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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Madame de Volanges threaten to do to Danceny?

2. What has Merteuil tricked Cécile into doing?

3. Where is Madame de Tourvel staying while her husband is away?

4. How does Valmont trick Madame de Volanges into receiving his second letter?

5. How did French society view Laclos after the publication of _Les Liaisons Dangereuses_?

Short Essay Questions

1. What subterfuge does Valmont use to come into possession of Madame de Tourvel's letters?

2. What serious warning does Valmont give Merteuil?

3. How does Cécile describe her feelings about Danceny to Sophie in letter 55?

4. How does Valmont describe Madame de Tourvel?

5. How does Merteuil respond to Valmont's warning?

6. What does the Editor state in the Editor's Preface?

7. What event causes Cécile and Danceny to despair? What are the immediate results?

8. Describe Cécile's relationship with Merteuil.

9. What defines or designates the "libertine" literary tradition?

10. Summarize Prévan's "legendary" feat of seduction according to Valmont.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the different writing styles of various main characters: Cécile, Danceny, Valmont, Merteuil, Madame de Tourvel, Madame de Rosemonde, and Madame de Volanges. Are any character's style or styles of writing distinct in any way? What type of language, or what tone, is most associated with each character? To what subjects do these characters refer in their letters? How do their styles of writing contribute to the development of their characters? How do their different styles of writing contribute to the "theatricality" of the novel, to its pace, and to the audience's perception of the work?

Essay Topic 2

Think of the form of this work is an epistolary novel. Do the letters themselves symbolize anything? Danceny writes in letter 150 that "a letter is the portrait of the soul." What does it mean to correspond with another person, and how is it carried out? How does reading an epistolary influence your experience with communication, character relationships, people, dialogue, and so on in a novel? Do the letters serve any purpose besides as a vehicle to express the plot of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

What are Merteuil and Valmont's "ethics" of seduction? How do they plan their seductions? What motivates them to seduce and ruin others? What rules of letter writing, evidence gathering, and record-keeping do they have for themselves and for others? Do you see any ironic or hypocritical behavior in Valmont or Merteuil? Why do they constantly write to each other of their own plans, offer their criticisms or praises of each others plans, tell stories of seductions past, and warn each other of potential dangers?

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