Lovelace, donjuan, ladies' man - in the days of our grandparents, they called gallant, courteous men. They were able to deftly "go to the handle," that is, to kiss the lady's hand, say an ornate compliment, were pleasant in communication and extremely seductive. The times of the refined gentlemen are long gone. But the words that define this type of men have remained in our language, although they are rarely used. Let's get to know them better!
Excursion in dictionaries
As always, to identify the meaning of the word, let's turn to the explanatory dictionaries. And they say that Lovelace is a seducer of women, red tape (who trails them, that is, cares), constantly looking for new love adventures, inconsistent with the connections with the ladies. Synonyms for the word are the names of "kazanova", "donzhuan", "reveler", "libertine", "heartthrob". Now Lovelace is a common noun. However, it comes from his own - the name of the hero of the work of art.
Ah, those sentimental novels!
In the first half of the 18th century, Western literature was dominated by sentimentalism. This direction was characterized by the writer's heightened attention to the psychological conditions of man, his emotional experiences, the world of feelings - "sentimentality." Lovelace is the name of the main character of the moralistic sentimental novel by the English writer Richardson "Clarissa, or the Story of a Young Lady". A young girl, delicate, tender, sensitive, romantic nature, becomes a victim of treacherous harassment and seduction of an intelligent, prudent, cynical, treacherous aristocrat with the appearance of an angel. With the publication of the book in society, the name Lovelace has taken root. This word has become a household name for windy men, striving for easy, nothing promising love intrigues, flirting, adventure.
Charm of villainy
Roman Richardson had a wild success not only among the English reading public. Its content was well known to the educated part of the population of Western and Eastern Europe, as well as the New World. In Russia, they were read by the ladies, dreaming about the fatal hero-lover. Pushkin in "Eugene Onegin" says that his Tatiana fell in love with "fraud and Richardson, and Rousseau." The author of the work even lamented the fact that his negative hero, the man's ladies' man, is more popular than the virtuous and decent Clarissa. Critics of the time, like today's, are unanimous in the opinion that Richardson's Lovelace is one of the most striking, original and interesting characters in English literature. This is the image of "Satan" in the "mask of a gentleman" - charming, witty, intrepid, courageous and not knowing pity.
It is interesting
Finding out who the ladies' man is, we will continue our research. From the pages of the novel, the name stepped into the big world and was picked up by other writers, already in the same 18th century became a household word. However, having entered into a wide usage, it is written in Russian somewhat differently than in the original language. The English have the right name - Lovelace, which means "love lace". That is, Richardson so-and-so named the hero, and with a hint of his ability to weave love intrigues, as the craftsmen weave lace: elegantly, subtly, cunningly, subtly. The Russian version arose, perhaps, by analogy with the word "catch" - Lovelace. Synonyms for it were selected corresponding: debauchery, windy, donjuan. But the same Pushkin, an excellent connoisseur of literature with a subtle linguistic flair, in Onegin used the correct form of the surname Lovlas. And Lovelace - a very common name for the British!
And I recognize the dear by ...
Remarkable examples of smoothies were given to us and our, Russian literature. Remember Onegin! He was the true genius of the "science of tender passion" - flirting and seduction. What Pushkin wrote about this: from his youth, Eugene could "hypocritically, seem languid, languish, disbelieve, make believe", was "languidly silent" and "fiery eloquent." Onegin did not need to disturb the hearts of the "note-kicks", fall in love with himself, then, in the current language, "quit." The lad-womanizer - so would characterize his current youth. And would, in fact, be right! Another great example of heartthrob - Pechorin from the "Hero of Our Time". As on the notes he played the seduction of Princess Mary. I managed to fall in love with Bela. The victim of his unstable character for many years was Vera. As the hero himself correctly noted, his feelings were for women a source of not happiness and joy, but disappointment and unfulfilled hopes.
Psychological picture
Let's try to derive the characteristic features of the true ladies' man. First and foremost, these are men who are completely self-confident, initiative, able to take everything under their control - from the first steps of seduction to the denouement of the novel. It is easy for them to get acquainted with the lady whom they liked anywhere: in transport, cafe, on the street, the company. And even if a woman is already married, or she has an admirer - it does not matter, the Kazan woman will not stop this fact. On the contrary, he will give the situation a much needed to this type of men sharpness and piquancy. After all, ladies' lovers, rather, are not interested in the end result, but the process of "hunting", the development of tactics and strategy and their phased implementation. Naturally, such men are devilishly charming, courteous. Some people assume a romantic appearance and act accordingly. Bunches of flowers, beautiful courtship, gifts, candlelight dinners - ladies' lovers themselves enjoy the intrigue they lead. After all, they often are real aesthetes! And to play on the gentle strings of the female soul for such people is a real pleasure. Whether to succumb to seducers - depends on the ladies themselves. If you want bright impressions, a holiday today, but without the hope that it will last till tomorrow, then Lovelace is the ideal cavalier for you. Afraid to stay with a broken heart - stay away from it!