Creator of some of the most important librettos for opéra-comique and some of the most innovative drama in eighteenth-century France, Michel-Jean Sedaine made it his life's work to reform 'official' genres and to transform the language and operation of theatre arts.This volume on Sedaine and his work arises from a conference held in 1997 to commemorate the bicentenary of his death. It brings together French and English research and analytical methods from across the disciplines that occupied Sedaine's multivalent vision: literary history, theatre history and opera studies. Prepared to sacrifice a notion of poetic beauty to the imperatives of naturalistic dialogue and stage effect, Sedaine changed the face of opéra-comique and so helped determine the course that Western opera as a whole would take.In addition to the critical essays presented here, the book contains an iconography of Sedaine and his works, a descriptive catalogue of his manuscripts and a bibliography of his early editions and research literature. For the first time, the edited texts of Sedaine's 17 libretto prefaces are made available together. By providing these research tools, the volume hopes to act as a starting point for further investigation of this important but neglected figure.