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lucy_qhuay's review against another edition
1.0
I was drawn in by the title and I feel cheated, so let me give you some title suggestions that will give you a truer idea of what this book is about:
1 - The Cheater's Guide To Cheat Some More
2 - A Thousand Ways To Deceive
3 - How To Make Fools Out Of Women
4 - The Liar's Step By Step Manual
5 - Cheating For Dummies
6 - Bros Code
7 - Cheating, said The Love Guru
8 - Seduction Tips For Men (And Slutty Women Too)
And the list could go on and on.
I know one needs to have in consideration the time period in which the book was written when reading it, but The Art Of Love is just one gigantic mess.
Ovid thinks he's some great expert of love, when in truth, he's only talking about lust and teaching men how to be big fat liars, cheaters and huge bastards altogether.
I don't know how women could possibly fall for all that fake crap, but the Lord knows it happens.
mymumwouldbeproud_'s review against another edition
2.0
Why do I picture Ovidius being to the Ancient Greeks as what the business dude bros are to us? (It makes sense in my head shut up)
eb00kie's review against another edition
I didn't find either the prose or the tone pleasant enough to warrant reading an advocacy of non-consensual intercourse.
Regardless, for one of the earliest of the self-help, the language is full of embellishment and gushing and the advice is often cunning and, with the significant exception, funny. Occasional mysoginism and stereotypes aside, the work is also short enough; I can see how it became so popular.
There are also many notes that often offer a historical and mythological context that otherwise absent would rob the text of much of its flavour.
As a bonus, it used to encourage the often pleasant pastime of imagining how it would be received nowadays. There are some notions that not even the dumbest would sweep aside as "mere political correctness", issues that, while not exactly taboo, were sensitive enough not to be approached lightly. In this context, such a work would often come across as cocky, chauvinistic and coarse.
Regardless, for one of the earliest of the self-help, the language is full of embellishment and gushing and the advice is often cunning and, with the significant exception, funny. Occasional mysoginism and stereotypes aside, the work is also short enough; I can see how it became so popular.
There are also many notes that often offer a historical and mythological context that otherwise absent would rob the text of much of its flavour.
As a bonus, it used to encourage the often pleasant pastime of imagining how it would be received nowadays. There are some notions that not even the dumbest would sweep aside as "mere political correctness", issues that, while not exactly taboo, were sensitive enough not to be approached lightly. In this context, such a work would often come across as cocky, chauvinistic and coarse.
flower_girl's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.0
Misogyne mais bon on s'y attendait
samcj's review against another edition
Got overwhelmed with other work so had no time/mental capacity to read + had to return to the library
zmb's review against another edition
5.0
Who knew erotic satire could be so thoroughly amusing? Ovid's tone is full of laughter, his poetry sparkling, his advice bombastic and disingenuous.