Book about seducing

[lokariototal]

I'm looking for a book that teaches you about what really does being a lover and a seducer mean. A book that changes my views about real love or romance and that teaches me about it. Maybe don Juan de marco? Give ur opinion!!!

[Dinkleberry2010]

Casanova's Story Of My Life

[[Juliet]]

The first one I thought of was Dangerous Liaisons (Les liaisons dangereuses) by P. C. de Laclos.

[dfloyd]

I say evils because most seducers, at least all that I have read about, seduce for their own sexual pleasure. Two of the most readable are Bel Ami by de Mauppasant and An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser.

[morgana]

;819914']The first one I though of was Dangerous Liaisons (Les liaisons dangereuses) by P. C. de Laclos.

Ha! I thought of the same book!! It was really good!!

[[Juliet]]

I really loved it, it's still one of my favorites :D

[Pecksie]

Byron's Don Juan. And if you've already read Casanova's memoirs, move on to 'Casanova in love' by Andrew Miller --- extremely funny.

[stlukesguild]

Lolita?

[JBI]

Doesn't matter - none of them work. I think one would be better at seducing if they were in the gym rather than with a book, to be honest. The problem with seduction in literature is the way the times have changed drastically - Don Juan seems to me removed from our time, his charm evaporated, and we seem to be stuck in a fight between the Marlon Brando in Street Car Named Desire Type, the corporate look, and the somewhat more modest nice-guy archetype. For women we seem still rooted in conventional whore-virgin mentality, though I think seduction has been spiced up in the James Bond sense of eating sushi off somebody's back or something.

As for books, I think the most interesting would be Eugene Onegin, as it essentially is the perfect anti-seduction novel, that completely ironizes the whole genre beautifully. Of course, various versions of Don Juan, Moliere's, Byron's, as well as others' including the source work for Mozart have been circulating, and they are interesting.

I also like reading the Chinese histories on the subject, as it always seems to be a female seductress who comes and burns down the capital, and the dynasty with it. I suspect that is more of an in joke with myself though. War and Peace has quite the famous seduction that is perhaps worth looking into, if you want to go down that road.

In truth, I don't think the whole idea of "seduction" works too well anymore - we seem more sexually liberal to the point where people just have sex and that is that. Still, it surfaces in more plot-heavy works like the aforementioned James Bond, as well as popular historical fiction.

I think the romance genre likes to mix things up and throw in "whore" characters to come in and try to seduce the male hero, but it never seems to work that way (there always is a happy ending, where the virgin comes and gets Mr. billionaire with cowboy boots and a sun tan).

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yes, I think if you have to learn about seducing from a book then you might as well forget it altogether! It's like one of those corny 101 "guaranteed" chat up line books - really, how shallow and vain! I can see the funny side of it, but on the whole I think if someone is "picked up" via some stupid "line" then they both deserve each other...

Do you fancy a worm do?
What's a worm do?
It wriggles along the floor like that (motion with finger).

:ladysman:

[MANICHAEAN]

Since we no longer seem to write about spiritual unions, writing about sex has become the ultimate test for the writer today: to communicate the uncommunicable.
Having said that, try:
"French and Oriental Love in A Harem" by Mario Uchard. Its so dated, you will not stop laughing.
"A Hero of Our Time" by Mikhail Lermontov. Actually, quite good. He gives the impression of really knowing his way around a woman's feelings & emotional weak spots in order to have his wicked way!

[Vautrin]

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

[Hank Stamper]

anything by Charles Bukowski... honest!

[Pecksie]

Well, I probably didn't read the query correctly... of course those things can't be learned in books... I was just suggesting good literature :)

By the way the Vicomte de Valmont is an extremely good seducer, but not a perfect one, as the story demonstrates...

[Blanket Heist]

anything by Charles Bukowski... honest!
Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

[stlukesguild]

anything by Charles Bukowski... honest!

Bukowski will teach you to be a better lover? Well... he certainly won't teach you how to be a better poet, that's for sure.:rolleyes: Of course we can always learn what not to do, so maybe Bukowski would be ideal for learning what not to do as a poet or a lover.:confused:

[Hank Stamper]

it all depends what kind of woman you want to seduce innit!

[alexeatsspam]

I'm surprised The Art of Seduction hasn't been mentioned: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Seduction (it's not really fiction but it does give examples from fiction, such as Don Juan).

I got a bit of a pop-psychology vibe from it so I wouldn't take it word for word—though I found it helpful for short term relationships.