Confusingly called an opéra comique because it has spoken dialogue, its subject is tragic.
The prolific and melodic Massenet is best known today for Manon, a linchpin of French 19th-century opera (from Abbé Prévost's novel Manon Lescaut, also set by Puccini). The heroine can't choose between love and money, until too late. Confusingly called an opéra comique because it has spoken dialogue, its subject is tragic.