Choderlos de Laclos

First appearing in 1782, Dangerous Liaisons is one of the most scandalous and controversial novels in European literature. The plot unfolds through a series of letters as the two main protagonists, the Vicomte de Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil, attempt to bring about the seduction of a young woman. The epistolary nature of the novel gives a multi-faceted perspective of the action, which places the book firmly in the tradition of libertine literature....

It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two narcissistic rivals (and ex-lovers) who use seduction as a weapon to socially control and exploit others, all the while enjoying their cruel games and boasting about their talent for manipulation. It has been seen as depicting the corruption and depravity of the French nobility shortly before the French Revolution, and thereby attacking the Ancien Régime.

In this vivid reimagining of the French classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses, it's the summer when Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball's color barrier and a sweltering stretch has Harlem's elite fleeing the city for Westchester County's breezier climes, two predators stalk amidst the manicured gardens and fine old homes. Heiress Mae Malveaux rules society with an angel's smile and a heart of stone. She made up her mind long ago that nobody would...

Set in 19th century Korea, this version also tells the tale of treachery, lust and sacrifice. Elegant, courtly and sexually voracious young Lord Jo-won's public life of idle nobility masks a not-so-private life of unending sexual conquest. Challenged by his equally debauched cousin Lady Cho to seduce a teenaged virgin threatens Cho's household kingdom. Jo-won accepts on condition that Cho surrender herself to him if he succeeds. But the real target...

Set in 18th century France, this is the story of two bored aristocrats, and the havoc they wreck when they decide to play sexual games with people's lives.

In Shanghai, an aging socialite's infatuation with her ex-boyfriend manifests itself as a risky game, where her former lover agrees to seduce, and then abandon a naive young woman.