The Art of Seduction (35 page)

It is best to read all of the chapters and gain as much knowledge as possible. When it comes time to apply these tactics, you will want to pick and choose which ones are appropriate for your particular victim; sometimes only a few are sufficient, depending on the level of resistance you meet and the complexity of your victim's problems. These tactics are equally applicable to social and political seductions, minus the sexual component in Phase Four.

At all cost, resist the temptation to hurry to the climax of your seduction, or to improvise. You are not being seductive but selfish. Everything in daily life is hurried and improvised, and you need to offer something different. By taking your time and respecting the seductive process you will not only break down your victim's resistance, you will make them fall in love. Phase One

Separation
—

Stirring Interest and Desire

Your victims live in their own worlds, their minds occupied with
anxieties and daily concerns. Your goal in this initial phase is to
slowly separate them from that closed world and fill their minds
with thoughts of you. Once you have decided whom to seduce

(1: Choose the right victim), your first task is to get your vic-
tims' attention, to stir interest in you. For those who might be
more resistant or difficult, you should try a slower and more in-
sidious approach, first winning their friendship (2: Create a

false sense of security
—
approach indirectly); for those who are
bored and less difficult to reach, a more dramatic approach will
work, either fascinating them with a mysterious presence (3:

Send mixed signals) or seeming to be someone who is coveted

and fought over by others (4: Appear to be an object of desire).
Once the victim is properly intrigued, you need to transform

their interest into something stronger
—
desire. Desire is generally
preceded by feelings of emptiness, of something missing inside

that needs fulfillment. You must deliberately instill such feelings,
make your victims aware of the adventure and romance that are

lacking in their lives (5: Create a need
—
stir anxiety and dis-
content). If they see you as the one to fill their emptiness, inter-
est will blossom into desire. The desire should be stoked by

subtly planting ideas in their minds, hints of the seductive plea-
sures that await them (6: Master the art of insinuation). Mir-

roring your victims' values, indulging them in their wants and

moods will charm and delight them (7: Enter their spirit).

Without realizing how it has happened, more and more of their

thoughts now revolve around you. The time has come for some-

thing stronger. Lure them with an irresistible pleasure or adven-
ture (8: Create temptation) and they will follow your lead.

Choose the Right Victim

Everything de-

pends on the target of your seduc-

tion. Study your prey thoroughly, and choose

only those who will prove susceptible to your

charms. The right victims are those for whom you can fill

a void, who see in you something exotic. They are often

isolated or at least somewhat unhappy (perhaps because of re-

cent adverse circumstances), or can easily be made so
—
for the
completely contented person is almost impossible to seduce.

The perfect victim has some natural quality that attracts

you. The strong emotions this quality inspires will

help make your seductive maneuvers seem more

natural and dynamic. The perfect victim

allows for the perfect chase.

Preparing for the Hunt

The young Vicomte de Valmont was a notorious libertine in the Paris of the 1770s, the ruin of many a young girl and the ingenious seducer of the wives of illustrious aristocrats. But after a while the repetitiveness of it all began to bore him; his successes came too easily So one year, during the sweltering, slow month of August, he decided to take a break from Paris and visit his aunt at her château in the provinces. Life there was not what
The ninth
•
Have I

he was used to—there were country walks, chats with the local vicar, card
become blind? Has the
games. His city friends, particularly his fellow libertine and confidante the
inner eye of the soul lost its
power? I have seen her, but

Marquise de Merteuil, expected him to hurry back.

it is as if I had seen a

There were other guests at the château, however, including the Prési-
heavenly revelation
—s
o
dente de Tourvel, a twenty-two-year-old woman whose husband was tem-
completely has her image
vanished again for me. In

porarily absent, having work to do elsewhere. The Présidente had been
vain do I summon all the
languishing at the château, waiting for him to join her. Valmont had met
powers of my soul in order
her before; she was certainly beautiful, but had a reputation as a prude who
to conjure up this image. If
I ever see her again, I shall

was extremely devoted to her husband. She was not a court lady; her taste
be able to recognize her
in clothing was atrocious (she always covered her neck with ghastly frills)
instantly, even though she

and her conversation lacked wit. For some reason, however, far from Paris,
stands among a hundred
others. Now she has fled,

