What is the author's style in Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos De Laclos?

The point of view of the novel is third person. This point of view is vital to the story, in that it allows the author to present the novel as a series of letters, which serves to make the text more plausible, and to allow characters to tell their own deeds, actions, and emotions, without interpretation. This method also proves reliable, in that one senses differences in tone and voice throughout the novel, making character changes more easily recognized. Only the author, or the presenter of the letters, knows the full story. This point of view is also important in that one of the primary themes of the novel is the power of mankind to make or break their own lives, and this third person presentation of ideas allows each character to explain their own reasons for behaviors. The dramatic betrayal of characters would not be as entertaining if not being done behind the backs of other letter writers.

The story is told entirely as a collection of letters from a host of people from all social statuses, including servants, young men and woman, religious individuals, immoral individuals, and those in between. This method is likely used as a way of showing the reader the thoughts, emotions, and actions of all walks of life in the society of Paris, and to show a variety of inner methods and workings of mankind. This allows the reader to gain insight into the causes of issues in such societies, and the roles each person plays in the lives of the characters. Additionally, without the letter writing, the reader would be lost as to why many of the issues in the novel were occurring, since many of the characters are not even in the same city. Further, the addition of location and date on each letter allows the reader to focus on important time frames and places, to better understand characters' motives and emotions.