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1. The story of Thaïs, at first glance, seems to be an allegory of the spirit winning out over the flesh; of renouncing the sins of the material world in exchange for the reward of eternal life. However, at closer examination there is a more than a hint of irony in the tale: Athanaël, the monk who admonishes Thaïs for her “wicked ways” and wants to convert her, is all the while lusting after her body. Does this ironic twist undermine the power of this story of religious conversion? Does it humanize Athanaël or turn him into a cartoon of lecherous hypocrisy?
2. The opera is based on Anatole France’s retelling of the story of Thaïs, in which France seems to posit that all men, saints or not, are human beings and susceptible to human weaknesses. Filmmaker Martin Scorsese suggested something along the same lines in his film The Last Temptation of Christ, which created quite an uproar in the conservative Christian community. What is your reaction to this? Is such an approach blasphemous, or does it create an entry point for sympathetic understanding?
3. Critics have suggested a hallmark of Massenet’s music is an artful marriage between sensuality and spirituality. Respond to this. Can music be both? Can a piece of literature be both?
4. Thaïs wants to stay young forever. As she gazes into her mirror in Act One, she seems to asking, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, am I the loveliest one of all? Will I stay lovely forever, or will my beauty fade?” As a courtesan, she is dependent on her looks. In a modern retelling, what type of job might Thais have? In an age of facelifts and Botox, would Thaïs face the same challenges?
5. The culture of Alexandra in the 4th century (the culture of Nicias and, before her conversion, Thaïs) prized youth, beauty, and material pleasures above all else. Sound familiar? What happens to such cultures? Can there be a happy medium between hedonism and asceticism?
6. By the end of the opera Athanaël has lost his faith and Thaïs has found hers. Was winning Thaïs’s soul for God worth it? Would Athanaël have lost his faith anyway? Having grown up among luxury and learning in Alexandria, only to renounce everything for the life of an ascetic in the desert, was Athanaël bound to lose his hard-won faith eventually? When he rails against the debaucheries of his home city and of Thaïs, is he protesting a bit too much?
7. Is there a place for carnality and bodily desires in Christian ideology? Or are its provisions entirely for the mind?
8. Massenet’s music was popular among a broad public during his day. Snobbish detractors have long held this popularity against him. Is it possible to be both popular and refined/timeless/sublime? Does the popularity of a book like The Da Vinci Code mean its ideas are less intricate and compelling? Why would an author like Jonathan Franzen refuse to allow his novel The Corrections to be a featured title in Oprah’s Book Club?
9. Thaïs, like Violetta in La traviata, is prey to sadness once the party is over and she is sitting alone in her room. Thaïs, again like Violetta, is ripe for a change of lifestyle when the opportunity presents itself. In what other ways are they similar? Different? Why is each such a compellingly “operatic” heroine?
10. The melody of the famous instrumental “Méditation,” during which Thaïs experiences an epiphany, was and is the most famous piece of music from the opera. In what ways does it musically represent soul searching meditation and a change of heart? What would your soul searching meditation sound like?
11. The wise elder monk Palémon advises Athanaël, “My son, we should never mingle with worldly people: so eternal wisdom teaches us.” In the case of Athanaël he was right: mingling with Thaïs proved to be his downfall. But is Palémon right? Is their religion best served and preserved in isolation?
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