Valmont began to see these traits in a new light. He followed her to the
and the eye of my soul tries
chapel where she went every morning to pray. He caught glimpses of her at
in vain to overtake her
dinner, or playing cards. Unlike the ladies of Paris, she seemed unaware of
with its longing. I was
her charms; this excited him. Because of the heat, she wore a simple linen
walking along Langelinie,
seemingly nonchalantly

dress, which revealed her figure. A piece of muslin covered her breasts, let-
and without paying
ting him more than imagine them. Her hair, unfashionable in its slight dis-
attention to my
order, conjured the bedroom. And her face—he had never noticed how
surroundings, although my
reconnoitering glance left-

expressive it was. Her features lit up when she gave alms to a beggar; she
nothing unobserved
—
and
blushed at the slightest praise. She was so natural and unself-conscious. And
then my eyes fell upon her.
when she talked of her husband, or religious matters, he could sense the
My eyes fixed
unswervingly upon her.

depth of her feelings. If such a passionate nature were ever detoured into a
They no longer obeyed

love affair. . . .

their master's will; it was

Valmont extended his stay at the château, much to the delight of his
impossible for me to shift
my gaze and thus overlook

aunt, who could not have guessed at the reason. And he wrote to the Mar-
the object I wanted to
quise de Merteuil, explaining his new ambition: to seduce Madame de
see
—
I did not look, I
Tourvel. The Marquise was incredulous. He wanted to seduce this prude?
stared. As a fencer freezes
If he succeeded, how little pleasure she would give him, and if he failed,
in his lunge, so my eyes
were fixed, petrified in the

what a disgrace—the great libertine unable to seduce a wife whose husband
direction initially taken. It
was far away! She wrote a sarcastic letter, which only inflamed Valmont fur-
was impossible to look
169

170
•
The Art of Seduction

down, impossible to
ther. The conquest of this notoriously virtuous woman would prove his
withdraw my glance,
greatest seduction. His reputation would only be enhanced.
impossible to see, because I

There was an obstacle, though, that seemed to make success almost im
saw far too much. The
only thing I have retained

possible: everyone knew Valmont's reputation, including the Présidente.
is that she had on a green
She knew how dangerous it was to ever be alone with him, how people
cloak, that is all
—o
ne
would talk about the least association with him. Valmont did everything
could call it capturing the

cloud instead of Juno; she
to belie his reputation, even going so far as to attend church services and
has escaped me . . .and

seem repentant of his ways. The Présidente noticed, but still kept her dis
left only her cloak
tance. The challenge she presented to Valmont was irresistible, but could he
behind. . .
.
The girl made
meet it?

an impression on me.
•

The sixteenth • . . . I feel

Valmont decided to test the waters. One day he arranged a little walk
no impatience, for she must
with the Présidente and his aunt. He chose a delightful path that they had
live here in the city, and at
never taken before, but at a certain point they reached a little ditch, unsuit
this moment that is enough
for me. This possibility is
able for a lady to cross on her own. And yet, Valmont said, the rest of the
the condition for the proper
walk was too nice for them to turn back, and he gallantly picked up his
appearance of her image
— aunt in his arms and carried her across the ditch, making the Présidente
everything

will be enjoyed in slow
laugh uproariously. But then it was her turn, and Valmont purposefully
drafts.
. . . •
The
picked her up a little awkwardly, so that she caught at his arms, and while
nineteenth
•
Cordelia,
he was holding her against him he could feel her heart beating faster, and
then, is her name!
saw her blush. His aunt saw this too, and cried out, "The child is afraid!"
Cordelia! It is a beautiful

name, and that, too, is
But Valmont sensed otherwise. Now he knew that the challenge could be
important, since it can
met, that the Présidente could be won. The seduction could proceed.
often be very disturbing to

have to name an ugly

name together with the

most tender adjectives.

