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Manon Lescaut (Large Print)

3.52 of 5 stars 3.52 · rating details · 2,120 ratings · 73 reviews

"'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...more

Paperback, Large Print, 332 pages

Published by WWW.Readhowyouwant.com (first published 1731)

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Jul 23, 2011 Yann rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lumières, france, sexisme

Les romans ne sont pas le type de livre que je préfère, mais lorsqu'ils parviennent à peindre la nature avec une telle fidélité, on ne peut qu'être admiratif. Rien n'est digne de respect dans la conduite de nos deux héros qui ne se lassent jamais de traiter leurs faiblesses avec indulgence, en les parant des couleurs de l'amour. La folle complaisance du chevalier le conduit à descendre les degrés de malheurs successifs qui sont la juste récompense du mépris dans lequel il relègue la raison. Les...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Gale rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics-in-translation

“Purified by Love’s Sacrifices”

Somewhat mirroring the life of the author this novel (originally entitled A MAN OF QUALITY, 1728) ranks as the quintessential tale of passion run amuck; a young man of good family is instantly seduced by his own naïve infatuation for a young, beautiful, frivolous girl. Blithely forsaking his clerical studies the Chevalier (Order of Malta), Des Grieux (whose first name the author coyly withholds) throws himself headlong into his newfound passion for the coquettish...more “Purified by Love’s Sacrifices”

Somewhat mirroring the life of the author this novel (originally entitled A MAN OF QUALITY, 1728) ranks as the quintessential tale of passion run amuck; a young man of good family is instantly seduced by his own naïve infatuation for a young, beautiful, frivolous girl. Blithely forsaking his clerical studies the Chevalier (Order of Malta), Des Grieux (whose first name the author coyly withholds) throws himself headlong into his newfound passion for the coquettish courtesan; shameless with his best friend, Tiberge, studying for the priesthood, and his decorous father, DG discards all common sense, family decency and fraternal loyalty in order to pursue his one-sided affair with flirtatious Manon.

Time and again desperate Des Grieux is deceived the heartless girl and even her unscrupulous brother; yet he is always converted to his state of adoration by her pleas and tears. In vain do his friends warn him that he is rushing headlong into ruin---financial, social and legal. But he insists on risking All for Love! After having engaged in fraudulent schemes to rob and embarrass her lecherous lovers, DG continues to demonstrate poor judgment for Her sake.

Often weeping and even fainting the male protagonist reveals himself weak in “heroic” behavior--but strong in his passion. While the female protagonist is utterly selfish and manipulative, DG’s male friends prove loyal and forgiving to the extreme. Tiberge especially, his dearest friend, provides comfort, emotional refuge, sage advice and ready money for DG’s excesses—ever urging him to return to the church’s fold. Ah, but will Manon ever regret and reform her ruthless lifestyle? Does she live merely to enjoy her power over helpless men? Is Love the only way left for her redemption; will she realize it in time? Why does God seem to turn his back on the hapless pair--just when DG wants to make an honest woman of her? Is this a subtle sub-theme of Prevost, who himself flirted with a religious vocation?

The first-person format is one of double narration, but DG proves painfully honest in his expose of amorous affliction and wild abuse of his friends’ and family’s resources--freely admitting that he repeatedly rejected common decency and loyalty to his sacred career. This 1948 edition, translated by L.W. Tancock, is printed with excessively long paragraphs, sometimes only two per page, which might discourage many readers. MANON LESCAUT served as literary inspiration for Dumas’ La Dame Aux Camelias, also known as CAMILLE. In fact his romantic hero, Armand Duval, actually presents his Marguerite, dying of consumption, with a copy of MANON. Does he consider her equally heartless?

(August 8, 2010. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)

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Nov 03, 2012 Lacey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this for my Opera and Literature class, as it is the basis for two operas. At first, I had great difficulty in feeling any sympathy for the Chévalier des Grieux, as he chases after Manon with a seemingly ridiculous amount of blindness: not only does he totally ruin his own reputation, he is forced to go begging to his friend Tiberge so that he can keep Manon in the opulence that she values even above him. I couldn't help but wonder how he could be so stupid-- at every turn there was someo...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Dfordoom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The books of Antoine François Prévost (1697-1763) or the Abbé Prévost as he’s generally known are all forgotten, apart from one short novel, Manon Lescaut. It’s one of the classic tales of obsessive (and destructive) love.

It was originally written as part of a much longer work, Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality, but achieved enormous success when published separately.

