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

Yes I agree, Bishy. Just thinking that Danceny is the latest in the line of good-looking young men to visit that house. One of many!

I also think Valmont is trying to humiliate Merteuil by diverting Danceny to Cécile.

Because @BishyBarnyBee I had a look ahead! Curiosity got the better of me!

Oho! Very interesting! We will never find out what that is unfortunately!
What a cliff-hanger! Two words will do, he says. She returns his letter with 'Eh bien! la guerre!' written at the foot of it.
It's awful but it's fabulous.

Letter 153: The Vicomte de Valmont to the Marquise de Merteuil

• Valmont reminds the Marquise that they each possess all that is needed to ruin the other.
• He will be her lover or her enemy, nothing else.
• Any obstacle will be, to him, a declaration of war.
• He asks for a word in response.
• She gives one: war!

So @FuzzyCaoraDhubh we come back to the secret you mention, but now it is spelt out that they are both holding something over the other - I'm not sure that was clear to me before. This letter (and its answer) were certainly straight to the point. We are winding up to a climax!

There is a double negative in the French text as well; 'Ne dirait-on pas que jamais vous n'en avez rendu une autre heureuse, parfaitement heureuse?'

It sounds like she is saying how much he meant to her but she isn't being direct with him. Previously in the book she mentioned a secret, that she had something over him but this is not being followed through so I agree with Bishy that their love affair is at the heart of the book.

'Would one not say you have never made another woman happy?' sounds faithful to the original but clunky. We would be more likely to say 'Would you not say you never made another woman happy?' or 'Could it be said that you never made another woman happy?' (to convey the 'on'). We could do with cassandre's input here as our resident French expert :)

Yes @BishyBarnyBee it's an amazing book.

Edit typo

It looks like it doesn’t it Fuzzy! Excited to know what happens, there aren’t many pages left in the book to go now.

fuhgeddaboutit...😄

It's all going to blow up, isn't it?

Letter 150: The Chevalier Danceny to Madame de Merteuil

• In his weepy style, Danceny explains why the two of them should write to one another when they cannot see each other in person.
• He doesn't understand why the Marquise has decided that writing to each other would be dangerous.

• Valmont can't believe the Marquise could think she could keep from him the fact that she has been seeing Danceny.
• Is he to be treated like a naïve schoolboy who can't figure things out?
• She's been in Paris for four days and has seen Danceny each day. She has not seen Valmont.
• Valmont is not pleased. Nope. Nope. Nope.
• He insists she give up seeing the boy, just as he gave up Madame de Tourvel, who even at that minute is probably dying of grief
• He insists on seeing her tomorrow evening to get his reward.
• He warns her that things will go very badly for her if she refuses.
• This is starting to get ugly.

• The Marquise explains that she never married again because she didn't want the annoyance of someone complaining to her when she refused to sleep with him.
• She's annoyed with Valmont. She doesn't owe him a thing.
• She knows he doesn't want her love; he just wants to show he has power over her.
• Not a chance.
• He's not the man he used to be, she says, and so her promise before doesn't hold. It would be infidelity to keep it.
• Seriously, he was willing to sacrifice a woman he really cared about in two seconds just to avoid being ridiculed.
• Should she even consider going out of her way for a man like that?
• Fuhgeddaboutit

Wow - fascinated to know what happens next!

Thanks Viscountess - I have the same as you for that second quote, if you omitted the ah!: "Would one not say you had never made another woman happy, perfectly happy? Ah! If you doubt that, you have very little memory!" Are you reading Richard Aldington‘s translation?

131 and then 134. I'm slightly unconvinced by the translation on the second, would be interested to hear what other people have got.

Letter 134 @CornishLizard :)

Thank you from me too @ViscountessMelbourne
i remember noticing those lines but forgot them with all that has been going on recently. You could forget that behind the hard exterior that Merteuil presents to the world, there is a living breathing woman.

Very interesting observation about menstruation. Sometimes I miss things when reading in French especially if it's oblique or obscure. I'm not sure I would have necessarily noticed it in the English edition either however! I bought the English edition the other day for my bookshelf.

Thank you @ViscountessMelbourne, I had missed both those points. Do you remember which number letter those last quotes are in? I think I must have glossed over that rather cryptic passage. That does indeed explain why she wants to sabotage things for Valmont.

I think the key is in two paragraphs from Merteuil.

"In the time when we loved each other, for I think it was love, I was happy; and you too Vicomte!...But why trouble about a happiness which can never return?"

"Would one not say you had never made another woman happy, perfectly happy? If you doubt that, you have very little memory!"

I think the second para is an unclear translation but I believe she's never been happy since Valmont left her, and that's why she's taking a revenge on him and Tourvel.

Catching up, and noticed something I'd not noticed on previous reads

He knows Cecile is up the duff because her periods have stopped (I think he initially says "I'm not sure yet but give me some more time to be sure"). He's with her on the night of the miscarriage specifically because Tourvel is on the blob that week: as Cecile isn't subject to that at the moment he spends the time with her instead.

Earliest mention of menstruation in fiction that I'm familiar with.

I’ve caught back up - thanks Fuzzy, Tara and Bishy for all the interesting posts.

There’s something needy about Merteuil as well - not content just to cause a break between Valmont and Tourvel, she also needs to shout about what she’s done and gloat.

Just when La Présidente thought she found a safe haven at the convent, this letter sends her over the edge. Valmont is such a creep.
I agree with Tarahumara that Merteuil is in a league all of her own and I think Bishy is right to say there is fundamentally something wrong with her. She is like the root of all evil!

Letter 149: Madame de Volanges to Madame de Rosemonde

• Madame de Tourvel awakens and recognizes Madame de Volanges but she doesn't remember having come to the convent.
• She eats and enjoys some soup.
• Suddenly her memory and misery returns.
• She explains her shame and anguish to Madame de Volanges.
• Believing herself unequal to the task, Madame de Volanges suggests she call for the priest, Father Anselme.
• He visits with her.
• Afterwards, he says the Last Sacraments can be deferred because she's doing a little better.
• He says he'll return tomorrow.
• Tourvel gets agitated when a letter is sent to her and refuses to read it.
• Later, she asks to see the letter recognizes that it's from Valmont, and frantically insists they take it back.
• She was delirious and convulsing the rest of the night.
• Madame de Volanges is furious with Valmont.

Yes, Valmont is just a promiscuous airhead, whereas Merteuil is coming across as the really nasty one - vindictive and manipulative.

Merteuil is not going to forgive Valmont for his perceived preference for La Présidente.
She does not play second fiddle.