This is a short excerpt from the Preface of Art of Seduction
Thousands of years ago, power was mostly gained through physical violence and maintained with brute strength. There was little need for subtlety – a king or emperor had to be merciless. Only a select few had power but no one suffered under this scheme of things more than women. They had no way to compete, no weapon at their disposal that could make a man do what they wanted – politically, socially, or even in the home.
Of course men had one weakness: their insatiable desire for sex. A woman could always toy with this desire, but once she gave in to sex the man was back in control; and if she withheld sex, he could simply look elsewhere – or exert force.
…There were some women who, over the years through much cleverness and creativity, invented a way of turning the dynamite around, creating a more lasting and effective form of power.
(There's more...)
Robert Greene
I found the book fascinating in an otherworldly kind of way. It talks about royalty who used the different techniques in the book. There are profiles of different types of seducers. It's really very interesting. I guess it seemed harmless in a way as it was so out of the realm of everyday. But maybe that's what makes it a good little warning system - it bonks you over the head with the techniques and profiles and then you start seeing these techniques and profiles in some of the people you are around every day. It's kind of cool.
Dandylife
