Did She Fall Or Was She Pushed? Dangerous Liaisons Readalong 2024

Cassandre, it's tragic that Cécile returns to the convent. Her life has been blighted by those two. She got no chance to live a normal life.

Exactly. That's so true about Mme Volanges gossiping while keeping up a virtuous facade. Hypocritical!

I think we wondered about the reason why Merteuil wrote those letters at the time we read them. Was it the desire for an audience, to impress Valmont? Or did she want to share something of herself and record it for posterity?

I think the treatment of Merteuil is terrible from here on to the end of the book (not divulging anything specifically!). Valmont paid for his misdemeanours with his life but will be remembered as a fine fellow. He seems to get off lightly in comparison. I liked your comments about the lack of female solidarity for Merteuil and Cécile. There's a lonely fate in store for them both.

That's interesting Fuzzy about Cecile. I've always thought of her return to the convent as tragic; after being so happy to be out of the convent at the beginning of the text, she's now come full circle and is back there again, her chance at leading a normal life over. But I see your point about how she is at least exercising some agency. She doesn't even want her mother to know where she has gone...

No, her mother never finds out what has happened. The silence of Rosemonde is quite chilling, when Mme de Volanges begs for a response and receives none.

I don't have much sympathy for the mother though, because she's such a gossip! There's almost a comic element to her final letters, when she's saying, far be from me to spread scandalous gossip, but... and then proceeds to spread the gossip. I think this is one of the ways Laclos criticises conventional society: these people claim to be virtuous but are actually extremely nasty when it comes to talking behind one another's backs. They actively enjoy malicious slander. Then again, the whole novel plays on our own desire to read juicy stories about people's private lives!

Another fascinating bit (to me) is the way Merteuil's own letters become pieces of evidence that bring her down: especially her autobiographical letter (81) and her letter telling how she tricked Prevan. If only she could have resisted the desire to boast to Valmont about her exploits! Letters are powerful pieces of currency that can make or break someone's reputation.

I think we're at the point where Cécile leaves home and goes to the convent. This is something she has decided to do; it is her own choice. She is taking charge of herself for the first time. It is terrible that she will live her life in seclusion. As far as I can tell, Mme Volanges never learns the full truth of it.

I'm very slowly catching up, am on letter 132 now...

Oh no, I'm only on 107......

Welcome back @cassandre! Glad you are feeling better.

Letter 167: Anonymous to Monsieur the Chevalier Danceny

• Danceny is warned that legal proceedings may be taken against him because of Valmont's death. He suggests Danceny lie low for a while.
• Also, since Valmont's aunt is considering suing him, the letter-writer suggests he contact her.

• Before leaving Paris, Danceny shares select letters showing Madame de Merteuil's involvement in the conflict between him and Valmont and her trick upon Prévan.
• Madame de Merteuil has left Paris as well.
• The letters being circulated apparently contain the most scandalous stuff imaginable.
• She suspects that Prévan himself wrote the letters to discredit Madame de Merteuil.
• Madame de Volanges does not believe the rumors now circulating throughout the city and asks for any inside info that would help her contradict them.

• Danceny writes to Madame de Rosemonde and passes on the correspondence that Valmont gave him.
• He regrets the pain he's caused her by killing Valmont, but feels he's not to blame.
• Two of the letters are copies. He needed to keep the originals of these in order to clear Prévan and to get revenge on Madame de Merteuil.
• Danceny says that more letters will be brought to her, but that he's leaving town for now.

Welcome back @cassandre 🌻
I enjoyed reading your analysis. As always.

Hello all, I've finally caught up, days before the end of the read-along. 🙄Tarahumara, thanks so much for posting the summaries. I've enjoyed all the great comments. I'm really sorry for going AWOL; I had a bout of debilitating anxiety (perimenopausal?!) and just couldn't keep up with anything for awhile. I'm feeling much better now.

Anyway, there's so much to say, I don't know where to start. I agree Fuzzy that the end of the novel seems to be so much about covering up the scandals so that society can close ranks and carry on as normal. It's all rather chilling.

I'm also struck by the fact that male-male bonding triumphs for Valmont and Danceny; they reconcile, whereas Merteuil and Cecile are left to face their respective fates alone... there's no equivalent example of female solidarity.

@ViscountessMelbourne I was also struck by the covert references to menstruation! Letter 140, about Cecile's miscarriage, is a very disturbing and interesting one. I usually go over that passage with my students, as they are reading it in French and the language is so euphemistic, it doesn't dawn on them straight away that Cecile has miscarried, and that Valmont has to explain to her first that she was pregnant, because she's so ignorant of her own body that she had no idea. It's a real indictment of convent education, which has left her so ignorant and defenceless. And then she's surrounded by these men who are figures of knowledge and authority (Valmont, the family doctor, the family surgeon) who collaborate together to make sure the secret is hushed up.

The libertines' euphemistic use of language is, I think, a broader critique of the hypocrisy of the whole aristocratic society, which is fairly obsessed with sex but won't talk about it openly.

Valmont is a interesting character. On one level he's a pure cad, but there's tragedy in the fact that he really did love Tourvel, and his vanity wouldn't let him admit it to himself. Merteuil's analysis of his character is spot on I would say.