The Chevalier des Grieux is a young man who had been studying for the priesthood. His life was irrevocably altered by his...more The books of Antoine François Prévost (1697-1763) or the Abbé Prévost as he’s generally known are all forgotten, apart from one short novel, Manon Lescaut. It’s one of the classic tales of obsessive (and destructive) love.

It was originally written as part of a much longer work, Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality, but achieved enormous success when published separately.

The Chevalier des Grieux is a young man who had been studying for the priesthood. His life was irrevocably altered by his meeting with the young and beautiful Manon Lescaut. His affair with Manon causes him to be disowned by his father and leads him on a downward spiral towards ruin and crime. Manon betrays him repeatedly, but his devotion to her is unwavering. In fact it seems as if the more she betrays him the more he loves her. He becomes a swindler and a card shark in order to find the money he needs to keep Manon in the style to which she is accustomed.

The manner in which the story is told is more interesting than the story itself. It is told by the des Grieux himself and he can be seen as a kind of unreliable narrator in the sense that we only see Manon through his eyes and it is obvious that he does not see her clearly at all. Whether she is a better person that the narrative will lead us to believe, or (as is perhaps more likely) a much worse person, remains uncertain. In any case we know virtually nothing of Manon’s real motivations or of her real feelings (if any) for the hapless narrator.

The Chevalier des Grieux is in some ways just as interesting as Manon, being an object lesson in the perils of self-pity. He displays monumentally bad judgment and is incapable of understanding the extent to which he is the author of his own calamities.

The Abbé Prévost himself was torn between his conflicting desires for a religious life on the one hand and his taste for worldly pleasure in the other. It seems likely that the character of des Grieux is based at least partly on the author and there may even have been a real-life counterpart to Manon.

The book’s message is certainly somewhat ambiguous. It’s as much a celebration of the joys of sacrificing everything for love as it is a warning of the dangers of doing so, this ambiguous message being undoubtedly part of the reason the book was banned in France.

Manon Lescaut is probably better known as the source material for no less than three 19th century operas.(less)

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Mar 21, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Jul 02, 2010 Lavinia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fiction

I’m one of those who were never truly tempted by chivalric romance, courtly love, super-knights and endless quests, adventurous musketeers and pretty ladies with complex hairstyles and tight corsets. Though I must admit, every now and then I enjoy watching a film on the matter, if handsome actors are involved, if you know what I mean. Still, I can’t help wondering how come only the good guys, the brave and the strong ones are neat and cute, and all the others are ugly as hell and seem not to hav...more I’m one of those who were never truly tempted by chivalric romance, courtly love, super-knights and endless quests, adventurous musketeers and pretty ladies with complex hairstyles and tight corsets. Though I must admit, every now and then I enjoy watching a film on the matter, if handsome actors are involved, if you know what I mean. Still, I can’t help wondering how come only the good guys, the brave and the strong ones are neat and cute, and all the others are ugly as hell and seem not to have touched water and soap (or whatever they were using) in ages.

Given the premise, I basically had no reason to read Manon Lescaut, yet there I was, picking it up, thinking it was too long a time since it had been among other unread books and imagining I was going to enjoy it.

Prévost, a smart and prolific man, from what I’ve read, wrote the book somewhere towards the middle of the 18th century, but it seems to have caused so much scandal that it had to be burned, so he revised the book and published it again a few decades later and it is seen, even today, one of the most touching, passionate and painful love stories in the French literature. Oh, well.

It’s not that I didn’t like it, but I was constantly annoyed by des Grieux (young wannabe chevalier) and his stupid and childish decisions. So he convinces the very young Manon Lescaut not to go to the monastery, where she is sent against her will because she loves the world too much, and run away with him. Classic. But the stupid kids don’t have a penny on their name so they need to come up with plans to live in the high society, because, isn’t it so? Manon needs to go to the opera and have all sorts of amusements. Crap.

To cut it short: Manon, the pure and kind and so-much-in-love-with-des Grieux, throws herself to the first guy with money (and the second, for that matter), in order to (financially) protect their love. Petite whore? I think so. Des Grieux stupidly comes back to her, time after time, agreeing to be an accomplice in Manon’s schemes, only to have her love.

Questions: Why does des Grieux only starts thinking of working in Louisiana (where Manon is sent and he obediently follows)? How come in Paris none of them has the decency of thinking of something worth doing to earn some money? Yeah, I get it. You’re a chevalier, you don’t work in Paris, you rely on your father’s money. Too bad he leaves you penniless, smart ass. How easy is it to die overnight when you realize you’ve got no escape? You just wish for, and in the morning you’re cold? Come on, Monsieur Prévost!

