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The Seducer's Dirty Laundry (A book review)

This is a book report I did on the book by Søren Kierkegaard called The Seducer's Diary for my Special Topics in Philosophy class. It is a fantastic read. I would really recommend it. Even though it is a bit creepy.

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anyway. Here ya go.

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This book starts out with our good friend Søren sneaking through his friend’s desk and finding his diary. If I didn’t know any better I would say that Søren was a 9 year old boy trying to get into his older sisters secrets. But that is besides the point. This work then progresses into a series of writings in the diary of the said “Seducer” named Johannes, who give’s a little bit of an overview on what he is writing these entries about. Women. He goes through experiences of himself noticing women (in great detail) and figuring out the best way to get them to fall in love with him. It’s kind of a beautiful art in an almost scary way, but I’ll get to that later. So Johannes is going through life, minding his own business, seducing/thinking about seducing women and then something strange happens to him. He sees a woman so intriguing that he forgets what she looks like as soon as she is out of sight! This is incredibly upsetting to him. He saw someone who could stop him in his tracks with her beauty and he completely forgets what she looks like immediately after she is gone. He spends many entries mourning over this issue and even cursing  chance for not letting him run into her again. The story doesn’t stop there though. He does end up finding her again after weeks of looking, and, might I add, not seducing other women because she is so prominent in his mind that he cannot focus on any new tasks. A lot of the rest of the book is him working very precise and meticulously to get her, Cordelia, to fall madly in love with him. It goes through a series of him fallowing her to find out where she lives, who she is, and what her back story is. He even ends up going so far as to helping a different suitor advance towards her, but not without the sad truth that Johannes does not find this particular suitor to be a threat. This is a man who is patient and rigorous in finding ways to accomplish his goals and then doing them. But there is a theme expressed in this book that I am not completely comfortable with writing off as evil just yet. Desire.

I see this overarching theme throughout this book of wanting happiness, mainly through the means of love. This seducer seems to be nothing more than a man who just wants to be happy and enjoy life. The problem is that it seems that he feels that finding happiness through regular means (marriage) is to hard to build AND sustain and he has found that there is happiness in the pursuit and memories so he feels no need to sustain a relationship after he has gotten what he feels to be the highest point that is to be achieved in any relationship. “Once a girl has given away everything, she is weak, she has lost everything…” He says the only pleasure worth finding is in the pursuit and once that is over (due to the mystery being lost or rather given away) then all that is left is memories. This cannot be what happiness is. This cannot be what joy is. This cannot be the reason for living. I do believe however that there is a purely honest desire beneath the twisted layers on top. There is a point where he is going in the right direction. 

Let me first show you why this guy is just a plain ol’ creeper that doesn’t need to be listened to at all. Some people might think that he is objectifying women when in reality he really does have a serious care for the women that he seduces. He even describes the impossibility of the ability to not actually care for someone if they are doing what he is doing on page 31, “Love has many mysteries, and this first infatuation is also a mystery, even if a minor one - most people who rush into is get engaged or indulge in other foolish pranks, and then it’s all over in the twinkling of an eye and they don’t know what they have conquered or what they have lost.” The way he describes their features is almost like that way someone describes an amazing piece of art that is meant to be admired. “Yet, how beautiful she is!… Her head is a perfect oval; she inclines it a little forward, thus heightening her forehead, which rises pure and proud without any phrenologist’s signs of intellect. Her dark hair closes softly and gently about her brow. Her face is like a fruit, every transition fully rounded. Her sin is transparent, like velvet to the touch, I can feel it with my eyes… She has a Madonna head, pure and innocent in cast; and like the Madonna she is bending forward, but she is not lost in contemplation of the One.” This girl he describes coupled with others does not suggest that he is viewing them as just instruments for his joy. Even at the end in the last entry he is describing the fact that even though he doesn’t want to be with her anymore he wishes that he could “do for her what Neptune did for a nymph: change her into a man.” so that they could still have a relationship. He finishes off an entry with the statement, “All I do I do con amore (with love); and thus also I love con amore.” This coped with the times where he is describing his longing for these girls safety, portrays a man who has care for these girls, and one in particular throughout the book, Cordelia.

