This 1986 study of Manon Lescaut draws on various debates in the fields of psychoanalysis, feminism and literary criticism. It has two principal aims: to analyse this story of a young man's passion for a femme fatale as it is presented by the narrator; and to suggest ways in which feminist criticism can help explain how the text operates. The volume is in three parts. In Part I, Dr Segal offers a close reading of Manon Lescaut in which the narrator's relationship with language is the key issue. Part II considers four central themes which are present in the text's language and structure: money, the image of the woman, the concept of the double, and fatality. In the final part the author presents a feminist critique of Freud and Lacan, and develops thereby a fascinating version of the Oedipus Complex which is brought to bear on Manon Lescaut.

This 1986 study of Manon Lescaut draws on various debates in psychoanalysis, feminism and literary criticism.

Book Information
ISBN 9780521159289
Author Naomi Segal
Format Paperback
Page Count 354
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 450g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 20mm