"A Joost Elffers book."

"Charm, persuasion, the ability to create illusions: these are some of the dazzling gifts of the Seducer, the compelling figure who manipulates, misleads, and gives pleasure all at once. When raised to the level of art, seduction, an indirect and subtle form of power, has toppled empires, won elections, and captivated great minds. A mesmerizing encore to the bestselling the 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction is a masterful synthesis of the legacies of civilizations greatest seducers--from Cleopatra to JFK--and the philosophies of important intellectuals on the subject, including everyone from Freud to Kierkegaard and Ovid to Casanova, as well as the classic literature of seduction. Robert Greene once again identifies the rules of a timeless, amoral game and explores how to cast a spell, break down resistance, and ultimately compel a target to surrender. Here Greene unearths the two sides of seduction--the Characters and the Process. First discover who you or your pursuer most resembles (the Rake? The Siren? The Coquette?), then immerse yourself in the twenty-four maneuvers and strategies of the Seductive Process, the ritual by which seducers gain mastery over their targets. Every bit as essential as The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction is an indispensable primer on the essence of one of history's greatest weapons and the ultimate form of power."--Front flap of jacket

"First published in the United States of American by Viking 2001 ; This edition published 2025."--Title page verso

The seductive character.

The siren -- The rake -- The ideal lover -- The dandy -- The natural -- The coquette -- The charmer -- The charismatic -- The star -- The anti-seducer -- The seducer's victims : the eighteen types. --

The seductive process.

Phase One. Separation : stirring interest and desire. Choose the right victim -- 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 discontent -- Master the art of insinuation -- Enter their spirit -- Create temptation. -- Phase Two. Lead astray : creating pleasure and confusion. Keep them in suspense : what comes next? -- Use the demonic power of words to sow confusion -- Pay attention to detail -- Poeticize your presence -- Disarm through strategic weakness and vulnerability -- Confuse desire and reality : the perfect illusion -- Isolate the victim. -- Phase Three. The precipice : deepening the effect through extreme measures. Prove yourself -- Effect a regression -- Stir up the transgressive and taboo -- Use spiritual lures -- Mix pleasure with pain -- Give them space to fall : the pursuer is pursued -- Use physical lures -- Master the art of the bold move -- Beware the aftereffects. -- Appendix A : seductive environment/seductive time -- Appendix B : soft seduction : how to sell anything to the masses