Resumen
Resumen de Manon Lescaut
Para quién es
For readers who love short, fast stories of passion and consequence, and anyone curious about the roots of the modern love tragedy.
De qué trata este libro
Manon Lescaut is a short French novel by the Abbé Prévost, first printed in 1731. It first appeared as the final volume of a much longer work, Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality, and it soon stood on its own. Prévost was a former soldier and Benedictine monk who knew exile and scandal himself. He wrote about a young man who ruins his prospects for a girl he cannot give up.
The story is told by a nobleman, the Marquis de Renoncour, who records what a young man named the Chevalier des Grieux tells him. Des Grieux is clever, well born and destined for the Church. At seventeen he meets Manon Lescaut, and nothing in his life stays in order afterward. You get a fast tale of flight, gambling, prisons and quarrels with family, and a study of a man who calls his own weakness fate. Let us start with the frame, and with the young man at the center of it.
En este resumen
- 1A stranger's story, told with regretFree
- 2One glance at an inn changes everything
- 3Paris brings pleasure and the first betrayal
- 4Saint-Sulpice cannot hold him
- 5Money, schemes and a closing trap
- 6What the story is about and how it is told
Idea clave 1 de 6
A stranger's story, told with regret
The book opens with the Marquis de Renoncour, a traveler who writes down what he has seen and heard. He meets a young man in great distress, and the sight stays with him. Some time later he meets the same young man again, and the young man agrees to tell him everything. That young man is the Chevalier des Grieux.
This frame matters because it sets the tone before the tale begins. Des Grieux is not a boastful hero. He speaks as a man who has paid heavily for his choices and who still cannot say he would choose differently. The Marquis listens, and he offers little judgment of his own.
Des Grieux begins with his youth. He is the son of a noble family, and he is a brilliant student at Amiens. He wins honors in philosophy and is meant to go to Paris. There he will take up the cross of the Knights of Malta, a religious and military order that suits a younger son of a good house.
He has a close friend named Tiberge, a steady and devout young man. Tiberge will stand by him in every later disaster, always offering the same plain advice. Des Grieux calls himself a man of good sense and good principles at this point. The reader is meant to remember that picture of him, because everything that follows tests it.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- The Chevalier des Grieux
- A gifted young nobleman intended for the Church, he becomes Manon's devoted lover and tells Renoncour his troubles.
- Manon Lescaut
- A beautiful young woman who loves des Grieux, she also desires the comforts wealthy admirers can offer.
- Tiberge
- Des Grieux's steadfast and devout friend, he offers practical help while urging him toward a more virtuous life.
- The Marquis de Renoncour
- A traveling nobleman who encounters des Grieux, he records the young man's account within his own narrative.
- Lescaut
- Manon's brother, a guardsman, encourages des Grieux's dishonest schemes and hopes to profit from his sister's attractions.
- M. de B.
- A wealthy financier and rival to des Grieux, he offers Manon the luxury her young lover cannot sustain.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 63,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 4 h 10 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about Manon Lescaut
What is Manon Lescaut about?
It tells of the Chevalier des Grieux, a young nobleman who meets and falls in love with Manon Lescaut. For her he gives up the Church, his family's hopes and his honor, and he later describes it all to a listener.
Who wrote Manon Lescaut and when?
The Abbé Prévost wrote it, and it was first printed in 1731. It was originally the last volume of a longer work, Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality, and later became a separate book.
Is Manon Lescaut a true story?
No, it is a novel. Prévost wrote it as fiction, though it draws on the manners, prisons and moral worries of early eighteenth century France. The frame suggests a true account, which was a common device then.
Is Manon Lescaut hard to read?
No. It is short, fast and told in a simple first person voice. The plot is clear and moves quickly.
What is the main message of Manon Lescaut?
The book shows how passion can overrule judgment and ruin a promising life. It also asks whether des Grieux is a victim of fate or of his own choices, and leaves the reader to decide.