This being said, I think it is okay for us to continue in learning from Johannes’ experiences. Before I get to why I think his desire is not wrong but twisted, I would like to point out an interesting ability he has that I admire to an almost faulty sense. I am talking about his ability to understand human behavior. It astounds me time and time again his, what seems natural, gift for understanding the way humans work and the way he must react to make sure that he is presenting himself in a positive light. If I could only remember to be half as intention as he is I would accidentally offend much less people. (I would probably also be able to talk to women better but that’s more of a selfish desire of mine.) There are so many examples where he breaks down the situation into what a girl is thinking and then figures out in what way does he need to act to bring about the desired result. There is a prime example where a girl’s servant has fallen down and a different man approaches her to “help her” and Johannes is longing for her to look upon him, see that he is harmless, and then invite him to help her. (“Watch out! The monster approaches… You don’t answer me. Just look at me, is there anything in my appearance that frightens you? I make no impression at all on you, I look like a good-natured person from quite another world. There is nothing in my speech to disturb you, nothing to remind you of the situation, no slightest movement of mine that comes to near to you.”) And after she notices him (who is acting the slightest bit awkward to seem less threatening) he describes how she must feel towards him now in such great, insightful detail, “You conceive a certain kindness towards me, the awkwardness that keeps me from looking at you gives you the upper hand. That pleases you and makes you feel safe. You might almost be tempted to poke a little fun at me. I wager that at this moment you would have the courage to take me by the arm, if it occurred to you…” He also has a good grasp on manners at the time period where in which he is living for he makes sure to complete an action that will warrant him a return courtesy, “After a while I shall approach her en passant (in passing); I have earned the right to make a remark, she owes me at least a greeting…” But not only does he have insight into how women or himself are thinking inside their situation but he has incredible discernment when it comes to other peoples relationships, ‘I have been witness to trysts where although the girl was charming and the man handsome, the whole impression was well-nigh disgusting and the meeting itself far from beautiful, though no doubt it seemed so to the lovers. In a way one gains something by becoming more experienced; for although one loses the sweet unrest of impatient longing, one gains a preparedness to make the moment really beautiful.” 

These insights and ways he can discern ideas and thoughts is just absolutely astounding but what seems even more interesting is the fact that he doesn’t seem to let that power get to him. He has incredible self control. There are multiple times where he describes wanting to act and having the ability to restrain himself so that his passion is not lost. “We have not spoiled that moment for ourselves with kisses and cuddles, by premature anticipation, for which you can thank me, my Cordelia.” He also talks about this potential suitor, Edvard, for Cordelia and his “childlikeness” and how when Edvard gets “this lovesick fear and trembling” it actually does the opposite to him than it does to poor Edvard. Johannes explains that it “tends to make [him] stronger.”

Now that we have gotten this stuff out of the way let us get down to the reason why Johannes is wrong in what he is doing. First, we must explain what the pure form of the desire that he has been twisting to fulfill; then, we must know how he is twisting it; and finally, we must understand the correct usage of the pure form of this twisted desire.

I believe whole heartedly that Johannes is desiring to love and be loved. He wants this relationship that lasts beyond the physical. He mainly does what he does to women to acquire the memories to recall when his pursuit is over. But if he just saw this desire for what it is and what it needs to be than he would understand that there is a way to sustain happiness through a relationship. It just takes hard work and time and comes with the understanding that there will be highs and lows. The pursuit of happiness through relationships isn’t a bad desire to be fulfilled, as with all desires it comes with the condition that you have to be careful to not twist it into how you want it to be fulfilled rather than how it should be fulfilled.

Johannes’ problem was that he seduced women into falling in love with them so that he could fulfill his desire, and by doing this he disregarded the consequences of such actions, and that included hurting many women, their families, and his own friends. First of I want to say that there is a difference in “seducing a woman” and “perusing a woman”. “Seducing a woman” includes lying, deceiving, in this case stalking, and manipulating said woman to selfcentered-ly get what you want out of the relationship without much regard to the parties involved other than your own. Now, “pursuing a woman” includes getting to know her, allowing her to get to know the real you (good and bad parts), being honest, and caring for the parties involved. Now in this, he was deceiving Cordelia and all the other woman he executed this plan with by not being up front and honest with his intentions. He couldn't have if he wanted his plan to work. Stalking is just a complete disregard for someone’s privacy and feelings. It is also in a way a form of idolatry. Putting time, energy, money, and desire above that for God? That is idolatry. Plus, I am pretty sure it is in the bible somewhere, ya know something like, “Ye will be granted entrance into the kingdom of heaven, lest ye be a creeper.” I might be paraphrasing from an obscure translation or something but you get the point. Johannes also has almost complete disregard for other people in these situations. To previously state he had much care for those whom he seduced but that is not completely what I am referring to. I am mainly referring mostly to the after effects of his actions. Cordelia, in her letters, explain how she is quite devastated because of what he has done, and while she has some sort of peace about what happened, she still will always have this longing towards him, which is a sad sad truth that could have been avoided. Also, Johannes has a complete misunderstanding of friendship! He called Edvard his friend and stated that, “there exists a true friendship between us.” which makes me all the more want to never be friends with him knowing how he treats them, because, while he admires them he completely uses them for his benefit. “He takes (his actions toward him) to be an extraordinary display of friendship. The occasion is exactly how I would have it…” Another relationship that was lost because of his actions was that of Cordelia’s aunt whom Johannes talked with often while he was playing Edvard’s “friend”. He doesn’t understand the ripple effect that a foolish decision like this makes. His complete disregard for other people is his main misunderstanding as to the true desire behind his actions.

Now, like I said, the desire to find happiness in this world in the form of love and relationship is not wrong but they need to have stipulations. (It is quite amusing that I am making this point because Johannes even says, “One has to restrict oneself, that is a main condition of all enjoyment.”) First, let us do as we are told and love God with all our heart, mind, strength, and soul and love our neighbor as ourself. If we do this everything else will follow. We will think of others feelings before our own. We will be honest. We will not deceive. We will not creep. We will understand that when we diligently seek after God and with a little help from Him we can achieve happiness with other people.

The pursuit of joy starts with the love of God.