Ovid Ars Amatoria
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Ovid

Ars Amatoria

prose

A mock-didactic poem on how to find, win, and keep a lover. Three books of seduction advice delivered with perfect irony. The poem that may have contributed to Ovid's exile.

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Books

  • Book I: How to Find Her

    The professor of love instructs Roman men on where to find women and how to make the first approach.

    772 lines
  • Book II: How to Keep Her

    Technique replaces hunting. The arts of sustained seduction: flattery, patience, gifts, and knowing when to yield.

    746 lines
  • Book III: The Women's Turn

    Ovid addresses women directly, teaching cosmetics, dress, posture, and the arts of holding power.

    812 lines
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