He Said, She Said

"Dangerous Liaisons" (Les Liaisons dangereuses) was adapted into various media many times. The novel, published on March 23, 1782, depicted the decadence of the French aristocracy before the French Revolution. The novel proved to be scandalous. Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, a military officer during the Ancien Régime, was compared to the Marquis de Sade.

Revenge is a dish best served cold. Many believed that this quote originated from the book. Some were intrigued, wondering if it might have been Laclos's friends in high places.

Shame is like pain

"When I came out into society I was 15. I already knew that the role I was condemned to, namely to keep quiet and do what I was told, gave me the perfect opportunity to listen and observe. Not to what people told me, which naturally was of no interest, but to whatever it was they were trying to hide."

- Marquise de Merteuil

The novel was a series of letters, mostly between the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont. The two were former lovers who became rivals, comparing notes on the people they degraded and humiliated. They loved to boast their manipulative talents, wanting to find out which one of them was better.

Merteuil suggested to Valmont to seduce Cécile de Volanges, a young lady who was brought out of the convent to be married. The would-be husband happened to be Merteuil's former lover, who discarded her for a younger woman. But Valmont didn't find it challenging. Instead, he set his eyes on Madame de Tourvel, a friend of his aunt. She was a married woman. She was virtuous and inaccessible.

This epistolary novel was a revelation of guilt-ridden characters, who were compromised by Merteuil. They were her creatures. Could her amoral beliefs be considered as a new ideology? It would be a good question. It was a hard one to answer.

The wrath of the commune was too much for the Ancien Régime. There were numerous attempts (by some aristocrats) to rebuild the old system years after the Fall of Bastille. But it was futile. The future of the republic seemed uncertain. Whether or not that opinion changed after Napoleon Bonaparte's ascent would be another matter. Did the Emperor of the French also reviled the old ways?

As for Laclos, his motives (for writing the book) would remain unclear. It was possible that Merteuil and Valmont were based from someone he knew too well. Readers could only surmised if there was a scandal. The former army general was discreet, even good enough to keep some things under wraps. Either this or that.