Abbé Prévost

Manon Lescaut

abbé Prévost

Alors qu'à dix-sept ans, il s'apprête à quitter Amiens où il achève ses études de philosophie, des Grieux voit arriver le coche d'Arras. Une jeune fille en descend, si charmante qu'il s'avance vers elle pour l'interroger : ses parents l'envoient pour être religieuse, et elle sait qu'elle va être malheureuse. Décidé à l'arracher à la tyrannie de ses parents, il la loge dans une hôtellerie dont le maître lui est dévoué et le lendemain, à la pointe du jour, tous les deux partent pour Paris. Lorsqu'elle s'est tragiquement achevée, des Grieux fait le récit de sa tumultueuse liaison avec Manon au marquis de Renoncour qui la rapporte dans ses Mémoires que Prévost fait paraître au mois de mai 1731. C'est ainsi la voix même du chevalier que nous entendons, c'est l'émotion qu'il éprouve à raconter et à revivre ce qu'il a vécu qui nous touche - et sa parole fait entendre des accents si vrais que l'on a pu croire que Manon et des Grieux avaient véritablement existé, ou que l'abbé Prévost transposait un moment de sa propre vie. Mais le réalisme poignant de ce récit traversé de souffrances, de cette histoire où le plaisir se vit, s'achète, et conduit à la mort, n'est redevable qu'à l'art éblouissant de l'auteur.

Histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut

Arianna M

This book was boring and misogynistic. I'll elaborate:
The male narrator (I'm considering here Des Grieux, inside the narrative frame with the Marquis de Renoncour) is astonishingly incapable of giving us anything more than an idea of what his "beloved" Manon Lescaut is like. We know of her that she is extraordinarily beautiful, that she needs a comfortable, expensive life more than she loves Des Grieux, and that she can make the distinction between carnality and love. We know that she is barely eighteen, and that she has an elder brother, and supposedly parents who sent her away to be a nun. We know that she likes pleasure and laughter. And nothing else about her. We barely hear words out of her mouth. And this is the picture the man who loved her paints of her? (view spoiler)[All he can say after her death is that she was the source of all his sin, which he is free from now that she is dead. (hide spoiler)] This is a concept Des Grieux reiterates throughout the book: he is faultless, in all his misdeeds and crime-doing — because really, it was because of his passion, and the passion was because of Manon — which subtly would lead the reader to see her as a she-devil of Medieval conception.
Des Grieux never takes any responsibility. Not for any action of his, not even the most efferate. (view spoiler)[In a scene when he kills a man, he literally blames a man he was holding at gunpoint telling him it was his fault for calling out for help. (hide spoiler)] It is insufferable.
Another thing that is insufferable about him is how easily people forgive him for his actions, whichever they are, and are ready to pronounce him the sweetest and most pious of men — I am sure much of this is due to his quality of unreliability as a narrator, but it truly is astonishing in its frequency. My personal theory is that this is some kind of Dorian Gray effect where Des Grieux is both very young, and so astoundingly handsome that people just will not believe he can be evil. SPOILER: HE IS.
I am also firmly, firmly convinced that Tiberge, faithful Tiberge, is gay. So incredibly gay. So very gay. You literally can't change my mind it's basically in the text. I will elaborate if anybody asks but just hear me: he… is… a… sad… homosexual.

Chiara Fabbri

Magdalene Lim

As Beyonce says, "Cos' if you like it then you shoulda' put a ring on it." 

Seriously, if Chevalier had gotten married to Manon, all this would not have happened! Written in 1731, this book is older than my great great great grandparents. People did and still do crazy things for love. Chevalier is this lovesick, to the extent of being pathetic, guy who is so hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Manon. He can be rather annoying at times but beyond this lovesickness, there are underlying themes of class and money. Without moolah, it's (seemingly) impossible for the couple to be together. People in 1731, the upper class at least, never seem to do a stitch of work. You would totally be living the life if you were super rich cos' money just seems to be in abundance for the rich and noble.

My favourite character is Tiberge, Chevalier's ever-loyal friend who is full of commonsense and rationality. Time and again, he gives so much and so generously to the hopelessly-in-love Chevalier. Such a great friend and example!

fanny_rzl_

Lucie

Prune 

Katrina Wilson

Jeremy Wang

'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.

Silvia Morgantini

Vivian

" Le héros est un fripon et l'héroïne une catin ", notait Montesquieu après sa lecture de Manon Lescaut. Et de fait, Manon se fait enlever par le chevalier des Grieux, met douze jours à s'apercevoir qu'il est sans ressources, accueille alors froidement ses projets de mariage, se débarrasse de lui en le dénonçant à sa famille, accepte les propositions fastueuses d'un fermier général dont elle tirera soixante mille livres en moins de deux ans... puis vit à nouveau avec des Grieux. Et ainsi de suite. Un fripon ? Une catin ? Ces noms ne sont pas même dégrisants quand on les applique à Manon et à des Grieux, car on est aussitôt amené à se demander comment un fripon peut rester honnête, une catin conserver sa pureté. Fraîcheur et corruption tout ensemble : dans cette impossible conjonction consiste peut-être tout le mystère de cette histoire limpide.

Manon Lescaut

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