Classic
Dangerous Liaisons
by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Summary
The Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two former lovers turned scheming allies, wage a cruel game of seduction against an innocent young bride and a virtuous married woman. Laclos tells the story entirely through letters, letting the characters reveal their own manipulation and self deception in their own words. The novel exposes the moral rot beneath aristocratic manners just years before the French Revolution swept that world away.
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Historical Context & Significance
Laclos published the novel in 1782 while serving as an army officer, and its frank depiction of sexual intrigue made it both a scandal and a bestseller. It remains a landmark of the epistolary novel and a sharp portrait of a decadent society on the eve of collapse.