Seductio ad Absurdum

by Emily Hahn

Seductio ad Absurdum: The Principles and Practices of Seduction—A Beginner's Handbook as a tongue-in-cheek exploration of how men court women. The book was written by Emily Hahn, an American journalist and author who is considered an early feminist and called "a forgotten American literary treasure." The book came out of her frustration that there is nothing new under the sun in regard to seduction techniques used in particular from men towards women. When suggested by her friend to write about that, she produced this satirical how-to book about the art of seduction which clearly shows her bemused light writing style that seems to always questions the status quo with a bit of humor.

68 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1930

About the author

Emily "Mickey" Hahn was called "a forgotten American literary treasure" by The New Yorker magazine; she was the author of 52 books and more than 180 articles and stories. Her father was a hardware salesman and her mother a suffragette. She and her siblings were brought up to be independent and to think for themselves and she became the first woman to take a degree in mining engineering from the University of Wisconsin. She went on to study mineralogy at Columbia and anthropology at Oxford, working in between as an oil geologist, a teacher and a guide in New Mexico before she arrived in New York where she took up writing seriously. In 1935 she traveled to China for a short visit and ended up by staying nine years in the Far East. She loved living in Shanghai and met both Mao Tse-tung and Chou En-lai. She became the lover of Zau Sinmay, an intellectual, whom she particularly liked for his overwhelming curiosity about everything, she felt it rubbed off on her, and together they founded the English-language magazine Candid Comment. During her time in China she learned to smoke opium, persisting for two years until, inevitably, she became addicted; she was then cured by a hypnotist.

In Hong Kong Hahn met Major Charles R. Boxer, a married British intelligence officer; in 1940 she became pregnant and they had a daughter, Carola. Boxer was captured by the Japanese after being wounded in the attack on Hong Kong; Hahn visited him as much as possible in his prisoner-of-war camp, until she and Carola were repatriated to the United States in 1943. On his release they got married and in 1946 they arrived in Dorset where she called herself a "bad housewife". Although Boxer continued to live in England, where he became Professor of Portuguese at London University, Hahn lived mostly in America as a tax exile.

Reviews

[Abolin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the very first book by Emily Hahn, which she wrote 1930 at the age of 25 when she had started living in New York and the depression just around the corner.

She told her friend Herbert quite frustrated that there is nothing new under the sun in regard to seduction techniques used in particular from men towards women - it was always the same ones that she experienced herself or hear her girl-friends talk about. This friend urged her to "write a book about it".

Which she did, dedicated it to that said Herbert, it became a satirical "how-to" book about the art of seduction. The book was the first of 52 books and countless articles written until she died at the age of 92.

It clearly shows her bemused light writing style that seems to always questions the status quo with a bit of humor.

All in all sectioned up into Handbook-style scenarios , it is very fun and easy to read, even though the sample situations described are in the surrounding of the youth of the 20ties.

Emily Hahn starts off with redefining what the dictionary says about seduction:

"Seduction is the process of persuading someone to do that which he or she has wanted to do all the time."

At her time, one would find the following definition in the dictionary - and frankly - i dont think its any different now:

Se-duce: "To lead aside or astray, esp. from the path of rectitude or duty; to entice to evil; to corrupt."

[Margaret · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. Did not "get"—and I love Emily Hahn!

[Barry Cunningham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Fell off a shelf of the Universal Library.
Not a How to Pick Up Girls for Dummies. More than a bit dated. Occasional casual racism.
Reads more like George Ade than the Kama Sutra.