Four Tuesdays: January 18, 25 and February 1, 8, from 1 to 3 p.m. EST Online
Discussion and Close Reading-Based:
Some claim that Laclos’ fascinating variant on the libertine novel of the unscrupulous seducer, Dangerous Liaisons, gives warning of the imminent revolution in France. The novel bears close study as its exchange of letters requires the reader to put together what must happen between the lines and between the letters in order to relish fully the wit, misguided calculations, and war of personalities between the main characters. These are not letters of candid feeling but instruments calculated to charm or foil other people. In our time when we see outright defiance to behaviors that involve sex and power, this class will have a chance to savor an elegant and witty treatment of a society devoted to sexual conquest.
Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos (9780140449570)
Melanie (Penny) Du Bois did her undergraduate and graduate work at Harvard, has lived in Europe, and taught literature at universities there and here. She has directed a reading group in Washington since 1989. Her recent Politics and Prose classes have been on the work of Coetzee, Penelope Fitzgerald, Tolstoy, Grossman, and Proust.
REFUND POLICY: Please note that we can issue class refunds up until seven (7) days before the first class session.
