The History of the Chevalier des Grieux and of Manon Lescaut, with an Essay on the Novel and the Operas (The Folio Society)

219, [1] pp. Translated into English from the original French of 1731 by Helen Waddell, with an essay by Edward Sackville-West, and wood engravings by Valentin Le Campion. The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut (French: Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux, et de Manon Lescaut [istwaʁ dy ʃ(ə)valje de ɡʁijo e d(ə) manɔ̃ lɛsko]) is a novel by Antoine Francois Prevost. Published in 1731, it is the seventh and final volume of Memoires et aventures d'un homme de qualite (Memoirs and Adventures of a Man of Quality). The story, set in France and Louisiana in the early 18th century, follows the hero, the Chevalier des Grieux, and his lover, Manon Lescaut. Controversial in its time, the work was banned in France upon publication. Despite this, it became very popular and pirated editions were widely distributed. In a subsequent 1753 edition, the Abbe Prevost toned down some scandalous details and injected more moralizing disclaimers. The work was to become the most reprinted book in French Literature, with over 250 editions published between 1731 and 1981. Seventeen-year-old Des Grieux, studying philosophy at Amiens, comes from a noble and landed family, but forfeits his hereditary wealth and incurs the disappointment of his father by running away with Manon on her way to a convent. In Paris, the young lovers enjoy a blissful cohabitation, while Des Grieux struggles to satisfy Manon's taste for luxury. He acquires money by borrowing from his unwaveringly loyal friend Tiberge and by cheating gamblers. On several occasions, Des Grieux's wealth evaporates (by theft, in a house fire, etc.), prompting Manon to leave him for a richer man because she cannot stand the thought of living in penury.