal Characters in the opera, Brief Story Synopsis, Story Narrative with Music Highlight Examples, and an insightful and in depth Commentary and Analysis by Burton D. Fisher, noted opera author and lecturer.

'The sweetness of her glance - or rather, my evil star already in its ascendant and drawing me to my ruin - did not allow me to hesitate for a moment' So begins the story of Manon Lescaut, a tale of passion and betrayal, of delinquency and misalliance, which moves from early eighteenth-century Paris - with its theatres, assemblies, and gaming-houses - via prison and deportation to a tragic denouement in the treeless waste of Louisiana. It is one of the great love stories, and also one of the most enigmatic: how reliable a witness is Des Grieux, Manon's lover, whose tale he narrates? Is Manon a thief and a whore, the image of love itself, or a thoroughly modern woman? Prévost is careful to leave the ambiguities unresolved, and to lay bare the disorders of passion. This new translation includes the vignette and eight illustrations that were approved by Prévost and first published in the edition of 1753. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

(Amadeus). This superbly detailed biography examines the life of Jules Massenet (1842-1912), who was at the heart of Parisian musical life during a period of extraordinary artistic vitality.