How to Get Over a Breakup: An Ancient Guide to Moving On

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers

by Ovid, Michael Fontaine (Translator)

A modern translation of the ancient Roman poet Ovid’s Remedies of Love ―a witty and irreverent work about how to fall out of love

Breakups are the worst. On one scale devised by psychiatrists, only a spouse’s death was ranked as more stressful than a marital split. Is there any treatment for a breakup? The ancient Roman poet Ovid thought so. Having become famous for teaching the art of seduction in The Art of Love , he then wrote Remedies for Love ( Remedia Amoris ), which presents thirty-eight frank and witty strategies for coping with unrequited love, falling out of love, ending a relationship, and healing a broken heart. How to Get Over a Breakup presents an unabashedly modern prose translation of Ovid’s lighthearted and provocative work, complete with a lively introduction and the original Latin on facing pages.

Ovid’s advice―which he illustrates with ingenious interpretations of classical mythology―ranges from the practical, psychologically astute, and profound, to the ironic, deliberately offensive, and bizarre. Some advice is conventional―such as staying busy, not spending time alone, and avoiding places associated with an ex. Some is off-color, such as having sex until you’re sick of it. And some, for modern readers, is, simply and delightfully, weird―such as becoming a lawyer and not eating arugula.

But far more often, How to Get Over a Breakup reveals an Ovid whose advice―good or bad, entertaining or outrageous―can sound startlingly modern.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

184 pages, Hardcover

Published June 4, 2024

About the author

Publius Ovidius Naso (20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horatius, with whom he is often ranked as one of the three canonical poets of Latin literature. The Imperial scholar Quintilian considered him the last of the Latin love elegists. Although Ovid enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime, the emperor Augustus exiled him to Tomis, the capital of the newly-organised province of Moesia, on the Black Sea, where he remained for the last nine or ten years of his life. Ovid himself attributed his banishment to a "poem and a mistake", but his reluctance to disclose specifics has resulted in much speculation among scholars.
Ovid is most famous for the Metamorphoses, a continuous mythological narrative in fifteen books written in dactylic hexameters. He is also known for works in elegiac couplets such as Ars Amatoria ("The Art of Love") and Fasti. His poetry was much imitated during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and greatly influenced Western art and literature. The Metamorphoses remains one of the most important sources of classical mythology today.

Reviews

[Jackie A · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was bequeathed on me as a joke, but I am nothing if not committed to the bit so I read it in its entirety. Boy was that a mistake. Ovid is perhaps the original incel edgelord, advising that nice guys fall in love so it’s advisable to be an asshole and a dog at every possible instance. The translation itself was great, but I can’t imagine the crop of Roman fuckboys he inspired with this one

[Massimo Pigliucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Publius Ovidius Naso, commonly known as Ovid (43 BCE-18 CE) is arguably most famous for his Metamorphoses, a poem that narrates the history of the world from its beginnings to the deification of the assassinated Julius Caesar. But he also wrote much else, for instance “The Art of Love,” where he teaches his readers how to seduce a potential lover, and then how to keep them. Later on, Ovid also wrote the book translated here by Michael Fontaine: “The Cure for Love.” If, after having acquired a lover, things don’t work out, here is how you can get over the inevitable breakup. Fontaine helpfully summarizes the 38 (!!) remedies proposed by Ovid, which range from the commonsensical to the rather vile (but, probably, effective). He advises his heartbroken readers (regardless of whether they are men or women) to find something else to occupy their mind, to get out of the city and immerse themselves in nature, to avoid spells and magic on the simple ground that they don’t work, to tell themselves that their ex is not as attractive as they thought, to find another lover as soon as possible, to affect indifference until they actually become indifferent, and so on. Fontaine points out that at least some of this is tongue in cheek, but also that Ovid is remarkably clearheaded about the nasty consequences of a love that ended badly. The more things change, the more they remain the same…

[Marina Kozareva · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

How to Get Over a Break Up: An Ancient Guide to Moving On by Ovid, translated by Michael Fontaine was a hilarious and surprisingly insightful read.