I'm looking forward to discussing the very last letters and Merteuil's dramatic fate!

I sense a cover-up! We have to preserve Valmont's good name at all costs 🙄
I'm picturing a crate of letters between Valmont and Tourvel and Tourvel to Valmont!

Two of the main characters killed off within minutes of each other! Now we await Merteuil's fate!

Letter 163: Monsieur Bertrand to Madame de Rosemonde

• Bertrand sadly gives the news to Madame de Rosemonde that her nephew was killed in a duel. Valmont was carried home, bleeding to death from two sword wounds
• Danceny's there as well, weeping.
• Everyone's shocked when Valmont tells them not to blame Danceny and embraces him as friend.
• He gives Danceny a pack of letters and asks to speak to him privately.
• After receiving the last rites, Valmont dies.
• Bertrand is very sad about Valmont's death. He informs Madame that she is now free to dispose of her property however she likes; it was to have passed to Valmont

• Less forgiving than Valmont, his aunt wants a legal complaint lodged against Danceny.
• She thinks duels are a ridiculous relic of a time long past.
• As a precaution, she asks Bertrand to get some legal advice about this matter.

• Madame de Volanges consoles Madame de Rosemonde about her nephew's death and has more bad news to share. Madame de Tourvel has died.
• When Madame de Tourvel learns of Valmont's death, her condition deteriorates even more.
• She sends everyone away except Madame de Volanges and asks God to forgive Valmont.
• She asks to meet with Father Anselme and she gives Madame de Volanges a box of documents to give to Madame de Rosemonde.
• She spends an hour with Father Anselme. After an hour, she seems calm but the priest is in tears.
• Everyone spends the day in prayer, and Madame de Tourvel dies that evening.
• Madame de Volanges reminisces about what a perfect life everyone thought that Madame de Tourvel had—beauty, a loving husband, fortune, lots of friends.
• Who would have thought things would end like this?
• Upon hearing of the two deaths, Cécile faints.

• Bertrand received advice not to press charges against Danceny, as it would ruin Valmont's reputation by bringing everything out into the open.
• It's already a public scandal, and this would just make it worse.
• Bertrand will await further instructions from Madame de Rosemonde.

Yes definitely Cornish!

Really sudden isn’t it! Trying to sort out my feelings. Anti climactic almost.

Exit Valmont!
I was thinking how Valmont is so central to the book as he is the linchpin, writing letters to both Merteuil and Tourvel.
There's a sense of everything winding down now.

Wasn't it! Danceny is a hot head and he's not going to hang around. I love how it's framed very politely and formally though!

Yes - that was an unexpected twist!

Well now! The gloves are off!
En garde!!

Letter 162: The Chevalier Danceny to the Vicomte de Valmont

• Danceny has learned of Valmont's affair with Cécile—no doubt from his friend the Marquise.
• He challenges Valmont to a duel in the morning.
• Well, that escalated quickly!

Thanks for posting all the summaries Tarahumara!

It feels like the final showdown is nigh!
Not much longer to go and it is very exciting.

Letter 156: It's sad that Cécile* *has lost her voice and her identity. She has become a tool in Valmont's hands.
Letter 159: Merteuil must be raging! This note is brief. She's not messing around.

Letter 161: This is an upsetting one. It's almost like her swansong. Poor Tourvel :(

Thanks for posting the summaries. So things are setting up for a final showdown between MdM and VdV. Quite exciting now!

Letter 156: Cécile de Volanges to the Chevalier Danceny (attached to the preceding letter)

• With her mother away, Cécile has arranged with the porter to sneak Danceny into her home.
• She asks him to come this evening and promises him her love and adoration.
• She'll send this letter via her good friend Valmont.
• We find out later that Valmont actually wrote the letter himself to move his plan along.

• Danceny asks Valmont to spare Cécile the details of his infidelity.
• He'll break things off with Madame de Merteuil and tell her they should just be friends. He knows she'll be fine with it, kind and honorable person that she is.
• We'll see.

• Valmont asks the Marquise how her evening with Danceny went, knowing full well he was a no-show.
• He confesses to having dictated the letter from Cécile that inspired Danceny to return to her. Piece of cake.
• He tells her that it's better to have him as her friend than her enemy.

• Madame de Merteuil notes that when she wants revenge, she takes it, and doesn't indulge in sarcasms.
• He shouldn't get so confident that he's won the war.

• In a moment of clarity, Madame de Tourvel starts dictating a letter to Julie.
• Then she gets delirious again and the letter gets incoherent.
• Julie doesn't know to whom it should be addressed. Madame de Volanges is surprised that Julie doesn't know it's for Valmont, which is what Madame de Volanges suspects. She's enclosing the letter so Madame de Rosemonde can see what's going on with her poor friend.

• The letter begins and ends with hostility to Valmont.
• She feels abandoned by all her friends because of what's happened.
• She wishes her husband would return so he could punish her for being unfaithful.
• Instead, God is punishing her by making her think about the man who has ruined her.
• She seems to hallucinate Valmont first as a tender lover, then as a monster.

You can just picture him rubbing his hands together in glee!

Yes - especially the way he encourages Danceny not to tell her he's not coming. He says it's to give him time to think of an excuse, but clearly he's relishing the idea of Merteuil waiting for him in vain.