What he is showing us is something closer to a dance or a ritual (think of the tango perhaps) which obeys rules derived from a deeper level of shared or unconscious desires and fears and where, while the sexual element is central, it is the process that matters. In the first part of The Art of Seduction, Robert Greene describes the personality types of the most successful seducers. This eclectic book is beautifully written and draws on folk tales, legends, fairy tales, literary figures, and history to illustrate situations and personality types.

Many of the tales derive from high-ranking courtly cultures where seduction and romance were bound by rules of conduct that were strict enough to suggest appropriate behavior but not so strict as to introduce bourgeois guilt or shame into the game of sexual conquest.Far more sophisticated than Strauss' manuals for adolescent losers and the sexually autistic, Greene is not interested in seduction as a mechanical application of rules for sex. The book offers advice on strategies that may be employed to snare one's object of desire, and the ruthlessness of theme was entertaining and made me laugh.

In adapting the Dandy character for your own purposes, remember that the Dandy is by nature a rare and beautiful flower. Don’t wait for something exogenous to happen, put your target in a difficult position and rescue them. More of a skim through, a what-kind-of-seductress-am-I figure outer, a book to read and compare your own seduction style to and laugh about. If nothing else, read this book for the diverse historical and literary references - I added so many items to my "to read" and "to watch" lists simply because my interest was piqued in stories I hadn't encountered before. Find that weakness of theirs, that fantasy that has yet to be realized, and hint that you can lead them toward it.The Beauty: Used to being appreciated, you must focus on the less complimented features like her intellect or wit. They play on the human psychology knowing that anything that is easily available to humans is not necessarily valued. Do not worry about looking foolish or making a mistake— any kind of deed that is self-sacrificing and for your targets’ sake will so overwhelm their emotions, they won’t notice anything else.

Robert Greene righteously says that some people tend to view Charmers as slippery and deceitful, and it can create problems for you. People are always susceptible to being seduced, because in fact everyone lacks a sense of completeness, feels something missing deep inside. The Siren harnesses feminine energy, is often coy, glamorous, regal, and gravitates toward a life of leisure and comfort. Cleverly lead your victim into a crisis, a moment of danger, or indirectly put them in an uncomfortable position, and you can play the rescuer, the gallant knight. They create a sense of insecurity in their targets and when they reach the brink, they pull them back with show of warmth and attention.

Too much attention early on will actually just suggest insecurity, and raise doubts as to your motives. Naturally ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’ pops up as a case study in more than one chapter (designed to be a sequence that draws you into the seduction process). To really get the best/most of it, you have to stare yourself in the mirror and ask the hard questions -- where do you fall in the various archetypes?