Monday, June 01, 2009

Back to Basics: The Rake

1) "The Ardent Rake has the advantage of an uncontrollable libido. When he pursues a woman, he really is aglow with desire; the victim senses this and is inflamed, even despite herself.... even if she is aware of his rakish past, of his incorrigible amorality, it doesn't matter, because she also sees his weakness. He cannot control himself; he actually is a slave to all women. As such he inspires no fear."

2) The Ardent Rake teaches us a simple lesson: Intense desire has a distracting power on a woman, just as the Siren's physical presence does on a man. A woman is often defensive and can sense any insincerity or calculation. But if she feels consumed by your attentions, and is confident you will do anything for her, she will notice nothing else about you, or will find a way to forgive your indiscretions. This is the perfect cover for a seducer. The key is to show no hesitation, to abandon all restraint, to let yourself go.... do not worry about inspiring mistrust; as long as you are the slave to her charms, she will not think of the aftermath."

3) "Seduction is a psychological process that transcends gender, except in a few key areas where each gender has its own weakness. The male is traditionally vulnerable to the visual. The Siren who can concoct the right physical appearance will seduce in large numbers. For women, the weakness is language and words..."

4) "The Rake is as promiscuous with words as he is with women. He chooses words for their ability to suggest, insinuate, hypnotize, elevate, infect. The words of the Rake are the equivalent of the bodily adornments of the Siren: A powerful sensual distraction, a narcotic. The Rake's use of language is demonic because it is designed not to communicate or convey information, but to persuade, flatter, stir emotional turmoil, much as the serpent in the Garden of Eden used words to lead Eve into temptation."

5) "What the Rake offers is what society normally does not allow women: An affair of pure pleasure, an exciting brush with danger.... It remains an abiding female fantasy to meet a man who gives totally of himself, who lives for her, even if only for awhile."

6) "For the time he crossed your path, you were all he thought about. His desire for you was so powerful that he gave you no time to think of or to worry about the consequences. He would come in the night, give you an unforgettable moment, and then vanish. He might have conquered a thousand women before you, but that only made him more interesting; better to be abandoned than undesired by such a man."

7) "The great seducers do not offer the mild pleasure that society condones. They touch a person's unconscious, those repressed desires that cry out for liberation. Do not imagine that women are the tender creatures that some people would like them to be. Like men, they are deeply attracted to the forbidden, the dangerous, even the slightly evil."

8) "Always remember: If you are to play the Rake, you must convey a sense of risk and darkness, suggesting to your victim that she is participating in something rare and thrilling -- a chance to play out her own rakish desires."

9) "The Rake never worries abut a woman's resistance to him, or for that mater about any other obstacle in his path... resistance is only the spur to his desire, inflaming him all the more.... Remember: If no resistances or obstacles face you, you must create them. No seduction can proceed without them."

10) "Related to the Rake's extremism is the sesne of danger, taboo, perhaps even the hint of cruelty about him.... Danger and taboo appeal to a repressed side in women, who are supposed to represent a civilizing, moralizing force in culture. Just as man may fall victim to the Siren through his desire to be free of his sense of masculine responsibility, a woman may succumb to the Rake through her yearning to be free of the constraints of virtue and decency."

11) "Among the Rake's most seductive qualities is his ability to make women want to reform him.... The fact that the Rake is so devoted to women, in his own strange way, makes him lovable and seductive to them."

12) "Finally, a Rake's greatest asset is his reputation. Never downplay your bad name, or seem to apologize for it. Instead, embrace it, enhance it. It is what draws women to you. There are several things you must be known for: Your irresistible attractiveness to women; your uncontrollable devotion to pleasure; your disdain for convention; a rebellious streak that makes you seem dangerous.... Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life's artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist."

--Robert Greene, The Art of Seduction

7 Comments:

Blogger Poetry of Flesh said...

I always found the Rake-type annoying and creepy. When a guy says or hints that he just can't control himself around me, it's an instant turn-off. That means I have to be the one in control, I have to monitor the situation, I have to make sure that if we're in a public place that we won't get caught, that I have to make sure he puts on a condom, and that I have to make sure that if he's a biter (which they usually are) that he stays away from my neck so I don't have marks, and it always concerns me when someone gets obsessive over me because then I have to figure out how to let them down gently, and how to enjoy the sex as long as I can without worrying about their emotions becoming too strong. The rake is totally not my type- I can never relax with them.

And that book was a tome. An informative tome, but still a tome. Someone needs to rewrite it so it's a bit more modern, especially in the cultural references, and less flowery in the language.

It was good of you to simplify that chapter. Kept the knowledge, lost the volume.

June 01, 2009  
Blogger GoneSavage said...

Now this is feedback! Feedback is analysis, not opinion. You get this, and I welcome you to the blog.

