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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 did the person whom Valmont sent to Madame de Tourvel do?

2. How did Merteuil become adept at controlling her facial features?

3. Upon what does Merteuil instruct Danceny in letter 121?

4. Valmont asserts that a girl who has no respect for her mother will what?

5. What does Madame de Tourvel reveal to Valmont in letter 90?

Short Essay Questions

1. What news of Valmont does Madame de Rosemonde give Madame de Tourvel, and how does Madame de Tourvel react?

2. How does Madame de Volanges respond to Cécile's depression?

3. What arguments does Valmont use to convince Madame de Tourvel to see him?

4. What is Madame de Rosemonde's advice to Madame de Tourvel regarding her feelings for Valmont?

5. Summarize Bertrand's letters to Madame de Rosemonde.

6. Summarize the problem Madame de Tourvel sees preventing her and Valmont from having a relationship, and how Valmont circumvents her hesitation.

7. Summarize Merteuil's tale of her ruination of Prévan's.

8. What happens between Valmont and Madame de Tourvel that shocks and angers Valmont, and why does he react so strongly?

9. How does Valmont manipulate Cécile and Danceny's relationship?

10. Describe Madame de Tourvel's dictated, unaddressed letter which Madame de Volanges sends to Madame de Rosemonde.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the kinds of loss in the novel. Explain their significance to the plot, to the development of specific characters, to any theme development, and any symbolism in them. Some types of loss in the novel include: loss of love, trust, innocence, virginity, hope, virtue, friendship; loss of life (as in death or miscarriage); loss of future (marriages, happiness, success, livelihood); loss of self-identity and control over one's own life.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the theme of women's sexuality in _Les Liaisons Dangereuses_. How is desire, in particular, expressed in the female characters? How do Cécile's, Merteuil's, and Madame de Tourvel's different experiences with sex, rape, seduction, courtship, initiation, and betrayal affect their character development, their roles in the plot of the novel, and their interactions with other male and female characters? What connections to contemporary French ideas of morality and gender roles do the sexuality of the female characters have? How is feminine sexual awareness or sexual activity opposed to masculine sexual awareness or sexual activity? How do other characters, or contemporary French high society, view women who are sexually experienced? Can you apply modern feminist critical theory to this discussion?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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