One of the most celebrated
epistolary novels of its time,Les Liaisons
dangereuses,by Choderlos de Laclos, will wrench the
reader so deep into the deceitful world of the two protaginists, that immorality actually becomes appealing.
The
plot is based on a wager between the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicompte de Valmont; two treacherous ad conniving allies. If Valmont succeeds in seducing the virtuous,and married Madame de Tourvel, Merteuil will spend the night with him.Enticed by this promise; Valmont concentrates all his efforts into his task, which proves more difficult than he expected. In the meantime Merteuil plots against the innocent Cecile de Volanges, whose only sin is her betrothal to a former lover of Merteuil.
The plot thickens as the stakes become
higher and higher, submerging the characters in an entangled web of lies and treason.
This trenchant description of sexual libertinism also depicts the decadence of the French aristocracy before the Revolution, which will leave the reader shocked by the 18th century society''s promiscuity.
More reviews about the Les Liaisons dangereuses