"Les Liaisons Dangereuses"

Paper Summary:

This paper attempts to present the evidence that supports how Madame de Tourvel reveals her hidden feelings for Valmont through ambiguous language in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" by Choderlos de Laclos. It shows that, while we cannot deny the fact that she may have had the best of intentions when she began her correspondence with Valmont, we also cannot ignore the passion that Valmont arouses within her and how, when we read between the lines, we discover that she is quite passionate about Valmont, despite what she claims. It looks at how the hidden meanings in her text reveal a secret passion for him that refuses to be silenced.

From the Paper:

"On the surface, Madame de Tourvel pretends to be virtuous, and indeed, she may desire to be but her letters reveal that she is vulnerable to Valmont's letters. In Letter 50, when she tells him that his letters speak of sentiments she "should be reluctant to acknowledge" (113) even if doing so would violate her "sense of duty" (113). What we find about this statement is the fact that she has just told him that mentioning his sentiments would violate her, yet has mentioned them anyway and does not seem to suffer from any lack of commitment or obligation. She also claims that she cherishes the "ties" (124) that keep her from involving herself with him in Letter 56. Furthermore, she also constantly tells Valmont that she has no desire to respond to his feelings. Yet, every time she mentions them, she is responding to them."

More papers on "Les Liaisons Dangereuses":

• Book Review # 74483 : "'Les Liaisons Dangereuses'"
• Film Review # 66819 : "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" by Choderlos de Laclos"
• Term Paper # 98224 : "'Les Liaisons Dangereuses'"
• Argumentative Essay # 5166 : "Les Liaisons Dangereuses: Is It an Aristotelian Tragedy?"

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