Choderlos de Laclos, a moralist taken for a pornographer

Choderlos de Laclos, the author of Dangerous Liaisons, is considered a champion of libertinism. In reality, he dreams of moralizing the Ancien Régime society which he considers decadent! Virginie Girod tells you the story of a man who was concerned about the education of women since the 18th century.  

The Laclos story is one of social ascension. When Pierre Choderlos de Laclos was born in 1741, he did not yet belong to the aristocracy. His father only joined the nobility, state civil servants, a few years after his birth. Young Pierre begins a military career. However, the 7 years' war ended in 1763. For lack of conflicts to wage, Choderlos de Laclos went from garrison to garrison. First assigned to La Rochelle, he then left for Strasbourg. Choderlos de Laclos was initiated into Freemasonry there. Attending different lodges allowed him to sharpen his mind and the officer soon preferred the pen to the cannon.  

His epistolary novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses recounts the setbacks of Valmont, a libertine manipulated by Madame de Merteuil, an aristocrat as emancipated as she is malicious. The work appeared under the initials of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, who quickly gained recognition. The latter encourages mothers to offer it to their daughters to protect them from the traps that libertines will set for them. But the book has many erotic scenes. If they guarantee its success, the public misses its moralizing dimension.  

Generally speaking, Choderlos de Laclos attaches great importance to the education of girls, whom he wants to make masters of their destiny. The whole of France will soon rethink equality and citizenship: it's the Revolution! According to some historians, Laclos was even one of the men who accompanied the women's march on Versailles on October 5 and 6, 1789, which brought the royal family back to Paris. 

Themes: Moralism, Dangerous Liaisons, Eroticism, literature 

“At the Heart of History”

- Presentation: Virginie Girod 

- Production: Caroline Garnier 

- Director: Nicolas Gaspard

- Composition of the original music: Julien Tharaud and Sébastien Guidis

- Writing and Distribution: Nathan Laporte

- Communication: Marie Corpet

- Visual: Sidonie Mangin

Bibliography:

Jean-Paul Bertaud, Choderlos de Laclos, Fayard, 2003. 

Georges Poisson, Choderlos de Laclos or obstinacy, Grasset, 2005. 

Online resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyUQkC6LqKg 

https://www.persee.fr/doc/dhs_0070-6760_2002_num_34_1_2511 

https://francearchives.gouv.fr/fr/pages_histoire/39843#:~:text=The%205%20september%201803%2C%20the,napolitains%20revenus%20destroyed%20the%20grave.