Les Liaisons dangereuses through the eyes of André Malraux

Abstract

Choderlos de Laclos’s novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, first published in 1782, is regarded as one of the outstanding works of French literature. This article concerns a well-known commentary by the twentieth-century writer André Malraux which, though often mentioned by critics, has seldom been studied in detail. The article argues that while Malraux endorses the favourable modern assessments of Les Liaisons dangereuses, his analysis diverges in important respects from prevailing critical opinion. In particular, he regards the work as the commencement of an important new stage in the French novel rather than, as often argued, the culmination of the existing libertine tradition.