And for those around here who say Manon Lescaut is an archaic book, look up archaic in the dictionary, please. And you, who say the book is about sex. sex. sex. take a cold shower. Urgently.
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Apr 01, 2012 Crys rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love

..Atunci vei fi cel mai bogat om din univers, caci, daca e drept ca n-a existat niciodata o dragoste ca a ta, e de asemenea peste putinta sa se afle pe lume un om mai iubit ca tine. N-am meritat dragostea minunata ce o ai pentru mine. Ti-am pricinuit suparari mari, pe care nu mi le-ai fi putut ierta daca n-ai fi atat de nemarginit de bun. Am fost usuratica, flusturatica, si cu toate ca totdeauna te-am iubit nebuneste, m-am aratat nerecunoscatoare.

Am pierdut-o; mi-a dat dovezi de dragostea ce mi...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Josh B. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2.5 stars. Not a very impressive book, even by 18th century standards. The narrator/main character, Des Grieux is a selfish, immature milksop who sobs on every page. He's supposedly a devoted lover, but in reality he's just immature and silly. He pursues the frivolous Manon, and he does ridiculous acts in her "honor," like killing servants, stealing money, and squeezing every penny from his friends and relatives. Sounds pretty immature to me. He does all these seemingly selfish things in pursuit...more 2.5 stars. Not a very impressive book, even by 18th century standards. The narrator/main character, Des Grieux is a selfish, immature milksop who sobs on every page. He's supposedly a devoted lover, but in reality he's just immature and silly. He pursues the frivolous Manon, and he does ridiculous acts in her "honor," like killing servants, stealing money, and squeezing every penny from his friends and relatives. Sounds pretty immature to me. He does all these seemingly selfish things in pursuit of a woman who cheats on him not once, but three times throughout the novel. Why does he stay with her?? According to Des Grieux, it's because of "love." Rather it's because he's an idiot. He begs for the reader's sympathy because he's sick with "love," and he uses this excuse to justify all his selfish actions, including threatening to shoot a man while escaping from prison and then killing another for no reason whatsoever.
Not only is he selfish, he's just plain lazy. Instead of getting a job to support himself and Manon, he gambles to make money. Keep in mind this guy's from a very well established family with lots of money, so why is he gambling to make money?
This book also suffers from a ridiculous plot that I found quite unbelievable. Apparently escaping from prison was the easiest thing in the world in the 18th century, as there are 3 occasions when this occurs. Certain plot elements seemingly come out of nowhere and disappear unexplained, like (view spoiler), which felt random and unnecessary.
This book didn't seem like it was very well thought out. The whole book just felt rather slip shod and contrived.
The only redeemable aspect about this book was Manon herself, who is the predecessor of Emma Bovary, selfish and impulsive, but also loving and thoughtful. Is she a whore or is she devoted lover? She's a real woman, not just some typecast. Unfortunately, the story is not told from her perspective, but from the dreadful Des Grieux.
If you want good 18th century French lit, read Dangerous Liaisons, the characters, plot, and themes are much more developed and thought out.

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Sep 28, 2010 Noah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-literature

I've never exactly been a fan of this type of novel, but Manon Lescaut did not impress me at all. It was a quick read and I finished it in the space of a day, but only because there was so little there for me to find interest in. The plot itself is full of unbelievable turns of fortune that seem rather contrived, the two main characters are merely immature teenagers pretending to be adults, and any moral discussions seem like they could easily be copied from a modern-day high-schooler's blog on...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Rowena rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, french-lit

Des Grieux is a nobleman who falls in love with the irresistible Manon Lescaut, a woman from the lower classes. They run away together and during the course of their relationship, Manon betrays des Grieux three times. He takes her back every time after experiencing some angsty thoughts, such as “But in my heart I was so overjoyed at seeing her again that I could scarcely bring myself to say a hard word to her, despite all the grounds I had for being angry. Yet my heart was bleeding at the cruel...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Ellee rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: less-than-200pgs, fiction-megalist, dailylit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 28, 2008 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, classics-old-and-new, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ***Warning- May Contains Spoilers!

This book is a "Love Story", but not in sense as it first appears to be.

The young man's undying and unbridled passion or love for Manon clouds all his good judgment. I was disappointed by his every choice to leave virtue behind. I could endure his endless follies and words of devotion only a few pages at a time. I think in our day Manon may have saught a restraining order on the boy.

What struck me the most was the change that overcame Manon when she realized t...more

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Jul 22, 2009 Katharine Yvonne added it · review of another edition

I'd reccommend this book if you're looking for an archaic book you can impress people with but don't have the patience for anything less than contemporary.

