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