10. Manon's Rival Lovers The Abbé Antoine François Prévost (1697–1763) first published his Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et Manon Lescaut (usually just called Manon Lescaut) in 1731. Due to its scandalous nature—it contains multiple sexual liasons and various kinds of criminal behavior—it was officially banned, but continued to circulate under the counter. Eventually, by toning some episodes down and giving it a more specific moral tone—warning against sin rather than wallowing in it—Prévost obtained sanctioned publication in 1753.

Not surprisingly, neither Jules Massenet (1884) nor Giacomo Puccini (1893) bothered with the moralizing in their operatic adaptations; their interest was entirely dramatic and emotional. Puccini famously said that "a woman like Manon could have more than one lover. Massenet feels it as a Frenchman, with powder and minuets. I shall feel it as an Italian, with a desperate passion." I think we shall see that both composers actually downplayed the minuets and both were equally passionate in their own language. But Massenet was arguably the more subtle in examining the psychology of his heroine. rb.

PREPARING FOR THE CLASS. Please make a point of reading my three-page synopsis of Prévost's novel. There is probably no need to read the book itself, as it is full of material that may only confuse the outline of the operatic plot. But for those who wish to check individual passages, there is a slightly old-fashioned but perfectly readable translation available free on Gutenberg.

The script, images, and video links will be posted immediately after the first class.