[PDF]the-art-of-seduction-robert-greene

THE
ART OF




N

ROBERT

GREENE








Choose the Right
Victim 2 Create a
False Sense of
Security-Approach
Indirectly Send
Mixed Signals
Appear to Be an
Object of Desire-
Create Triangles
Create a Need-Stir
Anxiety and Dis¬
content () Master
the Art of Insinua¬
tion 7 Enter Their
Spirit Create Temp¬
tation Keep Them
in Suspense-What
Comes Next? Use
the Demonic Power
of Words to Sow
Confusion Pay
Attention to Detail


A Penguin Book
£ Psychology

www.penguin.com


THE ART OF

E DUCTIO

ROBERT GREENE


rci


A JOOST ELFFERS BOOK


Get what
you want by
manipulating every
one’s greatest weakness:
the desire for pleasure


Seduction is the most subtle, elusive,
and effective form of power. It’s as evi¬
dent in John F. Kennedy’s hold over the
masses as it is in Cleopatra’s hold over
Antony. Now, the author of the bestselling
The 48 Lazes of Pozeer has written a hand¬
book synthesizing the classic literature of
seduction from Freud to Kierkegaard and
Ovid to Casanova, with cunning strategies
illustrated by the successes and failures of char¬
acters throughout history. And once again
Robert Greene identifies the rules of a time¬
less, amoral game and explores how to cast a
spell, break down resistance, and, ultimately,
compel a target to surrender. The Art of
Seduction takes us through the characters and
qualities of the ten archetypal figures of seduc¬
tion (including the Siren, the Ideal Lover, the
Dandy, the Natural, the Charismatic, and
the Star) and the twenty-four maneuvers by
which anyone can overcome a victim’s
futile resistance to the practice of this
devastating and timeless art form.

Every bit as essential as The 48 Lazes
ofPozver, The Art of Seduction is an
indispensable primer of persua¬
sion that reveals one of his¬
tory’s greatest weapons
and the ultimate

form of power. _


ISBN


Poeticize Your
Presence Disarm
Through Strategic
Weakness and Vulner-

1

ability Confuse
Desire and Reality-
The Perfect Illusion

i

Isolate the Victim
, 1 ( Prove Yourself 1
Effect a Regression j
18 Stir Up the \
Transgressive and
Taboo Use Spiri-
tual Lures 2 ( Mix
Pleasure with Pain

21 Give Them
Space to Fall-The ■
Pursuer Is Pursued f

I

22 Use Physical j
Lures 13 Master the
Art of the Bold

i

Move Beware

‘ i

of the Aftereffects


0-14-200119-8



U.S. $16.00

CAN. $24.00















































PENGUIN BOOKS


THE ART OF SEDUCTION

Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, has a
degree in classical literature. He lives in Los Angeles.
Visit his Web site: www.seductionbook.com

Joost Elf fers is the producer of Viking Studio's best¬
selling The Secret Language of Birthdays, The Secret
Language of Relationships, as well as Play with Your Food.
He lives in New York City.




the art of



eduction


Robert Greene

A Joost Elffers Book



PENGUIN BOOKS



PENGUIN BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices:

80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

First published in the United States of America by Viking Penguin,
a member of Penguin Putnam Inc. 2001
Published in Penguin Books 2003

13579 10 8642

Copyright © Robert Greene and Joost Elffers, 2001
All rights reserved

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders. The publisher apologizes
for any errors or omissions in the hst that follows and would be grateful to be
notified of any corrections that should appear in any reprint.

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGUED THE HARDCOVER EDITION AS FOLLOWS:

Greene Robert.

The art of seduction / Robert Greene,
p. cm.

"A Joost Elffers book."

ISBN 0-670-89192-4 (he.)

ISBN 0 14 20.0119 8 (pbk.)

1. Sexual excitement. 2. Sex instruction. 3. Seduction. I.Title.

HQ31 .G82 2001
306.7—dc21

2001025868

Printed in the United States of America
Set in Bembo

Designed by Jaye Zimet with Joost Elffers

Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition
that it shah not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise
circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other
than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including
this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any
other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage
electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.



Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint excerpts fiom the following copyrighted works:


Falling in Love by Francesco Alberoni, translated by Lawrence Venuti. Reprinted by permission of
Random House, Inc.

Seduction by Jean Baudrillard, translated by Brian Singer. St. Martin's Press, 1990. Copyright © New
World Perspectives. 1990. Reprinted by permission of Palgrave.

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, translated by G. H. Me William (Penguin Classics 1972, second
edition 1995). Copyright © G. H. McWilliam, 1972, 1995. Reprinted by permission of Penguin

Books Ltd.

Warhol by David Bourdon, published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

BehindtheMask: OnSexualDemons, SacredMothers, Transvestites, Gangsters and Other Japanese Cultural
Heroes by Ian Buruma, Random blouse UK, 1984. Reprinted with permission.