Interpretation.
Valmont, the Présidente de Tourvel, and the Marquise de

—SØREN KIERKEGAARD,
THE

Merteuil are all characters in the eighteenth-century French novel
Danger-
SEDUCER'S DIARY,
TRANSLATED

ous Liaisons,
by Choderlos de Laclos. (The character of Valmont was inBY HOWARD V. H O N G AND

EDNA H . H O N G

spired by several real-life libertines of the time, most prominent of all the Duke de Richelieu.) In the story, Valmont worries that his seductions have become mechanical; he makes a move, and the woman almost always responds the same way. But no two seductions should be the same—a differ
Love as understood by
Don Juan is a feeling akin
ent target should change the whole dynamic. Valmont's problem is that he
to a taste for hunting. It is
is always seducing the same type—the
wrong
type. He realizes this when he
a craving for an activity
meets Madame de Tourvel.

which needs an incessant

diversity of stimuli to

It is not because her husband is a count that he decides to seduce her,
challenge skill.

or because she is stylishly dressed, or is desired by other men—the usual

— S T E N D H A L ,
L O V E ,

reasons. He chooses her because, in her unconscious way, she has already

seduced him. A bare arm, an unrehearsed laugh, a playful manner—all

these have captured his attention, because none of them is contrived. Once he falls under her spell, the strength of his desire will make his subsequent maneuvers seem less calculated; he is apparently unable to help himself.
It is not the quality of the
And his strong emotions will slowly infect her.
desired object that gives us

Beyond the effect the Présidente has on Valmont, she has other traits
pleasure, but rather the

energy of our appetites.
that make her the perfect victim. She is bored, which draws her toward adventure. She is naive, and unable to see through his tricks. Finally, the

— C H A R L E S BAUDELAIRE,
THE

END OF DON JUAN

Achilles' heel: she believes herself immune to seduction. Almost all of us
Choose the Right Victim
•
171

are vulnerable to the attractions of other people, and we take precautions
The daughter of desire

against unwanted lapses. Madame de Tourvel takes none. Once Valmont
should strive to have the
following lovers in their

has tested her at the ditch, and has seen she is physically vulnerable, he
turn, as being mutually

knows that eventually she will fall.

restful to her: a boy who

Life is short, and should not be wasted pursuing and seducing the
has been loosed too soon
wrong people. The choice of target is critical; it is the set up of the seduc-
from the authority and
counsel of his father, an

tion and it will determine everything else that follows. The perfect victim
author enjoying office with
does not have certain facial features, or the same taste in music, or similar
a rather simple-minded
goals in life. That is how a banal seducer chooses his or her targets. The
prince, a merchant's son
whose pride is in rivaling

perfect victim is the person who stirs you in a way that cannot be explained
other lovers, an ascetic who

in words, whose effect on you has nothing to do with superficialities. He or
is the slave of love in

she often has a quality that you yourself lack, and may even secretly envy—
secret, a king's son whose
follies are boundless and

the Présidente, for example, has an innocence that Valmont long ago lost or
who has a taste for rascals,

never had. There should be a little bit of tension—the victim may fear you
the countrified son of some

a little, even slightly dislike you. Such tension is full of erotic potential and
village Brahman, a
married woman's lover, a

will make the seduction much livelier. Be more creative in choosing your
singer who has just
prey and you will be rewarded with a more exciting seduction. Of course,
pocketed a very large sum
it means nothing if the potential victim is not open to your influence. Test
of money, the master of a

the person first. Once you feel that he or she is also vulnerable to you then
caravan but recently come
in. . . .These brief

the hunting can begin.

instructions admit of

infinitely varied

It is a stroke of good fortune to find one who is worth se-

interpretation, dear child,

according to the

ducing. . .
.
Most people rush ahead, become engaged or do
circumstance; and it

other stupid things, and in a turn of the hand everything is

requires intelligence, insight

over, and they know neither what they have won nor what

and reflection to make the

they have lost.

best of each particular case.

—
E A S T E R N LOVE,
VOLUME II:

—SØREN KIERKEGAARD

THE HARLOT'S BREVIARY OF

KSHEMENDRA,
TRANSLATED BY

E. POWYS MATHERS

Keys to Seduction

Throughout life we find ourselves having to persuade people—to se-
The women who can
duce them. Some will be relatively open to our influence, if only in
be easily won over to

subtle ways, while others seem impervious to our charms. Perhaps we find
congress: . . . a woman
who looks sideways at

this a mystery beyond our control, but that is an ineffective way of dealing
you; . . . a woman who
with life. Seducers, whether sexual or social, prefer to pick the odds. As
hates her husband, or who

often as possible they go toward people who betray some vulnerability to
is hated by him; . . . a

them, and avoid the ones who cannot be moved. To leave people who are
woman who has not had
any children; . . . a

inaccessible to you alone is a wise path; you cannot seduce everyone. On the
woman who is very fond of
other hand, you must actively hunt out the prey that responds the right way.
society; a woman who
This will make your seductions that much more pleasurable and satisfying.
is apparently very

affectionate toward her

How do you recognize your victims? By the way they respond to you.

