Dangerous Liaisons · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.

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Chapter 1
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The editor disclaims the authenticity of the collection, suggesting it is a fiction. They argue the morals depicted are too corrupt for the current age of philosophy and enlightenment, and that if the events have any truth, they must belong to another time and place. The editor offers as proof that no young lady with a large estate would now become a nun, nor a young and beautiful Presidente die of grief.
Chapter 2
Dangerous Liaisons
The opening of the novel presents a series of letters that introduce the manipulative and seductive schemes of the Viscount de Valmont and the Marchioness de Merteuil, as they plot to corrupt the innocent Cecilia Volanges and challenge the virtuous Madame de Tourvel, setting the stage for a tale of deception, power, and moral decay.
Chapter 3
Letter 1: Cecilia Volanges to Sophia Carnay
Cecilia Volanges writes to her friend Sophia Carnay from her home in Paris, having just left the convent. She describes her new freedom, her own room and maid, and her mother's plans for her impending marriage. A comical misunderstanding occurs when she mistakes the shoemaker for her intended husband, causing her embarrassment.
Chapter 4
Letter 2: The Marchioness de Merteuil to the Viscount Valmont, at the Castle of ⸻
Merteuil summons Valmont back to Paris to execute a scheme of revenge against Count Gercourt, who is to marry Cecilia Volanges. She plans to have Valmont seduce the innocent, convent-educated girl before the wedding, thereby humiliating Gercourt and satisfying both love and revenge.
Chapter 5
Letter 3: Cecilia Volanges to Sophia Carnay
Cecilia writes to her friend Sophia about her first evening in society, feeling self-conscious and awkward as she is observed and whispered about. She overhears comments about her being 'pretty' and 'awkward,' and suspects a man's remark about letting things 'ripen' may refer to a future marriage. She falls asleep at the card table and is laughed at, leading her to conclude that the world is not as pleasant as she once imagined.

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Dangerous Liaisons

Letter 1: Cecilia Volanges to Sophia Carnay

Letter 2: The Marchioness de Merteuil to the Viscount Valmont, at the Castle of ⸻

Letter 3: Cecilia Volanges to Sophia Carnay