Ovid's Art of Love

"If you are a girl or man who does not know the art of loving, you will learn how to love by hearing this book. It takes art to steer boats easily with sail and oar; it takes art to drive chariots smoothly; it takes art also to guide love." So begins Ovid's 2000-year-old version of The Rules - Ovid's Art of Love: Classic Rules of Seduction. Often called the world's first psychologist of love and sexual behavior, Ovid influenced many people throughout history. He was Chaucer's favorite poet. He showed up in Shakespeare's first poem, "Venus and Adonis," and in A Midsummer's Night's Dream. Joseph Campbell, Edith Hamilton, and Thomas Bulfinch all cite his importance in relating the stories of classical mythology. His understanding of male and female sexual psychology also influenced Havelock Ellis, Alfred Kinsey, and Sigmund Freud. Despite Ovid's influence and notoriety, his translated works were banned in the United States until 1960 when courts relaxed their censorship of sexually oriented literature. This prose translation is a detailed portrait of Roman social life ... though listeners will discover many contemporary parallels. With poetic wit and sophistication, Ovid uses case studies from mythology to illustrate practical techniques for "Seducing a Woman" and "Holding a Man." Join accomplished lovers throughout the ages who have boasted, "Ovid was my teacher." 2 cassettes.