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Q&A Byronic Hero characters

Short answer: cynicism is a version of "playing hard-to-get," which some people find attractive. You seduce by allowing yourself to be chased. Long answer: Someone who's cynical can be an attracti...

posted 14y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T11:59:54Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/1261
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T01:08:33Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/1261
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T01:08:33Z (almost 5 years ago)
_Short answer:_ cynicism is a version of "playing hard-to-get," which some people find attractive. You seduce by allowing yourself to be chased.

_Long answer:_ Someone who's cynical can be an attractive target for a naïve person who wants to "save" or "fix" the Byronist. "I know Charlie is so world-weary, but if he fell in love with me, I just know I could soften his heart and soothe his hurts! I could take away his pain and make him happy!"

Meanwhile, the Byronist is cynical after heartbreak, or betrayal, or anything else which sours one on optimism. The naïf's point of view may be exactly what the Byronist used to think pre-heartbreak, and s/he is sneering at what s/he used to be. The naïf chases the Byronist, they sleep together, and the Byronist either really doesn't care about the naïf or feels disgusted at him/herself for using the naïf the way s/he was used, and the naïf gets dumped.

And after like the third or four naïf tries this, the Byronist, not pursuing emotional intimacy, might think this was a pretty decent tactic to get some action, and cultivate it deliberately.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2011-01-30T15:17:24Z (almost 14 years ago)
Original score: 5