Rebecca Lopez
CLSCS 300
M/W 3:30-4:45
Essay 2: The Art of Love Ovid’s “The Art of Love” is perhaps one of the first documented “dating self-help” works of literature to be published. The poem is broken down into three sections in which Ovid communicates to men how to find a woman, how to keep her nonce she is found, and finally, how women can find and keep the love of a man. From a woman’s perspective, I would guess that some, if not most, of the methods and techniques mentioned by Ovid are similar to those men use today when pursuing women. I believe that many men today still find it somewhat difficult to pick up women, just as they did many years ago in the Ovid era. While these methods may be somewhat archaic in age, I strongly believe they can still relate to current times. Something about reading “The Art of Love” was so familiar to me. It became apparent that the techniques used to lure in women date back many years, even though the men in today’s day and age probably feel as if they came up with them first. In today’s society, I think people really try to improve their dating techniques whether it be romantically or sexually. These techniques don’t have to be grand gestures, or even big one, but more subtle ones. This draws a parallel with the reading when Ovid talks about meeting women at the races. He tells the reader that all he has to do is come up with a good reason to spark a friendly conversation with a woman they might be interested in, and to figure out which horse is her favorite so that he can cheer for that same horse. This simple concept of being friendly and finding out what interests the other person is something that definitely should transcend into contemporary society, but I’ve seen so many man unable to start even a simple friendly conversation out of fear, intimidation, or simply lack of social skills. Ovid clearly recognized this, and by pointing out such a subtle technique to begin socialization with women, I think it’s safe to assume that men in the Ovid era had many of the same fears and intimidations of women as men do today. Being unable to approach beautiful women and talk to them is a big similarity that can be drawn from that era to today. Ovid also mentions the Lady Venus (similar to our contemporary idea of “Lady Luck”) as though she is a deciding factor in whether or not men will be successful with their pursuits. While Ovid claims that his techniques alone are all men need to succeed with women, he contradicts himself by mentioning a goddess having even some control over the situation. I believe that in today’s society, luck plays a minimal part in people ending up together. Another technique I found interesting is when Ovid instructed the reader to “dust off the woman’s lap to show your zeal, and pick up a woman’s cloak if it is trailing”. At first I was perplexed by this advice, until I realized that it too tied into contemporary ways. As a woman, I believe physical touch is one of the most important things when establishing a connection and attraction. However, it can prove to be very difficult to initiate, as it can be unwanted at times by some women. But I believe that a physical touch can create or lead to sexual feelings or thoughts. If done properly a man’s initial touch can show confidence and interest. But if done wrong or if it comes off as inappropriate in any way, it could also lead to a man’s demise and ultimate disinterest from a woman. Evidently, men had this same