18th Century and Enlightenment

Europe witnessed a flowering period in the 18th century that historians call the Age of Enlightenment. A period filled with experimentation as well as intellectual curiosity, people relied on the power of human reason in order to understand society and nature. One specific manifestation of the Enlightenment was a steadfast faith in the stable progression of civilization via scientific development. Because of this religious judgment went to the wayside. Instead, people wanted improvement through freedom, equality, and tolerance. French writers/thinkers expressed these sentiments and notions through their work.

These philosophers devoted their passion to useful thought and not speculation. Towards the latter half of the 18th century (1782), such thinking took the form of a highly scandalous story, Dangerous Liaisons. Written by Pierre Ambroise Choderlos de Laclos, a member of minor nobility and a French intelligence officer within the army, Dangerous Liaisons describes French nobility and the search for sex and love during the eighteenth century. Laclos wrote the novel as a shock piece.

Because of this, the acts of sexual betrayal, deceit, desire, and intrigue allowed the reader to witness sexual manipulation that highlights an important aspect of the Enlightenment, which was to pursue useful thought over speculation. The book was turned into a movie in 1988 and remarked on how sex can be used to achieve a means to an end and manipulate others to do one's bidding. This is shown through the character Marquise de Merteuil who seeks revenge against the Comte de Bastide, an ex-lover.

To do this, she intends to disgrace through seduction, her ex's fiancee, the virgin Cecile de Volanges. The seducer is sometimes partner Vicomte de Valmont. Through his task of seducing the virgin fiance, the sexual manipulation proceeds full steam ahead. The Enlightenment sought to end judgments and promote equality. Society always saw sexuality and expression of sexuality as a masculine activity. Men engaged in sex, developed sexual prowess, and gained the attention of numerous women. However, in the book/film, it is flipped around.

Women like Cecile are instructed to experience sex, and develop a sexual prowess through sexually engaging men. This then becomes the reason why society at the time, viewed the book as such a scandalous piece of literature and became a success as a film. It was through the sexual manipulation and corruption of Cecile by Valmont that readers saw how far sex can go.

Although Valmont is the one to force himself on Cecile de Volanges, Cecile eventually begins taking 'lessons' from him, accepting her sexual freedom and the direct manipulation by Valmont and his accomplice, Isabelle de Merteuil. Merteuil provides an interesting evolution of female sexuality. She is the one that generates the circumstances that not only land Cecile in trouble, but also Valmont, who loses a duel and faces death from a mortal wound.

To have a woman be the one to begin the descent to madness that the other characters go through truly shows the height of Enlightenment philosophy. Mcalpin highlights the mentality of the era and cites Dangerous Liaisons and the character of Merteuil as the quintessential marker of the cultural decadence and freedom experienced during the time.

(Mcalpin) For women to show strength and cunning, especially through the main character, Merteuil demonstrates that women can achieve the role of the puppet master and men can be the weak ones, choosing to serve the women in hopes of gaining their favor. An interview in the book titled Film Voices: Interviews from Post Script, cites how the film attempted to show such weakness in men through the strength of the women. "I think Dangerous Liaisons is about weak men and strong women.

I see this as progress." (Duchovnay 205) Progress was a key feature of the Enlightenment. People adopted progressive views, especially in France and it translated into literature. The Enlightenment: History, Documents, and Key Questions highlights the growth of such mentality and the growth of a literary market for women. By having Merteuil be the vindictive and evil protagonist that sought to corrupt an innocent virgin, Burns notes how Laclos tried to accentuate virtue through emphasis of its virtue's counterpart.

"Cholderos de Laclos's Dangerous Liaisons (1782) made a backhanded appeal to virtue by focusing on corrupt and evil protagonists." (Burns 76) Through sexual manipulation from both women and men, the virtue seen Cecile becomes tainted and turned to what ends up as a miscarriage and eventual demise of Valmont and Merteuil. The sexual manipulation of Cecile and its evolution from Valmont forcing himself on her to Cecile receiving 'lessons'.