Helena Frith Powell is the author of All You Need to Be Impossibly French: A Witty Investigation Into the Lives, Lusts, and Little Secrets of French Women and other books.Back in 2005 she named a top ten list of "sexy French books" for the Guardian.
Her argument for the list and one title from it:
Why are French women so sexy? Ever since 1066, we've been enthralled by the innate superiority of the French female. Never mind Larkin and 1963; the French were at it well before that. French women are beautiful, stylish and chic - but they have something else that many English women lack. One of their tools, every bit as potent as their matching underwear, is their knowledge of literature. They see being well-read as important as being well-groomed. In order to outwit our French female foes across the Channel, here is a list of the top 10 sexy French books, guaranteed to land you a date with Thierry Henry.Read about all ten titles on Frith Powell's list.
* * *Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos
"It's beyond my control." Is there a more brutal line in literature? This is the book that justifies any amount of appalling behaviour. It turns seduction into a game and an art form. While the Anglo Saxons were reading Pride and Prejudice by candle-light, this book was teaching French society how to frolic and seduce.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses also appears on H.M. Castor's top ten list of dark and haunted heroes and heroines and John Mullan's list of ten of the best lotharios in literature.
Writers Read: Helena Frith Powell (February 2009).
--Marshal Zeringue
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