Thais (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Published in 1890, this historical novel, based on the life of Saint Thais of Egypt, inspired the opera by Massenet.  Its focus is less on Thais—a courtesan who converted to Christianity—than on Paphnutius, a self-deluded hermit who abandons his ascetic life in order to save the seductress Thais''s soul . . . or so he believes.