The Art of Seduction (37 page)

than the bullocks, driven

that it was M. de Lauzun whom I loved, it was he who had somehow

from their mountain

slipped into my heart and captured it."

pastures, were on their way

Made aware of the source of her feelings, the Grande Mademoiselle

to the beach, as Jove had

directed; they were making
became more direct. If Lauzun was to be her confidante, she could talk to
for the sands where the
him of marriage, of the matches that were still being offered to her. The
daughter
[
Europa
]
of the

topic might give him a chance to express his feelings; perhaps he might
great king used to play

with the young girls of
show jealousy. Unfortunately Lauzun did not seem to take the hint. In
Tyre, who were her com-
stead, he asked her why she was thinking of marriage at all—she seemed
panions.
• . . .
Aban-

so happy. Besides, who could possibly be worthy of her? This went

doning the dignity of his

on for weeks. She could pry nothing personal out of him. In a way, she
scepter, the father and ruler

of the gods, whose hand

understood—there were the differences in rank (she was far above him) and
wields the flaming three-

age (she was six years older). Then, a few months later, the wife of the
forked bolt, whose nod

king's brother died, and King Louis suggested to the Grande Mademoiselle
shakes the universe,

adopted the guise of a bull;
that she replace his late sister-in-law—that is, that she marry his brother.
and, mingling with the
Anne Marie was disgusted; clearly the brother was trying to get his hands
other bullocks, joined in the

on her fortune. She asked Lauzun his opinion. As the king's loyal servants,
lowing and ambled in the

tender grass, a fair sight to
he replied, they must obey the royal wish. His answer did not please her,
sec. His hide was white as
and to make things worse, he stopped visiting her, as if it were no longer
untrodden snow, snow not
proper for them to be friends. This was the last straw. The Grande Made
yet melted by the rainy
moiselle told the king she would not marry his brother, and that was that.
South wind. The muscles

stood out on his neck, and

Now Anne Marie met with Lauzun, and told him she would write on a

deep folds of skin hung
piece of paper the name of the man she had wanted to marry all along. He
along his flanks. His horns
was to put the paper under his pillow and read it the next morning. When
were small, it is true, but

so beautifully made that
he did, he found the words
"C'est vous"
—It is you. Seeing the Grande
you would swear they were
Mademoiselle the following evening, Lauzun said she must have been jok
the work of an artist, more
ing; she would make him the laughing stock of the court. She insisted that
polished and shining than

any jewel. There was no
she was serious. He seemed shocked, surprised—but not as surprised as the
menace in the set of his

rest of the court was a few weeks later, when an engagement was an
head or in his eyes; he
nounced between this relatively low-ranking Don Juan and the second
looked completely placid.
•

Agenor's daughter
highest-ranking lady in France, a woman known for both her virtue and

[
Europa
]
was filled with
her skill at defending it.
admiration for one so

handsome and so friendly.

But, gentle though he

seemed, she was afraid at

Interpretation.
The Duke de Lauzun was one of the greatest seducers in
first to touch him; then she
history, and his slow and steady seduction of the Grande Mademoiselle was
went closer, and held out
his masterpiece. His method was simple: indirection. Sensing her interest in
flowers to his shining lips.

The lover was delighted

him in that first conversation, he decided to beguile her with friendship.
Create a False Sense of Security
—
Approach Indirectly
•
181

He would become her most devoted friend. At first this was charming; a
and, until he could achieve
man was taking the time to talk to her, of poetry, history, the deeds of
h is hoped-for pleasure,
kissed her hands. He could

war—her favorite subjects. She slowly began to confide in him. Then, al-
scarcely wait for the rest,
most without her realizing it, her feelings shifted: the consummate ladies'
only with great difficulty
man was only interested in friendship? He was not attracted to her as a
did he restrain himself.
•

woman? Such thoughts made her aware that she had fallen in love with
Now he frolicked and
played on the green turf

him. This, in part, was what eventually made her turn down the match
now lay down, all snowy
with the king's brother—a decision cleverly and indirectly provoked by
white on the yellow sand.
Lauzun himself, when he stopped visiting her. And how could he be after
Gradually the princess lost

her fear, and with her

money or position, or sex, when he had never made any kind of move?
innocent hands she stroked
No, the brilliance of Lauzun's seduction was that the Grande Mademoiselle
his breast when he offered
believed it was she who was making all the moves.

it for her caress, and hung

fresh garlands on his horns:

Once you have chosen the right victim, you must get his or her at-
till finally she even
tention and stir desire. To move from friendship to love can win success
ventured to mount the bull,
without calling attention to itself as a maneuver. First, your friendly con-
little knowing on whose
back she was resting. Then

versations with your targets will bring you valuable information about their
the god drew away from
characters, their tastes, their weaknesses, the childhood yearnings that gov-
the shore by easy stages,
ern their adult behavior. (Lauzun, for example, could adapt cleverly to
first planting the hooves
Anne Marie's tastes once he had studied her close up.) Second, by spending
that were part of his
disguise in the surf at the

time with your targets you can make them comfortable with you. Believing
water's edge, and then
you are interested only in their thoughts, in their company, they will lower
proceeding farther out to
their resistance, dissipating the usual tension between the sexes. Now they
sea, till he bore his booty
away over the wide

are vulnerable, for your friendship with them has opened the golden gate to
stretches of mid ocean.
their body: their mind. At this point any offhand comment, any slight —OVID,
METAMORPHOSES,
physical contact, will spark a different thought, which will catch them off-TRANSLATED BY MARY M. INNES

guard: perhaps there could be something else between you. Once that feeling has stirred, they will wonder why you haven't made a move, and will take the initiative themselves, enjoying the illusion that they are in control.
These few reflections lead

