Review: A Loaf of Bread, A Jug of Wine, and This Book
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 25, 2012
Ever encounter someone whose very presence manages to supersede your sense of decorum and propriety? I'm talking about someone who evokes irrational urges to act goofy; who causes you to go weak in the knees with the merest of glances cast your way from them; who stirs up all sorts of evocative fantasies that you never even knew you had the capability to create.Folks, we're talking puppy love on steroids. And this has happened to all of us at some point in our lives.Why does it happen? Some social scientists and psychologists surmise that emotion, biology and physiology all play recurring roles in this uniquely human phenomenon. Whereas animals mate strictly for promoting the survival of their species, humans are much more selective in whom they want and desire in a mate. Additionally, humans' thought processes have evolved over thousands of years to a point where we have developed the power to think, reason, deduce, discriminate, and rationalize---all examples of higher-level intellectual processes that have allowed us to make choices that affect our lives to varying degrees.I really doubt that Fido or Bossy will be picking mutual stock funds anytime soon.All references to Wall Street and Darwin aside, humans are forever making both conscious and subconscious choices when seeking out potential partners. Often we seek others with similar commonalities and belief systems; our unique subjective interpretation of what is beautiful and sexy and what isn't further hones our desired priorities in another person and allows us to practice our emotional and social skills on a variety of life stages known by all of us through the years as friendship, crushes, infatuation, dating, etc. The venues and script change, but the emotions are universal and unchanging: excitement, fear, nervousness, anger, delight, sorrow, ennui, and so forth.I remember watching a program on the Discovery Channel about the human face. John Cleese was the narrator of this three-part series about why we are so fascinated with the face---a visage that radiates countless variations of the human emotional spectrum and is the primary source of attraction between two people. He interviewed numerous scientists and sociologists about our lips, ears, mouth, smile, facial structure---but focused primarily upon the eyes.Are eyes truly the windows to the human soul, as so poetically expressed by countless scriveners?Stephen Williams's title "How to Seduce a Woman: Make Her Want You" encourages the reader to utilize the innate powers of emotion found within all of us, in particular those that allow us to initiate contact with another person.The primary sources? The eyes, and mouth and the hands.By initiating eye contact and holdiing it for a sustained period of time, both people are able to make silent decisions as to how much personal space and emotion they are willing to cede in order to pursue a further, more complex, relationship---one that could lead to exclusive dating and potential marriage down the road. "Seduce" emphasizes the cumulative importance of practicing this behavior numerous times until one can pull it off with smoothness and aplomb.But the eyes are not the only source of seduction. Words can have the same effect. People can become mesmerized with one another's speech patterns and styles. Why are Shakespeare's sonnets still read aloud by lovers to each other who are in the beginning throes of romance? How dost thee count the ways of love that pierceth the heart and bathe both in words of succor and rapt attention?Yea, verily.While Williams does seem to have the collective best interests of his readers at heart, it seems that there are times that the advice proffered may not necessarily apply to all people. It would be a wise thing indeed to consider Williams's suggestions and then think very carefully as to how successful they would be when used by someone. This in no way denigrates the author's approaches; rather, since each of us experiences events in our own unique way, such advice could be tailored to fit the given situation.Given the overall success of Williams as proven by his other writings, "How to Seduce a Woman" is nevertheless a decent read that does provide his fans several good suggestions for improving their overall suggestive and seductive approaches.