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Ovidius, Roman Poet > 
Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso). Roman poet, noted especially for his ARS AMATORIA and METAMORPHOSES. Ovid was the first major writer to grow up under the empire. He died far from home, in a desolate town by the Black Sea. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Ovidian stories were highly popular among artists, poets and in courts. In England the Metamorphoses was one of Chaucer's favorite books.
Ovid gained, in a short while, the reputation of being the most brilliant poet of his generation. Among his first series of poems were love elegies, AMORES, a fictitious romance between the poet and a woman named Corinna. It was followed by HEROIDES, written in the form of love letters between mythological lovers, such as Paris and Helen. At the age of forty Ovid published Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love), an instruction book about seducing in three volumes, two for men and one for women. The poet expressed in it his disillusionment with old ideals and stated: "Let others delight in the good old days; I am delighted to be alive right now. This age is suited to my way of life."
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