The Art of Seduction (85 page)

to avoid a surprise
back, so don't hang on out of false pity. It is more compassionate to make a
desertion \And keep your
clean break. If that seems inappropriate or too ugly, then deliberately disen
girl, it's best you have gifts
chant the victim with anti-seductive behavior.
of mind \ In addition to

physical charms. Beauty's

fragile, the passing \ Years

diminish its substance, eat

Examples of Sacrifice and Integration

it away. \ Violets and

bell-mouthed lilies do not

bloom for ever, \ Hard

1.
In the 1770s, the handsome Chevalier de Belleroche began an affair
thorns are all that's left of
with an older woman, the Marquise de Merteuil. He saw a lot of her, but
the blown rose. \ So with

you, my handsome youth:
soon she began to pick quarrels with him. Entranced by her unpredictable
Beware the Aftereffects • 419

moods, he worked hard to please her, showering her with attention and
soon wrinkles will furrow \

tenderness. Eventually the quarreling stopped, and as the days went by, de
Your body; soon, too soon,

your hair turn gray. \ Then

Belleroche felt confident that Merteuil loved him—until one day, when he
build an enduring mind,
came to visit, and found that she was not at home. Her footman greeted
add that to your beauty: \

him at the door, and said he would take the chevalier to a secret house of
It alone will last till the
flames \ Consume you.

Merteuil's outside Paris. There the marquise was waiting for him, in a re-
Keep your wits sharp,
newed mood of coquettishness: she acted as if this were their first tryst.
explore the liberal \Arts,
The chevalier had never seen her so ardent. He left at daybreak more in
win mastery over Greek \

love than ever, but a few days later they quarreled again. The marquise
As well as Latin. Ulysses
was eloquent, not

seemed cold after that, and he saw her flirt with another man at a party.
handsome
— \
Yet he filled
He felt horribly jealous, but as before, his solution was to become more
sea-goddesses' hearts \

attentive and loving. This, he thought, was the way to appease a difficult
With aching passion. . . .

\ Nothing works on a

woman.

mood like tactful tolerance:

Now Merteuil had to spend a few weeks at her country home to han-
harshness \ Provokes
dle some business there. She invited de Belleroche to join her for an ex-
hatred, makes nasty rows. \

We detest the hawk and

tended stay, and he happily agreed, remembering the new life an earlier stay
the wolf, those natural
there had brought to their affair. Once again she surprised him: her affec-
hunters, \ Always preying
tion and desire to please him were rejuvenated. This time, though, he did
on timid flocks; \ But the
gentle swallow goes safe

not have to leave the next morning. Days went by, and she refused to enter-
from man's snares, we
tain any guests. The world would not intrude on them. And this time there
fashion \ Little turreted
was no coldness or quarreling, only good cheer and love. Yet now de Belle-
houses for doves. \ Keep
roche began to grow a little tired of the marquise. He thought of Paris and
clear of all quarrels, sharp-
tongued recriminations
— \

the balls he was missing; a week later he cut short his stay on some business
Love's sensitive, needs to
pretext and hurried back to the city. Somehow the marquise did not seem
be fed \ With gentle words.
so charming anymore.

Leave nagging to wives

and husbands, \ Let them,

if they want, think it a

natural law, \ A permanent

Interpretation.
The Marquise de Merteuil, a character in Choderlos de La-
state of feud. Wives thrive
on wrangling, \ That's their

clos's novel
Dangerous Liaisons,
is a practiced seductress who never lets her
dowry. A mistress should
affairs drag on too long. De Belleroche is young and handsome but that is
always hear \ What she
all. As her interest in him wanes, she decides to bring him to the secret
wants to be told. . . . \

house to try to inject some novelty into the affair. This works for a while,
Use tender blandishments,

language that caresses \

but it isn't enough. The chevalier must be gotten rid of. She tries coldness,
The ear, make her glad

anger (hoping to start a fight), even a show of interest in another man. All
you came.
this only intensifies his attachment. She can't just leave him—he might be-— O V I D ,
T H E A R T O F L O V E ,
come vengeful, or try even harder to win her back. The solution: she delib-TRANSLATED BY PETER GREEN

erately breaks the spell by overwhelming him with attention. Abandoning the pattern of alternating warmth with coldness, she acts hopelessly in love. Alone with her day after day, with no space to fantasize, he no longer sees
In Paris the band played a
her as enchanting and breaks off the affair. This was her goal all along.
concert at the Palais

If a break with the victim is too messy or difficult (or you lack the
Chaleux. They played the

first half, and then there

nerve), then do the next best thing: deliberately break the spell that ties him
was an hour interval
—

or her to you. Aloofness or anger will only stir the other person s insecurity,
intermission, we call it
—

producing a clinging horror. Instead, try suffocating them with love and at-
during which there was a
fabulous bufet on a great

tention: be clinging and possessive yourself, moon over the lover's every ac-
long table laden with
tion and character trait, create the sense that this monotonous affection will
delicious foods and cognac,
420 • The Art of Seduction

champagne, wine and that
go on forever. No more mystery, no more coquetry, no more retreats—-just
rarity in Paris . . . Scotch.

endless love. Few can endure such a threat. A few weeks of it and they will
The people, aristocrats and
be gone.

servants, some on their

hands and knees, were

busily searching for

something on the floor. A

2.
King Charles II of England was a devoted libertine. He kept a stable of
duchess, who was one of
lovers: there was always a favorite mistress from the aristocracy, and count
the hostesses, had lost one
of her larger diamonds. . . .