There is nothing more effective in seduction than making the seduced
us to the understanding
think that they are the ones doing the seducing.

that, since in attempting a

seduction it is up to the

man to make the first steps,

I do not approach her, I merely skirt the periphery of her

for the seducer, to seduce is

existence. . . . This is the first web into which she must be

nothing more than reducing

spun.

the distance, in this case

that of the difference

—SØREN KIERKEGAARD

between the sexes and that,

in order to accomplish this,

it is necessary to feminize

Key to Seduction

himself or at least identify

himself with the object of

his seduction. . . . As

What you are after as a seducer is the ability to move people in the di-
Alain Roger writes: "If
rection you want them to go. But the game is perilous; the mo-
there is a seduction, it is
the seducer who is first lead

ment they suspect they are acting under your influence, they will become
astray, in the sense that he
resentful. We are creatures who cannot stand feeling that we are obeying
abdicates his own sex. . . .
someone else's will. Should your targets catch on, sooner or later they will
Seduction undoubtedly
aims at sexual

turn against you. But what if you can make them do what you want them
consummation, but it only
to without their realizing it? What if they think
they
are in control? That is
gets there in creating a kind
182
•
The Art of Seduction

of simulacra of Gomorra.

the power of indirection and no seducer can work his or her magic with
The seducer is nothing
out it.

more than a lesbian."

The first move to master is simple: once you have chosen the right per— F R É D É R I C M O N N E Y R O N , son, you must make the target come to you. If, in the opening stages, you S
ÉDUIRE: L'IMAGINAIRE DE LA

SÉDUCTION DE DON GIOVANNI

can make your targets think that they are the ones making the first ap
À MICK JAGGER

proach, you have won the game. There will be no resentment, no perverse counterreaction, no paranoia.

To make them come to you requires giving them space. This can be

As he
[
Jupiter
]
was

hurrying busily to and fro,

accomplished in several ways. You can haunt the periphery of their exis
he stopped short at the
tence, letting them notice you in different places but never approaching
sight of an Arcadian

them. You will get their attention this way, and if they want to bridge the
maiden. The fire of

passion kindled the very

gap, they will have to come to you. You can befriend them, as Lauzun did
marrow of his bones. This

the Grande Mademoiselle, moving steadily closer while always maintaining
girl was not one who spent

the distance appropriate for friends of the opposite sex. You can also play
her time in spinning soft

fibers of wool, or in

cat and mouse with them, first seeming interested, then stepping back—

arranging her hair in

actively luring them to follow you into your web. Whatever you do, and
different styles. She was

whatever kind of seduction you are practicing, you must at all cost avoid
one of Diana's warriors,

the natural tendency to crowd your targets. Do not make the mistake of
wearing her tunic pinned

together with a brooch, her
thinking they will lose interest unless you apply pressure, or that they will
tresses carelessly caught

enjoy a flood of attention. Too much attention early on will actually just
back by a white ribbon,

suggest insecurity, and raise doubts as to your motives. Worst of all, it gives
and carrying in her hand a

light javelin or her
your targets no room for imagination. Take a step back; let the thoughts
bow.
. . . •
The sun on

you are provoking come to them as if they were their own. This is doubly
high had passed its zenith,

important if you are dealing with someone who has a deep effect on you.
when she entered a grove

whose trees had never felt

We can never really understand the opposite sex. They are always mys
the axe. Here she took her
terious to us, and it is this mystery that provides the tension so delightful in
quiver from her shoulders,

seduction; but it is also a source of unease. Freud famously wondered what
unstrung her pliant bow,

and lay down on the
women really wanted; even to this most insightful of psychological
turf, resting her head on

thinkers, the opposite sex was a foreign land. For both men and women,
her painted quiver. When

there are deep-rooted feelings of fear and anxiety in relation to the oppo
Jupiter saw her thus, tired
site sex. In the initial stages of a seduction, then, you must find ways to
and unprotected, he

said: "Here is a secret of

calm any sense of mistrust that the other person may experience. (A sense
which my wife will know

of danger and fear can heighten the seduction later on, but if you stir such
nothing; or if she does get

emotions in the first stages, you will more likely scare the target away.) Es
to know of it, it will be
worth her reproaches!"
• tablish a neutral distance, seem harmless, and you give yourself room to
Without wasting time he

move. Casanova cultivated a slight femininity in his character—an interest
assumed the appearance
in clothes, theater, domestic matters—that young girls found comforting.
and the dress of Diana,

and spoke to the girl.

The Renaissance courtesan Tullia d'Aragona, developing friendships with the

'Dearest of all my