husband; the wife of an

You should not pay so much attention to their conscious responses—a per-
actor; a widow;
. . .
a
son who is obviously trying to please or charm you is probably playing to
woman fond of

enjoyments; . . . a vain

your vanity, and wants something from you. Instead, pay greater attention
woman; a woman whose
to those responses outside conscious control—a blush, an involuntary mir-
husband is inferior to her
172 • The Art of Seduction

in rank or ability; a

roring of some gesture of yours, an unusual shyness, even perhaps a flash of
woman who is proud of her
anger or resentment. All of these show that you are having an effect on a
skill in the arts; . . . a

person who is open to your influence.

woman who is slighted by

her husband without any

Like Valmont, you can also recognize the right targets by the effect they
cause; . . . a woman whose

are having on you. Perhaps they make you uneasy—perhaps they corre
husband is devoted to
spond to a deep-rooted childhood ideal, or represent some kind of personal
travelling; the wife of a

jeweler; a jealous woman;

taboo that excites you, or suggest the person you imagine you would be if
a covetous woman.
you were the opposite sex. When a person has such a deep effect on you, it

—
THE HINDI: ART OF LOVE,

transforms all of your subsequent maneuvers. Your face and gestures beEDITED BY EDWARD WINDSOR

come more animated. You have more energy; when victims resist you (as a good victim should) you in turn will be more creative, more motivated to overcome their resistance. The seduction will move forward like a good
Leisure stimulates love,

play. Your strong desire will infect the target and give them the dangerous
leisure watches the

sensation that they have a power over you. Of course, you are the one ulti
lovelorn, \ Leisure's the
cause and sustenance of
mately in control since you are making your victims emotional at the right
this sweet \ Evil.

moments, leading them back and forth. Good seducers choose targets that
Eliminate leisure, and

inspire them but they know how and when to restrain themselves.

Cupid's bow is broken, \

His torches lie lightless,

Never rush into the waiting arms of the first person who seems to like
scorned. \ As a plane-tree
you. That is not seduction but insecurity. The need that draws you will
rejoices in wine, as a poplar
make for a low-level attachment, and interest on both sides will sag. Look
in water, \ As a marsh-reed

at the types you have not considered before—that is where you will find
in swampy ground, so

Venus loves \ Leisure. . . .

challenge and adventure. Experienced hunters do not choose their prey by

\ Why do you think

how easily it is caught; they want the thrill of the chase, a life-and-death
Aegisthus \ Became an

struggle—the fiercer the better.

adulterer? Easy: he was

idle
—
and bored. \

Although the victim who is perfect for you depends on you, certain

Everyone else was away at

types lend themselves to a more satisfying seduction. Casanova liked young
Troy on a lengthy \
women who were unhappy, or had suffered a recent misfortune. Such
Campaign: all Greece had

shipped \ Its contingent

women appealed to his desire to play the savior, but it also responded to ne
across. Suppose he
cessity: happy people are much harder to seduce. Their contentment makes
hankered for warfare?

them inaccessible. It is always easier to fish in troubled waters. Also, an air
Argos \ Had no wars to

of sadness is itself quite seductive—Genji, the hero of the Japanese novel
offer. Suppose he fancied

the courts? \ Argos lacked

The Tale of Genji,
could not resist a woman with a melancholic air. In
litigation. Love was better
Kierkegaard's book
The Seducer's Diary,
the narrator, Johannes, has one
than doing nothing. \
main requirement in his victim: she must have imagination. That is why he
That's how Cupid slips

in; that's how he stays.

chooses a woman who lives in a fantasy world, a woman who will envelop

— O V I D ,
C U R E S F O R L O V E ,

his every gesture in poetry, imagining far more than is there. Just as it is