I think it has the same eternal appeal as the Count of Monte Cristo, which I recall most of my friends liked reading in high school. There's romance, conflict, and dueling--all set against the backdrops of France and Louisiana.

I would probably reread it if I had the time and were in more of a ex-patriate mood than I have been lately.

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Feb 02, 2011 Ellie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, popular-escape, french, fiction, romantic

I was trying to find a listing for this book & while walking down memory lane (where the brambles are growing thicker and thicker!) I remembered this book and loving it. I read it in French at 18 (a million years ago) so my memory is cloudy. However, I remember the love - adolescent passion really - of the 2 lead characters and their journey to America as punishment and the absolute beauty and clarity of the writing (in French anyway). Super-romantic: it was perfect for me then and a fabulou...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't find it possible to become genuinely involved with a work from so long ago, from such a different culture to my own, and moreover read in translation. (Which reminds me, the Gutenberg translation I read annoyingly adds as chapter headings, quotes from authors who wrote well after the time the novel was written, such as Scott and Byron). It was surprisingly readable, though, and I can see why it was suitable tripe for adapting to the melodrama of grand opera.

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Apr 11, 2010 William rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

A free audiobook (http://www.litteratureaudio.com/livre...) rather than the text. Having read the book several times before, I knew what to expect. The tale still does not disappoint and deserves its fame as one of the few popular narratives produced by l'Abbe Prevost. I did not care for the narrator's mannerisms, however, but I did grow used to them.

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Mar 18, 2011 Insomnica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really didn't like this book so much. I think it didn't represent femininity in truthful way or say anything in particular. It was just about some guy and complex and extremely naive plot.

But of course, if you locate the book in the era when it was written, it seems different, I totally agree. From that point of view it was actually intresting to read it. Still didn't like it.

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Feb 02, 2013 Apostolia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first of a series of books I'm reading for a "Coursera" course about the Relationships in Fiction.
It reminded me a lot of Justine (or the Misfortunes of Virtue) by Marquis De Sand: same critique on ethics of the time, same exaggeration, but on the whole a more pleasant reading than the aforementioned book.

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Jul 29, 2012 Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-days-read-bookclub, will-read-again

Book 2 in "A Day's Read". However....it took me about 3 weeks to read. A wonderful story. The translation from the French I read was by Steven Larkin. This French classic was written in 1751 and has never been out of print! The story of a young man who falls in love with the lovely Manon Lescaut.

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Oct 31, 2012 Dragana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had high expectations when I started reading but it didn't live up to the expectations.Although I loved the opera, the book has disappointed me. One would hope to find deeper development of characters, but everything is told shallowly, as if the writer struggled to put as many events it is possible on a hundred pages. I had a feeling tat characters had run around as if they had bees in their bonnets.

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Jul 20, 2012 Dagny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: french

This French literature classic, which has been the basis for several films and operas, is set in Paris and Louisiana in the early 1700s. Manon Lescaut is maintained by the Chevalier des Grieux until he begins to have financial problems. She is then kidnapped and sold.

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Nov 24, 2011 Liza rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-literature, favorites

This is the foundation for every tragic love story.

I think La Dame Aux Camelias, Moulin Rouge, La Boheme, and other stories have taken ideas from this classic book.

Man meets an ambitious, selfish woman with an extraordinary beauty that captivates any man who sets his eyes on her. She uses them in order to advance her objective (money, power and status) and destroys them economically and morally but lures them back in order to obtain whatever they have left to offer. The man's perspective is to...more

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Sep 21, 2009 Lincolnwood Public LIbrary is currently reading it · review of another edition

This summer, I came across a bibliography for Femmes Fatales.

One of the books is Manon Lescaut, a classic of a young temptress who corrupts an innocent young man, leading him from France to Louisiana.

I'm still working on it....

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May 09, 2012 Mayoi rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tedious, repetitious, overblown. The so-called protagonists are a couple of selfish, amoral idiotic twits. I abandoned it 3/4 of the way through. Life is too short. I'll stick to Massenet and Puccini.

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Jan 16, 2010 Cynthia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, french-literature, guardian-1000

A young aristocrat's world may be not so well lost for his love of the fickle Manon. No surprise this slim novel was the source for at least two opera librettos; emotions run at a fever pitch throughout.

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Jan 30, 2012 Evk rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cz

Četla jsem i viděla v NDB. Ty 4 hvězdičky odpovídají spíše Nezvalovu básnickému umění, než příběhu - tzn. napsáno krásně, ale samotnou Manon nemůžu vystát.

