Manon Lescaut • Abbé Prévost

Several times now, I’ve had rather poor luck and made the wrong choice in my reading selection. I like to try out different things and am curious by nature, but sometimes the hit rate is just not great. Then I’m glad when I can walk on safe ground and have one or two books on my pile that are very likely to be excellent. I’ve really taken to the French authors — they just knew how to write. Their works are full of life and offer the complete package. With Manon Lescaut, I had long had a book on my list that doesn’t come from the 19th century but was written even before the French Revolution. A book like that, especially one published by Manesse Verlag, has something of a little hidden gem about it, as it appears quite unassuming and doesn’t immediately catch the eye.

The two protagonists of the story are Chevalier de Grieux and Manon Lescaut, who fall in love and then reliably stumble from one blunder to the next. These are always troubles they bring upon themselves and completely mess up. Time and again, situations escalate, and their precious love must be fought for. Both characters consistently behave in a way that is anything but commendable, and according to the author’s foreword, this is precisely what the book aims to be: a cautionary example of a sincere love driven by blind passion that leads from one sinful misstep to another.

As I’ve come to expect from French authors, things get quite intense here. The Chevalier is head over heels in love, throws all principles overboard, and even ruins himself if it’s for love or his beloved. Such completely over-the-top characters, paired with a truly exciting and captivating story full of passion, romantic entanglements, drama, shady financial dealings, duels, and more — these can only be found in the high-quality form that French literature of the 18th and 19th centuries offers. I simply love such books and could devour endless amounts of them. Especially when there are also scandalous women, dandies, and the battle for great love. It’s pure pleasure.

Prévost’s writing style is highly entertaining, and you hardly notice how old the book actually is. He sketches the scenes quite roughly yet brings the story to life through the dialogues and actions of his characters. The events are narrated by Chevalier, providing deep insight into his emotional world, which is dominated by the aforementioned excessive passions. As a reader, you can easily empathize with him and don’t really hold his and Manon’s often questionable behavior against them. Somehow, both come across as sympathetic. The beautiful, thoughtless, faithless, somewhat cunning, yet at the same time sincere Manon is the fascinating and unpredictable element of the story. Her fickle emotions, thoughtless and reprehensible manner, yet also her devotion and passion, make her a character who has apparently impressed and inspired countless men — from Napoleon to Maupassant. Considering the book was published in 1731, it was far ahead of its time. After all, stories of this kind are typically found in the 19th century. It is said that Manon even inspired Alexandre Dumas fils to write The Lady of the Camellias. I can fully understand the fascination. Self-confident women, courtesans who lived life to the fullest, and the grand adventure of a lifestyle built on consumption and a string of lovers — it’s simply thrilling.

The central theme, of course, is the Chevalier’s passion — the way he submits himself to it and becomes a slave to love. But also Manon’s way of life, filled with greed for life, money, and indulgence, and the price both must pay for it, stand clearly at the center of the story. For someone who was a clergyman and even a priest, Prévost’s attempt in the foreword to present the story as a guide to virtuous living is rather unconvincing. It seems that Prévost himself led quite a spirited life, and his biography reads like a small adventure in which women played a prominent role. He certainly wasn’t particularly well-behaved — and that’s a good thing, because otherwise he could never have written such a wonderful story.

The book provides an interesting glimpse into the world of its time. Some places, such as the Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, are described, and it also offers an impression of the customs and society of that era. From my point of view, it’s not particularly profound, but it still opens a window to those long-forgotten times. Paris itself is simply a beautiful setting and never ceases to fascinate me.

The edition is once again published by Manesse Verlag, and the little book is small, handy, yet hardbound and very elegant. I like the color of the high-quality linen cover, which suits the content perfectly. It fits nicely in a jacket pocket, though the pages aren’t densely printed, so it’s a quick read. I won’t say much about the presentation and quality of Manesse Verlag books — my enthusiasm for these editions is well-documented throughout this blog.

Conclusion: Manon Lescaut is a fascinating and captivating story of two lovers who push everything to the extreme and blindly surrender to their passions. With a brisk writing style, Prévost creates a highly entertaining book through action and dialogue — one that’s hard to put down once you’ve started. The character of Manon Lescaut, with her passion, beauty, grace, and carefree way of living — yet filled with flaws — remains compelling even today and gives the book its special charm. The portrayal of Paris, its society, and the life of the nobility of that time is both interesting and entertaining. Combined with the beautiful edition by Manesse Verlag, the book is highly recommended, even though the story lacks depth and the characters are not psychologically complex. In that regard, it cannot compete with other classics that offer the multifaceted view of human nature found in the works of Maupassant, Tolstoy, or Balzac. Nevertheless, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile read.

Book information: Manon Lescaut • Abbé Prévost • Manesse Verlag • 384 pages • ISBN 9783717522980