How did Greek heterosexual seduction translate to the Romans?
Through the cult of Aphrodite. But the Romans were a masculine culture. The art of love became slightly degraded in Rome. If you start reading Ovid, for example, you can see a debased form of the principles. Although he did say, “Be excellent. Turn people on with your brain. It’s the most wonderful thing. You must learn poetry. You must read. You must cast a spell over a man with your mind. Venus favors the bold.” Just to jump to the 20th century — how would you seduce Einstein, then? His love life is not very edifying. Some brilliant men need dumb groupies. And he was promiscuous and that kind of thing. Let’s think of a different modern man. The editor of Vanity Fair, for example, Graydon Carter. Let’s say a woman wanted to seduce him. Lots of brilliant and beautiful women surround him. Most women don’t know how to entice a man with witty and charming conversation. It’s one thing to be a brilliant woman and it’s another thing to be alluring intellectually. That’s a very neglected art
