Ars Amatoria I

by Ovid, Elizabeth Block (Editor)

This edition of the first part of Ovid's witty, and unjustifiably infamous, love poem reproduces E.J. Kenny's authoritative text with the first detailed commentary in English, and includes an introduction dealing with the poem's style and history.

Genres: Classics, Poetry, Nonfiction, Literature

66 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

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

[addie · Rating 2 out of 5]

who told him it was okay to write this

[Abdelghani El Rafei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting . Ovid is witty and funny however he is a complete douche by today's standard. The book covers a lot of ground on Greek mythology if you have Google Infront of you to dive into the referenced stories.
The book will make you cringe

[Aurora Pesce · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Ero sul punto di finire" e poi aggiunge altri 40 versi

[Juliane · Rating 1 out of 5]

This bitch deserved his banishment just for writing this book and being responsible for me reading this a thousand years later in class
Anyways stan Augustus for letting Ovid suffer

[katie grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ovid is the ancient equivalent of male podcasters

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read a part of this book, because after I learned how creepy Ovid's "art" is, I didn't want to go further.

[Leone Mattheus · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Tot nu toe alleen het verhaal van Pasifae gelezen.) Het lijkt wel alsof elk verhaal dat ik hier vandaag opensla, een beetje meer in mysterie en vaagheid gehuld raakt. Misschien komt dat door de eeuwenoude laag stof die op de mythen ligt, of gewoon door mijn eigen brein dat steeds harder moet werken om al die absurde verhaallijnen bij te benen. Maar eerlijk, hoe beoordeel je in hemelsnaam een verhaal waarin iemand verliefd wordt op een koe? Geef ik sterren voor de waanzin, de creativiteit, of gewoon voor het feit dat ik dit überhaupt gelezen heb?

[Maria Halloul · Rating 1 out of 5]

das gezeichnete frauenbild dient einzig und allein um für den mann, den „jäger“, das konstrukt der liebe zu komplementieren.
scit bene venator, cervis ubi retia tendat, Scit bene, qua frendens valle moretur aper
- analogismen der frau in form von hirschen, wildschweinen, fischen etc.
immer gerechtfertigt ‚kind seiner zeit‘ - vielleicht aber einfach mann.

[LT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skimmed in translation

[Matt Vigneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boastful, ironic, and comical at times. The lightest reading I've come across so far in the classical canon.

[Jesus of Suburbia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letteralmente il miglior libro mai scritto

[lachlan is reading books · Rating 4 out of 5]

And tears help: tears will move a stone:

let her see your damp cheeks if you can.

If tears (they don’t always come at the right time)

fail you, touch your eyes with a wet hand.

[Santiago Carvajal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exilio / Vargascarreño.

[veggiebuddies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listen, I get that it was a different time but please don’t compare women to bulls and prey.

[Cordelia Mainprize · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was cute until I read the lines about child brides... I may be too woke for this

[Violetta · Rating 2 out of 5]

i dont like ovid hes sexist but its very of the time, half of it had me howling. women, if you have an ugly face just do backwards cowgirl! long legs? put them round his head x

[Nick Werner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This commentary was useful, but irrelevant grammar points were highlighted in areas where other grammar or vocabulary could be more useful. Minor changes would make this much better.

[Emmanuel Wallart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un magnifique poème. L'art de la drague n'a pas beaucoup évolué. Ovide sait aussi nous faire rire et nous émouvoir, à lire absolument, en latin bien sûr!

[Camilla Piccinni · Rating 2 out of 5]

noioso