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...

La Présidente should just go anyway!
Go far far away...

Yes! Go....walk out that door... just turn around now...

I guess it would be a shorter and more boring book if she did though.

Letter 38: The Marquise de Merteuil to the Vicomte de Valmont

• According to the Marquise, Cécile has neither character nor principles, which will make it easy to influence her to do what she wants. She's very impressionable.
• She's amused that Danceny hasn't even gotten a kiss from his secret sweetie.
• Adding insult to injury, the Marquise has talked trash about Gercourt to Cécile, convincing his future wife that he's a despicable man.

Ooh, "No character, no principles" is harsh! The level of disdain for Cecile, and the implication that she deserves anything that is coming her way. And the line about being "almost jealous". M de M is so well written - and so very brutal.

Hi, I'm just popping by to say that despite being so keen to join this read-along, I got completely overwhelmed and gave up after letter 1 😯. I'm going to try to catch up this weekend so I can join in for the remainder of the novel! Really looking forward to reading everyone's comments; I love Liaisons so much.

Ah, we've all been there! Either racing ahead or falling behind is pretty much standard for a readalong. I have a fantasy of an elegant life where I adjourn to a reading nook for my meditative daily chapter, but that's sadly not how it turns out in reality.

To be honest, if you've read it before you could probably get the gist if you start at letter 39. Or skim the Shmoop summaries, though they do miss out a lot of the exquisite details.

We're out and about this weekend and my phone won't let me format the extract so I'm resorting to a screenshot.

Cécile is a sitting duck. C'est tout.

Hi cassandre 👋 You will catch up in no time!

But as she has no character and no principles, she is fair game!

Ha @BishyBarnyBee ! Poor girl though! Merteuil is very wily, isn't she.

I’m all caught up.

I really like letter 37, Madame de Volanges to Madame de Tourvel.

I thought her discussion about the hypocrisy of society was really very interesting.

Letter 40

Have been catching up and incredulous at MdM’s shenanigans, especially emphasising geriatric Gercourt’s unattractiveness to Sophie - ‘she could not hate him more if she had been married to him for ten years’!!

Also struck by how the phrase ‘virtuous’ is so often synonymous with ‘privileged and lucky so far’.

Not having known anything about the book, am surprised how readable it is, and also how overtly rascally the baddies are and how icky it can be to watch.

Oh yes, top level villainy!

Letter 41: The Présidente de Tourvel to the Vicomte de Valmont

• In her letter, Tourvel says that Valmont's protestations just go to prove what she already thinks about him.
• She tells Valmont that her friends warned her about him, that he needs to leave, and that she'll go if he won't.
• If he really wants her to see him as honorable, then he'll agree to her request and leave.

Rascally - I love this

Letter 42: The Vicomte goes snooping in la Présidente's room, but does not find the letters from Mme Volanges warning her against him.

You have to admire the cool cheek of this man!

Maybe la Présidente has a hairstyle like Marge Simpson and she keeps her correspondence in her hair ;)

Letter 43: The Présidente de Tourvel to the Vicomte de Valmont

• As anticipated, Tourvel won't reveal the accuser.
• Since they've only been concerned for her welfare, she doesn't want to betray them.
• But she won't agree to a private talk with Valmont.
• She does agree to receive his letters if he gives up the love-talk.
• She points out that he hasn't followed through yet on his promise to leave.

She almost seems like she has a chance against him at this point - has she started to see through his wily schemes?

Letter 44: The Vicomte de Valmont to the Marquise de Merteuil

• Valmont can't wait to tell the Marquise how perfectly his plan is unfolding.
• He tries to bribe the chambermaid to steal Tourvel's letters, but regrets it immediately.
• Valmont and his valet plot to blackmail the chambermaid.
• They arrange a lover's rendezvous in which the chambermaid is discovered undressed by Valmont. Shocking.
• With the chambermaid now forced into working secretly for him, Valmont reads Tourvel's letters and learns that Madame de Volanges is the one spreading bad news about him.
• Valmont promises not only to seduce Cécile, but to ruin her reputation in revenge for her mother trying to ruin his.
• Before leaving, Valmont manipulates Tourvel into allowing him to kiss her hand.

It was a mistake to allow him to write to her!

Yes, the Mumsnet advice would definitely be "Block, Delete, Disengage".

Letter 45: The Présidente de Tourvel to Madame de Volanges

• Valmont has gone and his aunt was sad to see him leave.
• Madame de Tourvel's feeling a little guilty about being the reason for his departure.
• She wonders if she was a little too hasty in her judgment, but she was just honoring Madame de Volanges' advice.
• She'll be bringing Madame de Volanges an invitation to join Madame de Rosemonde in the country, and looks forward to meeting Cécile.

Ok, all sorted, narrow escape, phew!

😁

They are all misty-eyed following the departure of that rascal. Unbelievable!