The Novel of Worldliness: Crebillon, Marivaux, Laclos, StendhalContending that a search for realism distorts the writing of Crbillon, Marivaux, Laclos, and Stendahl, Peter Brooks considers their novels with reference to the manner in which the characters explore their worth and pursue their own systems of relationships. The novels discussed are used as examples of the fictional exploitation of the drama inherent in man's social existence and the encounters of personal styles within the framework and code provided