This new edition of Musset's masterpiece is intended to clarify this rich and fascinating text for the English-speaking reader. The detailed introduction sets the text in both its literary and cultural context, and also explores the interpretative issues raised by a work which, although one of the greatest plays written in French during the nineteenth century was originally intended to be read rather than staged. The structure and themes of the text are also explored, and the copious notes elucidate the wide range of Musset's cultural and historical references. The edition makes use of recent research into the author without ignoring the ground-breaking work in Musset studies done by scholars from the early decades of the twentieth century.