# Letter 118: Chevalier Danceny to the Marchioness de Merteuil explained — Dangerous Liaisons

> Chapter companion for Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.

## What happens

Danceny writes to Merteuil, expressing his loneliness and impatience during her absence. He playfully accuses her of infidelity by leaving him, then reflects on how no other woman compares to her. His thoughts drift to his love for Cecilia, but he hesitates to commit certain delicate secrets to writing, urging Merteuil to return so he can confide in her fully.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love, Virtue, and Corruption

Danceny's idealized love for Cecilia is intertwined with his friendship with Merteuil, hinting at the tension between pure affection and manipulative influence.

### Epistolary Form and Unreliable Truth

Danceny explicitly states that some secrets of love cannot be written, highlighting the limitations and selective honesty of letter-writing.

## Character check-ins

### Chevalier Danceny

Author of the letter; expresses longing for Merteuil's return and shares his feelings about Cecilia.

### Marchioness de Merteuil

Recipient; Danceny addresses her as his 'charming friend' and confidante.

### Cecilia Volanges

Danceny's beloved; he mentions her letter and their secret love, though he withholds details.

## Key lines

> If I am to credit my almanac, my charming friend, you are absent only two days; but my heart tells me it is an age.

Though you've been gone only two days by the calendar, it feels like an eternity to me.

_Danceny uses hyperbole to express his emotional dependence on Merteuil._

> Is it not a species of infidelity, to leave your friend, after having accustomed him not to be able to exist out of your presence?

Leaving me after making me so reliant on you is a kind of betrayal.

_Danceny playfully accuses Merteuil of emotional infidelity, blending friendship with romantic language._

> Though we can say everything to a friend, everything cannot be written.

Even between close friends, some things are too delicate to put in a letter.

_Danceny acknowledges the inherent limits of epistolary communication, a key theme of the novel._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/dangerous_liaisons_se/chapters/letter-118-chevalier-danceny-to-the-marchioness-de-merteuil
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/dangerous_liaisons_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/dangerous_liaisons_se/chapters