Today, Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos was born in 1741, in Amiens, France. He served as a soldier, but is best known for his novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (in English, Dangerous Liaisons). This book ruffled quite a few feathers among both the aristocrats and the bourgeoisie when it was first published in April, 1782 - people were unsure of what to make of it. Many deemed it scandalous due to its sexual content, others couldn't put it down for the same reason, and some readers took moral lessons from the tale. I believe the latter response is what Laclos desired; in his "Editor's Preface" (he pretends that his work of fiction is a compilation of actual letters, which was a common authorial device at that time), he explicitly states: It seems to me, at any rate, that it is to render a service to morals, to unveil the methods employed by those whose own are bad in corrupting those whose conduct is good; and I believe that these letters will effectually attain this end. There will also be found the proof and example of two important verities which one might believe unknown, for that they are so rarely practiced: the one, that every woman who consents to admit a man of loose morals to her society ends by becoming his victim; the other, that a mother is, to say the least, imprudent who allows any other than herself to possess the confidence of her daughter. Young people of either sex might also learn from these pages that the friendship which persons of evil character appear to grant them so readily is never aught else but a dangerous snare, as fatal to their happiness as to their virtue. These messages are exemplified in the novel; the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont wreak havoc on their prey. Valmont's virtuous, devoutly religious conquest, Madame de Tourvel, dies of a broken heart after having the misfortune to fall in love with the libertine, and Cécile, Merteuil's teenaged cousin, returns to the convent where she was educated to become a nun, in order to atone for her fornication with Valmont (in which she was encouraged by Merteuil, her confidant). Her first (chaste and respectable) lover, the Chevalier Danceny, becomes a monk to make reparation for his fling with Merteuil; through their decisions to enter religious life, I believe Laclos was indicating that God's redeeming love provides solace for those who have transgressed. At the conclusion, Cécile's mother, Madame de Volanges, laments: Who is there who would not shudder, if he were to reflect upon the misfortunes that may be caused by even one dangerous acquaintance! And what troubles would one not avert by reflecting on this more often! What woman would not fly before the first proposal of a seducer! What mother could see another person than herself speak to her daughter, and tremble not! But these tardy reflections never come until after the event; and one of the most important of truths, as it is, perhaps, one of the most generally recognized, lies stifled and void of use in the whirlpool of our inconsequent manners.
Because of her status-absorbed mindset, Volanges has spent much of the novel warning her friend Tourvel about Valmont, when she should have been developing a close relationship with her daughter; she keeps herself distant from Cécile, arranges her marriage, and in the meantime allows her to confide in Merteuil, who secretly intends to ruin her. Tourvel ignores the older woman's cautions and Cécile is eventually corrupted, so Volanges is left to mourn for both. However, the villains don't get away with their atrocities - Danceny kills Valmont in a duel, and Merteuil flees Paris in utter disgrace when her crimes are revealed. Madame de Rosemonde, Valmont's aunt, makes this astute comment on the whole situation: [W]ere one enlightened as to one's true happiness, one would never seek it outside the bounds prescribed by religion and the laws. To sum up, the main lesson is: if you manipulate others for your own gain, behave in a self-serving manner, and/or pursue pleasure as an end in itself, your sins will eventually entrap you. With its compelling plot and evocative characters, the novel offers us this truth and urges us to take stock of our own hearts so that we may lead lives of integrity.
Happy Birthday, cher Laclos!
Note: The quotes are from the Barnes & Noble Classics edition of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
Image: A portrait of Laclos, attributed to Joseph Ducreux.
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