Dangerous Liaisons

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1782

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Preface-Letter 20

Part 1, Letters 21-40

Part 1, Letters 41-50

Part 2, Letters 51-70

Part 2, Letters 71-87

Part 3, Letters 88-100

Part 3, Letters 101-124

Part 4, Letters 125-150

Part 4, Letters 151-175

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Letters

Letters are not only representative of the novel’s epistolary format, but they are also a central motif, as they are the primary means of communication between the characters. In the 18th century, there were really only three ways to communicate with others: direct speech, using messengers, or writing letters. Thus, receiving a letter was no small event and was extremely personal and private, which is illustrated by the fact that all characters save every letter written to them. Furthermore, in the case of a rupture in their relationships, the characters ask for their letters back because those letters contain very personal information that they would not want to be made public.

Thus, letters are often used to convey deception, manipulation, and betrayal, and are a symbol of the characters’ ability to control one another by filtering the information they wish to provide while withholding that which they wish to keep secret. This is, of course, most obvious in the letters from Merteuil or Valmont, but even Danceny and Cécile have their own secrets and half-truths. Furthermore, letters allow the characters a means to express sentiments they may struggle to express in speech. Danceny claims that “a letter is a portrait of the soul” (363), even though the statement is, under the circumstances, rather ironic: For most of the characters, letters are the surest means of obscuring their “souls” and their real intentions.

Finally, letters are used as a symbol for the power of language and the dangers of miscommunication. The novel explores how the written word can be used to both create and destroy relationships, and how the meaning of a letter can be easily misconstrued. In this way, letters serve as a powerful symbol of the fragility of human connection and the importance of clear and honest communication.

Militaristic Language

Militaristic language is used throughout Dangerous Liaisons to describe the characters' interactions with one another. The language of war and conquest is often employed to describe the characters' manipulations and schemes, and this language has a profound effect on the emotions of the characters.

First, the use of militaristic language creates a sense of competition and rivalry between the characters. They are often described as being engaged in a “battle” or “war” against one another, creating a sense of tension and conflict that drives the narrative forward. The characters are motivated by a desire to win or conquer their opponents, imbuing their interactions with urgency and intensity.

The use of militaristic language also creates a sense of detachment and dehumanization. The characters are often referred to in impersonal terms, such as “soldiers” or “combatants,” reinforcing the sense that they are engaged in a game or battle rather than in genuine emotional interactions. This creates a sense of emotional distance between the characters and makes it easier for them to engage in manipulative and deceptive behavior.

Finally, the use of militaristic language also creates a sense of fatalism and inevitability. The characters often speak of their actions in terms of “strategies” or “tactics,” suggesting that their fate is predetermined by the circumstances of the game. This creates a sense of hopelessness and despair, as the characters come to believe that they are unable to escape the cycle of manipulation and betrayal that defines their interactions.

Literature and the Arts

There is a subtle criticism of the arts and their potentially harmful effects on society contained within Dangerous Liaisons. De Laclos alludes to several other popular works of the day, most notably Jean-Jacque Rousseau’s Julie ou la Nouvelle Héloïse, another epistolary novel. However, he also references poems, plays, operas, etc. In fact, the novel’s Preface establishes the motives behind the novel as a type of didacticism: The contents are meant “to unveil the strategies used by the immoral to corrupt the moral” (6). In this vein, Merteuil and Valmont often quote from works of literature when making a point about, and providing precedent regarding, seductive techniques and motives. For example, in Letter 66, Valmont loosely quotes from Voltaire’s contentious poem La Pucelle d’Orléans, which was banned and censored because of its licentious content regarding Jean d’Arc.

Moreover, in Letter 81, Merteuil admits that she used novels to study manners, and works of philosophy for opinions, which she used to become a modern-day Delilah, the woman who cut Samson’s hair in the Bible and caused him to lose his superhuman strength. In claiming that novels were a key tool in helping her understand human psychology, Merteuil suggests that she would not be anywhere close to as effective in her seductive games without the knowledge she gleaned from such reading. In this sense, then, the novel suggests that art has the power to either instruct and purify—as Dangerous Liaisons claims it can do in warning the innocent—or corrupt and harm, depending on how it is received and employed by others.