Dangerous Liaisons - Couverture souple

Laclos, Pierre Ambroise Francois Choderlos De

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0140116370 ISBN 13 : 9780140116373

Editeur : Penguin Books Ltd, 1989

Synopsis

This is a translation of the novel of decadence and moral corruption in pre-revolutionary France which tells the story of the conspiracy between the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont to debauch a young girl.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

A shocking tale of manipulation and revenge, Dangerous Liaisons follows the schemes of the Marquise du Merteuil against her former lover, the Vicomte de Valmont.

The pair of aristocrats vie for supremacy in manipulating others; employing seduction and temptation as their weapons, their aim is to disgrace others in the eyes of upper class French society. For her part, Merteuil is determined to sully the reputation of the young Cécile, who has hitherto led a pure life in a convent. Both Cécile and her love interest, music tutor Chevalier Danceny, are unwittingly employed in the cruel schemes of Merteuil and Valmont. What follows is a tension packed story of amorality, deception, jealousy and disgrace.

The story is entirely told through correspondences between the characters, whereby the narrative and events unfold. This format, which mimics the manner in which the reigning French aristocracy would communicate, acted to further stoke the controversy and reaction to the novel when it was originally published in the 1780s.

This translation by Thomas Moore is faithful to the original text, and continues to be considered the authoritative English rendition of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos infamous novel.

Présentation de l'éditeur

In this famous story of seduction, two highly intelligent but amoral French aristocrats plot the downfall of a respectable young married woman and a fifteen year old girl who has only just emerged from the convent.  The letters these two conspirators exchange are remarkably frank in describing how they manage to achieve their ends and, at the same time, reveal nuances of character which make it impossible to dismiss either of them as simply evil.  Those written by their victims are equally revelatory in a quite different and subtle way, while the manner in which Laclos handles the epistolary form in order to ensure that his two protagonists are finally defeated, not by outside forces, but the fissures in their own relationship, is a triumph of narrative skill.  This novel poses shrewd questions about the relation between love and sex, and suggests that, in certain sections of eighteenth century French high society, idleness, boredom and wealth had created individuals whose misfortunes it would be hard to regret when, only seven years after Dangerous Liaisons was published, the Revolution broke out.

Blurb by David Ellis

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Penguin Books Ltd
• Date d'édition: 1989
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0140116370
• ISBN 13: 9780140116373
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 400
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
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