Ecclesiastical Laurels

The title of this story Ecclesiastical Laurels (originally Les Lauriers ecclésiastiques) foreshortens in two words the basic plot: a commendatory abbot the Abbot T*** wages war on the field of love. After several conquests of varying degrees of success with women at various levels of society and of various vocations he progresses from a complete neophyte in the rules and etiquette of love-making and seduction through a middle period of maturation and rage to finally being fulgurated by the woman of his future happiness and legitimate passion who as chance might have it is a nun. His successes or conquests earn him his laurels imaginary leafy crowns that are more like garter belts.One subtitle of this story the Abbot T***ʼs Campaigns further emphasizes the libertine tendencies of the main character and plot. But if anything it is soft-libertinage where the main character could be described as a mélange between ambitious young lover Julien Sorel (of Stendhalʼs Le rouge et le noir also a bildungsroman) and master seducer Valmont in Choderlos de Laclosʼ Les liaisons dangereuses.