The book is a prose translation of Ovid’s Remedia Amoris (“Remedies for Love”), an 800-line poem first published around 2 A.D. Though short, it’s crammed with practical (if cheeky) advice, and Fontaine’s translation makes it highly accessible. The introduction and commentary add depth, making the humor and context more meaningful.

Ovid is at his most outrageous here - full of self-importance, referring to himself in the third person, plugging his earlier works, and going off on tangents about how much the world of poetry owes him. It’s over the top, but it absolutely fits the playful, biting tone that echoes the end of Metamorphoses.

On a more serious note, the translator’s commentary is excellent. Fontaine points out Ovid’s use of medical language and how it connects to philosophical and medical “cures” of the time. These notes highlight the satirical edge of the text while also showing how the ancients grappled with emotional pain and heartbreak.

I’m not going through a breakup myself, nor do I necessarily share Ovid’s worldview, but I still found this a fun, light, and well-edited read.

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hilarious, not least because Ovid is just such a self-important asshole—going on a long tangent to declare how much elegiac verse owes him, referring to himself in the third person, peddling his previous works in asides. It all fits with his tone at the end of Metamorphoses.

On a more serious note, the translator’s notes helpfully (and wittily) pointed out Ovid’s medical language and its connections to potential existing philosophical/medical cures of the time. These notes shed light on the possibility of parody throughout, and they also shed light the ancients’ attempts to cure mental and emotional woes.

Overall, a fun, light read that’s another thoughtful and well-edited addition to PUP’s ancient wisdom series.

[Diego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una traducción moderna del poema de Ovidio Remedium Amoris con sus 38 consejos sobre como evitar estar triste por una ruptura. La introducción es genial y muestra como la terapia moderna y en especial el psicoanálisis tiene una deuda enorme con filósofos y pensadores clásicos, en especial con los estoicos.

La lectura es sencilla y graciosa y sorprendentemente contemporánea. Muestra de que sin importar el tiempo y las grandes diferencias entre las sociedades humanas, las experiencias amorosas y el desamor son tan humanas que son esencialmente las mismas a través del tiempo.

[Melanie Tennant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely silly and over the top at times, but some of the basic principals that I thought applied to me the most I did make note of. Since I don't have much experience reading books written in older language, it was a bit difficult for me to fully understand at times, but I feel like I got the gist. This might be more of a 1-3 months after you breakup book, not a 1 day after book, but that's my own fault lolz. My favorite line was that someone going through a breakup "Ought to take frequent baths, to drink wine, to ride, and to see and hear everything pleasurable".

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because it is a modern translation of Ovid's "Remedies For Love" and I was interested to see how that would turn out. I felt like there was a lot that was left out and/or added to. Unfortunately when we trying to bring something from so long ago into the language of today, there is so much room for interpretation. I just felt, for me, like some of the interpretations were leaving things out. Having said that though, I did enjoy this. It had a lot of witty and sarcastic (I feel that Ovid was a sarcastic personality) repartee. The 38 Strategies for coping were hilarious.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy this series a lot, though this volume was mixed. I'm not getting over a breakup, and I don't share Ovid's worldview and ideas. The introductions and comments were helpful; the translation was easy to follow, though perhaps a little too dynamic.

[Andy Gregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a prose translation of an 800-line poem called "Remedies of Love" (Remedia Amoris). The Remedia Amoris (Remedies for Love) first appeared around 2 A.D. Despite its relatively short length, the poem packs an unrivaled density of practical insight.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love a silly little read by Ovid. I appreciated that it had the original Latin (not that I can really read it anymore) and lots of endnotes for context.

[Kes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining translation which uses modern lingo. Helpful translator’s notes.

The suggestions hold true to today too - like hanging out with your friends, focusing on your ex’s flaws.

[Stefani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Leanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

hilarious. i need to find farmwork now.

[Flo Childes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny quick read! To take with a pinch of salt though. Ovid is full of himself and a man whore but so entertaining. Never really read Greek mythology but the stories are so shockingly funny!