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Jan 13, 2011 Kelly marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I found this on the "Caught in the Act" list here on goodreads, which reminded me to read this. PS- That is the best idea for a book category. Well done, GR-er list creator!

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Feb 03, 2009 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this for a history course but remember little of the story. If my memory is correct, the protagonist gives up everything for a woman who later deserts him.

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May 29, 2012 Therese rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another short novel I read in French. I love reading in French! I had to write a paper on this but even that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this outstanding novel.

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Apr 02, 2011 Doreen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Manon Lescout verstand es hervorragend den ihr ergebenen Chevalier des Grieux zu ihrem Vorteil auszunutzen. Viel Romantik, Abenteuer und moralische Fingerzeige.

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About Abbé Prévost

Antoine François Prévost (Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles) (April 1, 1697 – December 23, 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French author and novelist.

He was born at Hesdin, Artois, and first appears with the full name of Prévost d'Exiles, in a letter to the booksellers of Amsterdam in 1731. His father, Lievin Prévost, was a lawyer, and several members of the family had embra...more Antoine François Prévost (Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles) (April 1, 1697 – December 23, 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French author and novelist.

He was born at Hesdin, Artois, and first appears with the full name of Prévost d'Exiles, in a letter to the booksellers of Amsterdam in 1731. His father, Lievin Prévost, was a lawyer, and several members of the family had embraced the ecclesiastical estate. Prévost was educated at the Jesuit school of Hesdin, and in 1713 became a novice of the order in Paris, pursuing his studies at the same time at the college in La Flèche.

At the end of 1716 he left the Jesuits to join the army, but soon tired of military life, and returned to Paris in 1719, apparently with the idea of resuming his novitiate. He is said to have travelled in the Netherlands about this time; in any case he returned to the army, this time with a commission. Some biographers have assumed that he suffered some of the misfortunes assigned to his hero Des Grieux. Whatever the truth, he joined the learned community of the Benedictines of St Maur, with whom he found refuge, he himself says, after the unlucky termination of a love affair. He took his vows at Jumièges in 1721 after a year's novitiate, and in 1726 took priest's orders at St Germer de Flaix. He spent seven years in various houses of the order, teaching, preaching and studying. In 1728 he was at the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, where he was engaged on the Gallia Christiana, the learned work undertaken by the monks in continuation of the works of Denys de Sainte-Marthe, who had been a member of their order. His restless spirit made him seek from the Pope a transfer to the easier rule of Cluny; but he left the abbey without leave (1728), and, learning that his superiors had obtained a lettre de cachet against him, fled to England.

In London he acquired a wide knowledge of English history and literature, as can be seen in his writings. Before leaving the Benedictines Prévost had begun perhaps his most famous novel, Mémoires et aventures d’un homme de qualité qui s’est retiré du monde, the first four volumes of which were published in Paris in 1728, and two years later at Amsterdam. In 1729 he left England for the Netherlands, where he began to publish (Utrecht, 1731) a novel, the material of which, at least, had been gathered in London Le Philosophe anglais, ou Histoire de Monsieur Cleveland, fils naturel de Cromwell, écrite par lui-même, et traduite de l'anglais (Paris 1731-1739, 8 vols., but most of the existing sets are partly Paris and partly Utrecht). A spurious fifth volume (Utrecht, 1734) contained attacks on the Jesuits, and an English translation of the whole appeared in 1734.

Meanwhile, during his residence at the Hague, he engaged on a translation of De Thou's Historia, and, relying on the popularity of his first book, published at Amsterdam a Suite in three volumes, forming volumes v, vi, and vii of the original Mémoires et aventures d’un homme de qualité. The seventh volume contained the famous Manon Lescaut, separately published in Paris in 1731 as Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut. The book was eagerly read, chiefly in pirated copies, being forbidden in France. In 1733 he left the Hague for London in company with a lady whose character, according to Prévost's enemies, was doubtful. In London he edited a weekly gazette on the model of Joseph Addison's Spectator, Le Pour et contre, which he continued to produce, with short intervals, until 1740.

In the autumn of 1734 Prévost was reconciled with the Benedictines, and, returning to France, was received in the Benedictine monastery of La Croix-Saint-Leufroy in the diocese of Évreux to pass through a new, though brief, novitiate. In 1735 he was dispensed from residence in a monastery by becoming almoner to the Prince de Conti, and in 1754 obtained the priory of St Georges de Gesnes. He continued to prod(less)

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Sacrificial Lovers Manon Lescaut & Leone Leoni

Le Philosophe Anglois, Ou Histoire de Monsieur Cleveland, Fils Naturel de Cromwell: Enrichie de Figures En Taille-Douce, Volume 4

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