less other less important women. He craved variety. One evening in 1668,
The duchess finally got
the king spent an evening at the theater, where he conceived a sudden de
bored seeing people looking
sire for a young actress called Nell Gwyn. She was pretty and innocent
all over the floor for the

ring. She looked around

looking (only eighteen at the time), with a girlish glow in her cheeks, but
haughtily, then took Duke
the lines she recited onstage were so impudent and saucy. Deeply excited,
by the arm, saying, "It
the king decided he had to have her. After the performance he took her
doesn't mean anything. I

can always get diamonds,

out for a night of drinking and merriment, then led her to his royal bed.
but how often can I get a

Nell was the daughter of a fishmonger, and had begun by selling or
man like Duke
anges in the theater. She rose to the status of actress by sleeping with writ
Ellington?"
•
She
ers and other theater men. She had no shame about this. (When a footman
disappeared with Duke.

The band started the
of hers got into a fight with someone who said he worked for a whore, she
second half by themselves,
broke it up by saying, "I am a whore. Find something better to fight
and eventually Duke
about.") Nell's humor and sass amused the king greatly, but she was low
smilingly reappeared to
finish the concert.
born, and an actress, and he could hardly make her a favorite. After several

— D O N GEORGE,
S W E E T M A N :

nights with "pretty, witty Nell," he returned to his principal mistress,
THE REAL DUKE ELLINGTON

Louise Keroualle, a well-born Frenchwoman.

Keroualle was a clever seductress. She played hard to get, and made it clear she would not give the king her virginity until he had promised her a title. It was the kind of chase Charles enjoyed, and he made her the
I do know, however, that

men become bigger-hearted

Duchess of Portsmouth. But soon her greed and difficultness began to wear
and better lovers once they
on his nerves. To divert himself, he turned back to Nell. Whenever he vis
get the suspicion that their
ited her, he was royally entertained with food, drink, and her great good
mistresses care less about

them. When a man
humor. The king was bored or melancholy? She took him drinking or
believes himself to be the
gambling, or out to the country, where she taught him to fish. She always
one and only lover in a

had a pleasant surprise up her sleeve. What he loved most of all was her
woman's life, he'll whistle

and go his way.
• /
ought
wit, the way she mocked the pretentious Keroualle. The duchess had the
to know; I have followed

habit of going into mourning whenever a nobleman of another country
this profession for the last

died, as if he were a relation. Nell, too, would show up at the palace on
twenty years. If you want
these occasions dressed in black, and would sorrowfully say that she was
me to, I will tell you what

happened to me a few years
mourning for the "Cham of Tartary" or the "Boog of Oronooko"—grand
ago.
•
At that time I had a

relatives of her own. To her face, she called the duchess "Squintabella" and
steady lover, a certain
the "Weeping Willow," because of her simpering manners and melancholic
Demophantos, a usurer

living near Poikile. He had

airs. Soon the king was spending more time with Nell than with the

never given me more than
duchess. By the time Keroualle fell out of favor, Nell had in essence be
five drachmas and he
come the king's favorite, which she remained until his death, in 1685.
pretended to be my man.

But his love was only

superficial, Chrysis. He

never sighed, he never shed

Interpretation.
Nell Gwyn was ambitious. She wanted power and fame,
tears for me and he never

spent the night waiting at
but in the seventeenth century the only way a woman could get those
Beware the Aftereffects
•
421

things was through a man—and who better than the king? But to get in-
my door. One day he came
volved with Charles was a dangerous game. A man like him, easily bored
to see me, knocked at my

door, but I did not open it.

and in need of variety, would use her for a fling, then find someone else.
You see, I had the painter,

Nell's strategy for the problem was simple: she let the king have his
Callides, in my room;

other girls, and never complained. Every time he saw her, though, she
Callides had given me ten

made sure he was entertained and diverted. She filled his senses with plea-
drachmas. Demophantos
swore and beat his fists on

sure, acting as if his position had nothing to do with her love for him. Vari-
the door and left cursing
ety in women could wear on the nerves, tiring a busy king. They all made
me. Several days passed
so many demands. If one woman could provide the same variety (and Nell,
without my sending for
him; Callides was still in

as an actress, knew how to play different roles), she had a big advantage.
my house. Thereupon
Nell never asked for money, so Charles plied her with wealth. She never
Demophantos, who was
asked to be the favorite—how could she? She was a commoner—but he ele-
already quite excited, went
wild. He broke open my

vated her to the position.

door, wept, pulled me

Many of your targets will be like kings and queens, particularly those
about, threatened to kill
who are easily bored. Once the seduction is over they will not only have
me, tore my tunic, and did
everything, in fact, that a

trouble idealizing you, they may also turn to another man or woman whose
jealous man would do, and
unfamiliarity seems exciting and poetic. Needing other people to divert
finally presented me with
them, they often satisfy this need through variety. Do not play into the
six thousand drachmas. In
hands of these bored royals by complaining, becoming self-pitying, or de-
consideration of this sum, I
was his for a period of

manding privileges. That would only further their natural disenchantment
eight months. His wife
once the seduction is over. Instead, make them see that you are not the per-
used to say that I had
son they thought you were. Make it a delightful game to play new roles, to
bewitched him with some
powder. That bewitching