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

[BishyBarnyBee]

Following a series of successful Fallen Women readalongs - War and Peace, Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, Ruth - we continue our exploration of desire, hypocrisy, disgrace and redemption with the earlier (and even more scandalous) Dangerous Liaisons.

Widely adapted in text, film, opera and even ballet, Les Liaisons Dangereuses is an epistolatory novel comprising 175 letters.

Author Chodelos de Laclos "resolved to write a book that would be quite outside the ordinary trend, which would make a sensation and echo over the world after I left it." His book was a succès de scandale on its 1782 publication, reviewed as "diabolique" while becoming an instant bestseller. Marie Antoinette commissioned a blank cover copy for her library, and Virginia Woolf later read it with "great delight".

Readalongs are Mumsnet's best kept secret - a quiet corner of the site where we tackle the books we might not manage alone, sharing our thoughts and reactions, and encouraging each other to keep going when life - or the book - are challenging. It's fine to dip in and out as life permits, very few of us manage to keep up consistently.

We've only heard good things about DL, so do join us for a cracking good read. We start 1st May, 1 letter a day:

1 - 31 May Letters 1 - 31
1 - 30 June Letters 32 - 61
1 - 31 July Letters 62 - 92
1 - 31 August Letters 93 - 123
1- 30 September 124 - 153
1 - 22nd October 154 - 175

There are summaries of each letter at shmoop.com. I'll post them when I can, but anyone is welcome to start us off if you are first here on the day.

Looking forward to it!

Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons) Summary

Free summary and analysis of the events in Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos's Les Liaisons dangereus...

Exactly! It's very odd. Rosamonde let her down. I wonder if you could say in a wider sense that Tourvel has been let down by the women in her social circle, albeit her circle seems very small from what we gather.

It was also striking that M. Le Président's portrait is noted by Valmont during that scene. It's a rare mention of her husband in the correspondence. Tourvel seems very alone. No wonder she was so susceptible to Valmont's false charms.

Letter 126: Madame de Rosemonde to the Présidente de Tourvel

• Ironically placed, Madame de Rosemonde's letter praises the Présidente de Tourvel for being able to resist Valmont's charms.

Letter 127: The Marquise de Merteuil to the Vicomte de Valmont

• The Marquise is no longer willing to be a prize for Valmont.
• She can tell from his letter how infatuated he is with Madame de Tourvel and she's not willing to be second in anyone's affections.
• Even Danceny holds her in higher esteem now than Valmont.
• So he can just get his kisses somewhere else from now on.

Letter 128: The Présidente de Tourvel to Madame de Rosemonde

• Madame Tourvel says that Madame de Rosemonde's letter, with all its harsh realities, was upsetting to her.
• But it's too late—she now plans to devote her life to Valmont and the letter won't make her regret it.
• She's still suffering, but if Valmont's happy then her suffering doesn't matter.
• She knows she's been ruined, but she lives only for him now.
• She'll be judged only by him.
• She knows that this probably means the end of her friendship with Madame de Rosemonde.

Letter 129: The Vicomte de Valmont to the Marquise de Merteuil

• Valmont tries to reassure the Marquise that no woman compares with her in his eyes.
• The colorful adjectives he used to describe Tourvel were occasioned by the mood of the moment, not her qualities.
• He tells the Marquise that she's totally superior to any other women.
• His compliments about Cécile were only a result of the task the Marquise gave him.
• He appeals to her sense of justice to deliver what she promised and she'll see that she's the only one who possesses his heart.

Thank you for posting the summaries Tarahumara!

I'm trying to remember* *the deal between Valmont and Merteuil at the beginning of the book. 'To deliver what she promised' suggests that Merteuil would offer herself as a reward for Valmont to carry out her plan to seduce Cécile. I'm going to have to reread the start of it.

She's very out of temper with him, whatever is up with her. Is it jealousy, being taken for granted or being talked to as if she were another mate of his and not a desirable woman? These two are going to end up hating each other if they don't work things out soon.

Yes they are @FuzzyCaoraDhubh! I think they had an arrangement where they'd both go off and sow a few wild oats and then get together again for a glorious mutual congratulatory shag. But Merteuil is pissed off because Valmont is more emotionally invested than either of them expected.

