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.

(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.

This is the first book-length study of the rich operatic repertory written and performed in France during the last two decades of the nineteenth century. Steven Huebner gives an accessible and colorful account of such operatic favorites as Manon and Werther by Massenet, Louise by Charpentier, and lesser-known gems such as Chabrier's Le Roi malgré lui and Chausson's Le Roi Arthus.