Andreas Capcllanus on Love by Andreas Capellanus. translated by P. G. Walsh. Reprinted by permission
of Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd.

The Book of the Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione, translated by George Bull (Penguin Classics 1967,
revised edition 1976). Copyright © George Bull, 1967, 1976. Reprinted by permission of Penguin

Books Ltd.

Portrait of a Seductress: The World of Natalie Barney by Jean Chalon, translated by Carol Barko, Crown
Publishers, Inc., 1979. Reprinted with permission.

Lenin: The Man Behind the Mask by Ronald W. Clark, Faber & Faber Ltd., 1988. Reprinted with

permission.

Pursuit of the Millennium by Norman Cohn. Copyright © 1970 by Oxford University Press. Used by
permission of Oxford University Press, Inc.

Tales from The Thousand and One Nights, translated by N. J. Dawood (Penguin Classics, 1955, revised
edition 1973). Translation copyright © N. J. Dawood. 1954, 1973. Reprinted by permission of
Penguin Books Ltd.

Emma, Lady Hamilton by Flora Fraser, Allied A. Knopf, 1987. Copyright © 1986 by Flora Fraser.
Reprinted by permission.

Evita: The Real Life of Eva Peron by Nicolas Fraser and Marysa Navarro, W. W Norton & Company,
Inc., 1996. Reprinted by permission.

The World's Lure: FairWomen, TheirLoves, TheirPower, Their Fates by Alexander von
Gleichen-Russwurm. translated by Hannah Waller, Alfied A. Knopf, 1927. Copyright 1927 by
Alfred A. Knopf. Inc. Reprinted with permission.

The Greek Myths by Robert Graves. Reprinted by permission of Carcanet Press Limited.

The Kennedy Obsession: The American Myth ofJFKby John Heilman, Columbia University Press 1997.

Reprinted by permission of Columbia University Press.

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by E. V Rieu (Penguin Classics, 1946). Copyright © The Estate of
E. V. Rieu, 1946. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.

The Life of an Amorous Woman and Other Writings by Ihara Saikaku, translated by Ivan Morris.
Copyright © 1963 by New Directions Publishing Corp. Reprinted by permission of New Directions

Publishing Corp.

"The Seducer's Diary" fiom Either/Or, Part 1 by Spren Kierkegaard, translated by Howard V. Hong and
Edna H. Hong. Copyright © 1987 by Princeton University Press. Reprinted by permission of
Princeton University Press.

Sirens: Symbols of Seduction by Meri Lao, translated by John Oliphant of Rossie, Park Street Press,
Rochester. Vermont, 1998. Reprinted with permission.

Lives of the Courtesans by Lynne Lawner, Rizzoli, 1987. Reprinted with permission of the author.
The Theatre of Don Juan: A Collection of Plays and Views, 1630-1963 edited with a commentary by
Oscar Mandel. Copyright © 1963 by the University of Nebraska Press. Copyright © renewed 1991 by
the University of Nebraska Press. Reprinted by permission of the University of Nebraska Press.
Don Juan and the Point of Horror by James Mandrell. Reprinted with permission of
Penn State University Press.

Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant, translated by Douglas Parmee (Penguin Classics, 1975). Copyright ©
Douglas Parmee. 1975. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.

The Arts and Secrets of Beauty by Lola Montez, Chelsea House, 1969. Used with permission.

The Age of the Crowd by Serge Moscovici. Reprinted with permission ot Cambridge University Press.
The Tale ofGenji by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Edward G. Seidensncker, Alfred A. Knopf, 1976.
Copyright © 1976 by Edward G. Seidensticker. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

The Erotic Poems by Ovid, translated by Peter Green (Penguin Classics, 1982). Copyright © Peter
Green, 1982. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.

The Metamorphoses by Ovid, translated by Mary M. Innes (Penguin Classics, 1955). Copyright ©
Mary M. Innes, 1955. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.



My Sister, My Spouse: A Biography of Lou Andreas-Salome by H. F. Peters, W. W. Norton & Company,
Inc., 1962. Reprinted with permission.

The. Symposium by Plato, translated by Walter Hamilton (Penguin Classics, 1951). Copyright © Walter
Hamilton. 1951. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.

The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives by Plutarch, translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert (Penguin
Classics, 1960). Copyright © Ian Scott-Kilvert, 1960. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Hooks Ltd.
Love Declared by Denis de Rougemont, translated by Richard Howard. Reprinted by permission of

Random House, Inc.

The Wisdom of Life and Counsels and Maxims by Arthur Schopenhauer, translated by T. Bailey Saunders
(Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1995). Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon by Sei Shonagon, translated and edited by Ivan Morris, Columbia
University Press. 1991. Reprinted by permission of Columbia University Press.

