Liaisons Dangereuses (World's Classics) - Softcover

Laclos, Pierre Ambroise Francois Choderlos De

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192829211 ISBN 13: 9780192829214

Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks, 1995

Synopsis

The complex moral ambiguities of seduction and revenge make Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782) one of the most scandalous and controversial novels in European literature. The subject of major film and stage adaptations, the novel's prime movers, the Vicomte de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil, form an unholy alliance and turn seduction into a game - a game which they must win. This new translation gives Laclos a modern voice, and readers will be able a judge whether the novel is as `diabolical' and `infamous' as its critics have claimed, or whether it has much to tell us about the kind of world we ourselves live in. David Coward's introduction explodes myths about Laclos's own life and puts the book in its literary and cultural context. This book is intended for students of eighteenth-century French literature.

About this title

Review

"Christopher Hampton's brilliant adaptation...gives a pitiless and searching portrait of the erotic diversions of aristocrats in putrescent pre-revolutionary France." --"Daily Telegraph"
"Hampton's achievement is to have preserved the satanic magnetism of the twin conspirators while going all out for social comedy. But this is comedy of the highest theatrical kind: edged with danger, replete with pain and forever reminding us that lives are being ruined with the flick of a well-turned phrase." --"Guardian"

About the Author

Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos (1741-1803) was born in Amiens, France. He entered the army at the age of 18 and reached the rank of capitaine-commandant without seeing battle. In 1779 he was sent to the island of Aix, where Les Liaisons Dangereuses was written. He also wrote a treatise on the education of women and on the French military architect Vauban.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0192829211
• ISBN 13: 9780192829214
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 442