Dangerous Liaisons

“I resolved to write a book which would create some stir in the world and continue to do so after I had left it.”

Letters 1–10: The Game Begins

The Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two aristocratic libertines, exchange letters plotting their next conquests. Merteuil seeks revenge on a former lover by corrupting his young fiancée, Cécile de Volanges, while Valmont boasts of seducing a virtuous married woman, Madame de Tourvel. Their schemes intertwine as Valmont agrees to help Merteuil in exchange for her favors.

Letters 11–30: Seduction and Manipulation

Valmont moves into his aunt’s château, where Madame de Tourvel is staying. He feigns piety to gain her trust while secretly pursuing her. Meanwhile, Merteuil instructs Cécile, now in a convent, in the art of seduction, encouraging her affair with the young Chevalier Danceny. Valmont manipulates Tourvel’s emotions, but she resists.

Letters 31–50: Betrayals and Revelations

Valmont finally seduces Tourvel, only to abandon her cruelly at Merteuil’s insistence. Cécile’s affair with Danceny is exposed, and her mother intervenes. Merteuil, threatened by Valmont’s growing attachment to Tourvel, turns against him. Valmont, enraged, vows revenge by exposing Merteuil’s secrets.

Letters 51–70: Downfall and Tragedy

Valmont provokes a duel with Danceny and is mortally wounded. Before dying, he gives Danceny incriminating letters exposing Merteuil’s schemes. Tourvel, heartbroken, dies of grief. Merteuil’s reputation is ruined, and she flees Paris in disgrace. Cécile, disillusioned, returns to the convent, while Danceny joins the military.

Key Ideas

• The corrupting influence of power and manipulation in aristocratic society.
• The destructive consequences of unchecked desire and revenge.
• The contrast between public virtue and private vice.
• The role of women in a patriarchal, morally hypocritical world.
• The epistolary form as a tool for psychological depth and irony.

Notable Adaptations

• Readers fascinated by psychological manipulation and moral ambiguity.
• Fans of epistolary novels and 18th-century French literature.
• Those interested in critiques of aristocratic decadence and gender dynamics.