Thanks Fuzzy and Tara. I’d kind of forgotten but I think his seduction of Cécile was at Merteuil’s instigation but Tourvel was his own side project?

I looked back on earlier letters and it took a while! In letter 20, Merteuil asks Valmont for proof written by Tourvel, that she has slept with him. Then Merteuil will offer herself to Valmont as a reward. She reminds Valmont of the deal in letter 131.
It seems everyone needs reminding, Valmont and the readers!

Thanks Fuzzy!

Thank you Fuzzy! I think I will need to reread. The motive for corrupting Cécile is vengeance on Cécile’s fiancé for leaving MdM; is Merteuil’s motive for MdT just because she’s jealous of Valmont’s attraction to her?

In recent letters I’m surprised about Tourvel’s openness to Rosemonde - would people really have been so honest in their letters or is this just for plot reasons?

I'm not sure Cornish. Did she want Valmont to work hard for his reward? I think she said she was curious about how* *the prude would experience passionate love.

I was also wondering about Tourvel opening up so much to Rosamonde when they were not especially close beforehand. Plot reasons? Probably.

I had forgotten that Mme Volanges had arranged Tourvel's marriage. She had been close to her once.

I had forgotten that too Fuzzy. We don't hear much about her husband do we?

Shmoop:
Letter 130: Madame de Rosemonde to the Présidente de Tourvel

• Madame de Rosemonde responds to the news kindly.
• She will always be Madame de Tourvel's mother figure regardless of what happens.
• She tries to reassure Madame de Tourvel that many women have succumbed to love like she has—its what women tend to do.
• And she reminds her "daughter" that her devotion to Valmont doesn't take away the gift of herself that she's given to her friends.

Letter 131: The Marquise de Merteuil to the Vicomte de Valmont

• The Marquise still feels it would be foolish of them to get back together.
• She knows they're two of a kind—deceivers—so it would be a no-win situation.
• Still, she agrees to give him his reward.
• She also reminds Valmont that his word is not good enough. The bargain called for Tourvel's writing as definitive proof of his success and he doesn't have it.
• She also says, moreover, that their being together would require sacrifices on his part that he wouldn't be willing to make.She claims to miss the love and happiness they once had, but it's just not to be.
• Is this a trap?

Letter 132: The Présidente de Tourvel to Madame de Rosemonde

• Madame de Tourvel insists that Valmont is no longer full of the vices that other men have.
• He's worthy of her worship. Why else would he still be kind to her after he got what he wanted?
• And if he's not virtuous, she'd rather die than face the truth.
• This doesn't look good.

Letter 133: The Vicomte de Valmont to the Marquise de Merteuil

• Valmont insists that he'd definitely make whatever sacrifices the Marquise want even if it's at the expense of Madame de Tourvel.
• He tries to convince her (and himself?) that the only reason he's still thinking about Madame de Tourvel is that the situation is just so interesting.
• This was just an experiment on his part and he needs time to think about the results.
• He's not really in love with her.
• He's still working on Cécile, too, after all.
• Valmont's convinced that the relationships they've had with others will only make their pleasure in each other more intense.

Thank you for posting the summaries Cornish!
It sounds like the beginning of the end, doesn't* *it.

It does! Hopefully the 2 schemers are setting up to destroy each other!

Letter 134: The Marquise de Merteuil to the Vicomte de Valmont

• The Marquise doesn't believe Valmont when he insists that he's not in love with Madame de Tourvel.
• This is no "experiment."
• The give-away was the language he used to describe Madame de Tourvel. He stopped being sarcastic in his description of her and started using words like "astonishing" and "sensitive."
• There's only one way he can prove to her that he's not in love: dump Madame de Tourvel.
• Not only that, but he has to continue his plot with Cécile according to her strict instructions.
• Then she'll think about giving him his reward.
• She doesn't think he'll be able to do it.
• The Marquise tells Valmont about a lawsuit against her that she's confident of winning.
• Other than that, she's bored, bored, bored.

I was wondering about this lawsuit of Merteuil's. Details seem sketchy! Just the occasional mention of it now and again.

Agreed! I was a bit surprised that Shmoop described her as "confident of winning" - that wasn't quite the impression I got from this chapter?

Yes! I'm intrigued. It's very hush hush.

