Massenet is known (if sometimes criticized for) the facility with which he could change musical styles from opera to opera. Within Grisélidis, he combines not only comedy, as he did in Cendrillon, but a wide variety of styles, from the medieval-inspired to an almost Mozartian spriteliness to full-blown Romanticism. As with Don Quichotte, Werther, and Thais, the spirit of the original is completely lost in scents and sentiments, but the resulting work is thoroughly satisfying as long as one doesn't hope for more than some passing resemblance to the source.

Though many credit Boccaccio as being the original author of the story of Patient Griselda, it has been traced back to thirteenth century France, first written down by Marie de France. Massenet wrote most of the work while staying at Cap d'Antibes, whose medieval ruins and natural beauty seem to be reflected in the writing.

While one might expect some similarity to German fairy-tale operas such as Humperdinck's Konigskinder or Hansel and Gretel, the work remains entirely French with miniscule hints of its Italian predecessors. His debonair though frequently henpecked devil has more in common with Don Alfonso than with truly diabolic or supernatural figures; his major intent is to vent his spleen on a happy husband and win a bet about female infidelity rather than to destroy. The mask falls only once, when he urges the Marquis to kill Grisélidis, and by then the power of her innocence and the devil's relative impotence are so firmly established that even the most timid audience cannot fear for her. His music is appropriately light; as much as he might wish to menacingly encircle the lovers like Gounod's devil, he is only able to dance a jig about them, making rude faces.

At its premiere, it was a mixed success with music critics, many of whom raised the usual accusations of over-prettiness and slick sentimentality, though several praised its melodic flow and strong atmosphere. The public, however, received it warmly, at its various premieres worldwide. Mary Garden, the famous Mélisande, championed the work in the United States and appeared in the Met premiere (she had understudied the role at its Paris premiere). Revived in 1994 at the Massenet Festival, the general critical consensus was that it was one of Massenet's unjustly obscured works.

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