Liaison by Joyce Wadler, published by Bantam Books, 1993. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Max Weber: Essays in Sociology by Max Weber, edited and translated by H. H. Certh and C. Wright
Mills. Copyright 1946, 1958 by H. H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills. Used by permission of Oxford

University Press, Inc.

The Game of Hearts: Harriette Wilson & Her Memoirs edited by Lesley Blanch. Copyright © 1955 by
Lesley Blanch. Reprinted with permission of Simon & Schuster.



To the memory ofmyfather



Acknowledgments


First, I would like to thank Anna Biller for her countless contributions to
this book: the research, the many discussions, her invaluable help with the
text itself, and, last but not least, her knowledge of the art of seduction, of
which I have been the happy victim on numerous occasions.

I must thank my mother, Laurette, for supporting me so steadfastly
throughout this project and for being my most devoted fan.

I would like to thank Catherine Leouzon, who some years ago intro¬
duced me to Les Liaisons Dangereuses and the world of Valmont.

I would like to thank David Frankel, for his deft editing and for his
much-appreciated advice; Molly Stern at Viking Penguin, for overseeing
the project and helping to shape it; Radha Pancham, for keeping it all orga¬
nized and being so patient; and Brett Kelly, for moving things along.

With heavy heart I would like to pay tribute to my cat Boris, who for
thirteen years watched over me as I wrote and whose presence is sorely
missed. His successor, Brutus, has proven to be a worthy muse.

Finally, I would like to honor my father. Words cannot express how
much I miss him and how much he has inspired my work.


iX



Contents


Acknowlegments • ix
Preface • xix


Part One

The Seductive Character page 1
The Siren page 5

A man is often secretly oppressed by the role he has to play—by always having to be responsi¬
ble, in control, and rational. The Siren is the ultimate male fantasy figure because she offers a
total release from the limitations of his life. In her presence, which is always heightened and
sexually charged, the male feels transported to a realm of pure pleasure. In a world where
women are often too timid to project such an image, learn to take control of the male libido by
embodying hisfantasy.


The Rake page 17

A woman never quite feels desired and appreciated enough. She wants attention, but a man is
too often distracted and unresponsive. The Rake is a great female fantasy-figure —w hen he de¬
sires a woman, brief though that moment may be, he will go to the ends of the earth for her.
He may be disloyal, dishonest, and amoral, but that only adds to his appeal. Stir a woman's
repressed longings by adapting the Rake's mix of danger and pleasure.


The Ideal Lover page 29

Most people have dreams in their youth that get shattered or worn down with age. They find
themselves disappointed by people, events, reality, which cannot match their youthful ideals.
Ideal Lovers thrive on people's broken dreams, which become lifelong fantasies. You long for ro¬
mance? Adventure? Lofty spiritual communion? The Ideal Lover reflects your fantasy. He or
she is an artist in creating the illusion you require. In a world of disenchantment and baseness,
there is limitless seductive power in following the path of the Ideal Lover.



The Dandy page 41


Most of us feel trapped within the limited roles that the world expects us to play. We are in¬
stantly attracted to those who are more fluid than we are—those who create their own persona.
Dandies excite us because they cannot be categorized, and hint at a freedom we want for our¬
selves. They play with masculinity and femininity; they fashion their own physical image,
which is always startling. Use the power of the Dandy to create an ambiguous, alluring pres¬
ence that stirs represseddesires.


The Natural page 53

Childhood is the golden paradise we are always consciously or unconsciously trying to re-create.
The Natural embodies the longed-for qualities of childhood — spontaneity, sincerity, unpre¬
tentiousness. In the presence of Naturals, we feel at ease, caught up in their playful spirit,
transported back to that golden age. Adopt the pose of the Natural to neutralize people's
defensiveness and infect them with helpless delight.


The Coquette page 67

The ability to delay satisfaction is the ultimate art of seduction—while waiting, the victim is
held in thrall. Coquettes are the grand masters of the game, orchestrating a back-and-forth
movement between hope and frustration. They bait with the promise of reward—the hope of
physical pleasure, happiness, fame by association, power—all of which, however, proves elu¬
sive; yet this only makes their targets pursue them the more. Imitate the alternating heat and
coolness of the Coquette and you will keep the seduced at your heels.


The Charmer page 79

Charm is seduction without sex. Charmers are consummate manipulators, masking their clev¬
erness by creating a mood of pleasure and comfort. Their method is simple: They deflect atten¬
tion from themselves and focus it on their target. They understand your spirit, feel your pain,
adapt to your moods. In the presence of a Charmer youfeel better about yourself. Learn to cast
the Charmer's spell by aiming at people's primary weaknesses: vanity and self-esteem.


The Charismatic page 95

Charisma is a presence that excites us. It comes from an inner quality — self-confidence, sexual
energy, sense of purpose, contentment—that most people lack and want. This quality radiates
outward, permeating the gestures of Charismatics, making them seem extraordinary and supe¬
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