Tome indeed. I am finding that you have to sift a lot of coal to find the gems, but when you do they are *diamonds.*

Let's take the best of the Rake... language that is delightful and intoxicating, a skill for delivering remarkable pleasure, and a refusal to *hide* natural desires...

and we'll add to that a heavy dose of discretion, the clearheaded ability to make responsible decisions, a careful consideration for the placement of love-bites, and the erotic motivation to lead the entire tryst...

and you get The Savage.

And let's face it, the conquest will be better than the actual sex because it is extremely un-likely that you can get me off.

No emotions to worry about there.

It's been said that there are two types of seducers. The ones that are simply insatiable for new lovers, and the ones that merely have no control or discretion.

I can see that, as Greene writes it, the Rake comes off as the latter.

Great feedback. GS

June 01, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

GoneSavage, art of seduction is an excellent read along with art of love by Ovid (which is heavily quoted in the book).

You left an important variable in the equation of the rake...
He cannot be controlled or made to commit to one women.

A rake will lust after you, desire you and love you but not for long.

the rake plays on the Scarcity and fear of loss rule.

a)He is desired by many other women
b)once he gives you a taste of his passion, he cleverly withdraws it.

Things that are scarce and highly sought after (a) are deemed to have high value. things that are recently becoming scarce, are even more desirable. (b) (see INFLUENCE:science and practice)

they say you only realize how much you want someone when you feel that you might lose him...and this is the rake, his passion is uncontrollable and he desires you greatly however, he CANNOT be tame, he will make you jealous and will slowly but surely TURN the table. he is like a drug, the first shot is free and then the tables turn and you end up chasing him.

anyways, greene writes more about the rake in his book, specially in the later chapters
metalhaze.

June 01, 2009  
Blogger Poetry of Flesh said...

Thanks for the welcome.

Sifting through that book was annoying, but worth it. I'm glad that I already had a fascination with the Hollywood/Culver City Studio era, so I understood most of the references made in that damn thing. Lots of useful information- my copy is extremely dog-eared.

I am highly amused/entertained that you have made your own seduction type.

Though I see no reason why the conquest would be better than the actual sex. That'd be a bit of a letdown. It doesn't matter if either person gets off, at least to me (I also rarely bother to get off), it's about the contact, the moment, and the flesh. Even if I never orgasmed, I'd still be pursuing new lovers, still be enjoying the old ones.

The Rake definitely comes off as lacking in control. I can't respect a man without control, I don't sleep with men I can't respect, so the Rake will never find his way into my bed.

June 01, 2009  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"The Rake definitely comes off as lacking in control. I can't respect a man without control, I don't sleep with men I can't respect, so the Rake will never find his way into my bed."

you have misunderstood the rake.

the rake lacks control in moments of intimacy and rapture, not like a rapist or a horny dog.
being polite is not sexy.


watch the opening of the movie don juan demarco or vicky cristina barcelona, you'll get an idea.

metalhaze

ps: you might not like rakes, but that does not diminish their appeal to other women

June 01, 2009  
Blogger Poetry of Flesh said...

Metalhaze, moments of intimacy and rapture are the ones where you most need to be able to trust your partner. I'm not talking about control in life, I'm talking about control in bed, control over themselves. If I can't trust them, I can't relax. If I can't relax, I'm not going to enjoy myself. If I'm going to sleep with someone, I better enjoy it. Otherwise it's just wasted time, unless I just want someone as a notch on my bedpost.

Which happens.

Being polite... no, it's not sexy. Being naturally aware/attuned to your partner's level of comfort, communicating effectively needs and desires in a natural way, that is sexy.

I will pick up Vicky Christina Barcelona. I keep hearing about it, so I might as well sit down and view it.

I do know that Rakes appeal to other women, otherwise there wouldn't be a mention of the type in that book. I know some of my friends love them, love to be swept off their feet by the type, overwhelmed with the feeling of being so strongly desired. I would never say that the Rake is an ineffective seduction type.

It's just not mine.

Watching a guy leap from woman to woman, getting his rocks off, being passionate about each one equally, being overwhelmed by said passion, taking foolish risks... to me, it shows instability. It shows a man that is constantly looking for something outside of himself to fill whatever hole (no pun intended) it is inside himself. It shows an inability to be satisfied, more than likely a lack of a true idea of what he actually wants, what he needs, which, in turns, shows a lack of self-awareness, a lack of honesty towards himself. If he can't be aware of himself, if he can't be honest with himself, how I can I expect him to be aware of me, honest with me?

I can't. I can't at all.

Which makes the type useless to me for more than a one-night stand, if they ever get that far, and they rarely do.

But, of course, that's only for me.

June 01, 2009  
Blogger SMoKeLioN said...

This reminds me very much of cali pimp / kfp

Good stuff. I have that book and I started reading it but never got far into it.

June 06, 2009  

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