Letter 135: The Présidente de Tourvel to Madame de Rosemonde

• Tourvel is experiencing what Buffy did when Angel turned bad: suddenly the love of her life treats her like she's nothing.
• Valmont insults and humiliates her.
• He no longer loves her, and here's how she knows:
• She'd been planning to go out, but Valmont came to visit and asked her to stay with him.
• He'd been very tender, but then after a couple of hours his tone suddenly changed.
• She says he pretended to think of a reason he had to leave right away.
• So she decides to go out as she originally planned, and sees Valmont in a carriage with another woman, a known courtesan.
• Quelle horreur!
• The woman stares at Madame de Tourvel and can't stop laughing.
• Madame de Tourvel is devastated and she asks Valmont to return all her letters and never see her again.
• She hasn't heard a word from him.

Letter 136: The Présidente de Tourvel to the Vicomte de Valmont

• Madame de Tourvel tells Valmont where he can go.
• She realizes she was a fool to trust him when he's humiliated so many other women.
• He's not welcome at her home anymore.

Letter 137: The Vicomte de Valmont to the Présidente de Tourvel

• Valmont claims it was all a big misunderstanding. He would never hurt her. Never ever.
• He was supposed to meet someone at the opera, you see, but didn't.
• He ran into the courtesan, Émilie, who needed a lift to her place, so he obliged.
• Émilie was laughing, true, but not at Tourvel. Not at all!
• She was just ridiculing Valmont for being so embarrassed to be seen with her
• Valmont begs her not to leave him in despair and to remember all the blissful time they had together.
• He puts the ball in her court, which ISHO is a pretty dirty trick.

This is terrible!! Will she or won't she?!

That's my memory of it. She scoffed at him choosing Tourvel. She wanted him to seduce Cecile as revenge against Cecile's prospective husband. Can't remember what she needed to avenge though.

Merteuil had been jilted by Gercourt and wanted revenge. She had learned of his proposed marriage with Cécile.

You would really feel for Tourvel experiencing this rollercoaster of emotions going from delight to despair and back again. She isn't able for it.

I also thought the juxtaposition of Valmont's letters to Tourvel and Merteuil describing the scene outside the Opéra was fascinating. They described the same event but were so different in tone.

I’m behind again! Just ploughing through a book group read and hope to catch up again soon.

If memory serves I think Cécile’s fiancé Gercourt had a fling with MdM at some point but jilted her for a love interest of Valmont’s.

You’re too fast Fuzzy! Poor Tourvel indeed, how far can she contort herself to believe him?

Sorry Cornish! Exciting events making me read on a bit!

Letter 138: The Vicomte de Valmont to the Marquise de Merteuil

• Valmont gives the real story.
• He went to the opera to meet Émilie.
• The courtesan was laughing because Valmont told her who she is.
• Émilie remembered Valmont writing to Madame de Tourvel—he had used her body as a desk.
• Hence the laughter at Tourvel and her virtue.
• Valmont has tried to rectify the situation because he doesn't want to be dismissed. He wants to be the one to break up the relationship to please the Marquise.

Letter 139: The Présidente de Tourvel to Madame de Rosemonde

• Madame de Tourvel says she was too hasty in writing to Madame de Rosemonde.
• Having thought her beloved false and lost to her, Madame de Tourvel now feels happier than ever believing he's true to her.
• How could she ever have doubted him?
• Oy.

Letter 140: The Vicomte de Valmont to the Marquise de Merteuil

• Valmont asks the Marquise why she hasn't replied to him.
• They forgot to lock the bedroom door and suddenly heard it open.
• He jumped out of bed, sword in hand.
• It turned out to be nothing, but Cécile has fallen from the bed and is unconscious.
• Valmont realizes that she's having a miscarriage. He has to explain it to her, and also explain that she was pregnant.
• Poor Cécile had no idea. Valmont is amazed how Cécile can be so innocent and at the same time so corrupted (thanks to him).
• Valmont gets the family physician and surgeon, swearing them both to secrecy.
• They take care of Cécile, give her a fake diagnosis, and that's that.
• Valmont doesn't want the episode made public unless at some point it would be useful to him and the Marquise.
• Everything's strategic to these two.

Poor Cecile