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The ''Ars Amatoria'' is a didactic elegiac poem in three books that sets out to teach the arts of seduction and love. The first book addresses men and teaches them how to seduce women, the second, also to men, teaches how to keep a lover. The third addresses women and teaches seduction techniques. The first book opens with an invocation to Venus, in which Ovid establishes himself as a ''praeceptor amoris'' (1.17) – a teacher of love. Ovid describes the places one can go to find a lover, like the theater, a triumph, which he thoroughly describes, or arena – and ways to get the
Ovid emphasizes care of the body for the lover. Mythological digressions include a piece on the [[Rape of the Sabine women]], [[Pasiphaë]], and [[Ariadne]]. Book 2 invokes Apollo and begins with a telling of the story of [[Icarus]]. Ovid advises men to avoid giving too many gifts, keep up their appearance, hide affairs, compliment their lovers, and ingratiate themselves with slaves to stay on their lover's good side. The care of Venus for procreation is described as is Apollo's aid in keeping a lover; Ovid then digresses on the story of [[Hephaestus#Hephaestus and Aphrodite|Vulcan's trap for Venus and Mars]]. The book ends with Ovid asking his "students" to spread his fame. Book 3 opens with a vindication of women's abilities and Ovid's resolution to arm women against his teaching in the first two books. Ovid gives women detailed instructions on appearance telling them to avoid too many adornments. He advises women to read elegiac poetry, learn to play games, sleep with people of different ages, flirt, and dissemble. Throughout the book, Ovid playfully interjects, criticizing himself for undoing all his didactic work to men and mythologically digresses on the story of [[Procris#Ovid|Procris]] and [[Cephalus#Husband of Procris|Cephalus]]. The book ends with his wish that women will follow his advice and spread his fame saying ''Naso magister erat,'' "Ovid was our teacher". (Ovid was known as "Naso" to his contemporaries.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Liveley, Genevieve.|title=Ovid's Metamorphoses : a reader's guide|date=2011|publisher=Continuum|isbn=978-1-4411-7081-1|location=London|oclc=703573507}}</ref>)
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