The Loves

work by Ovid

Also known as: “Amores”

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June 30, 2026

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The Loves (Amores) is a collection of poems by the Roman poet Ovid, written in elegiac couplets. Published in five books, it depicts various phases of a love affair with a woman named Corinna. The poems are characterized by witty and rhetorical explorations of erotic themes rather than intense passion, and they portray the ups and downs of a typical affair.12

Ovid, a Roman poet, is renowned for his technical skill and imaginative interpretations of classical myths. His most famous works include the Metamorphoses and the Ars amatoria (The Art of Love). The Loves was one of his earlier successes, reflecting the sophisticated society in which he lived. The common theme in these early poems is love and amorous intrigue.12

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Ovid
Works of Ovid
…first poems, the Amores (The Loves), were published at intervals, beginning about 20 bce, in five books. They form a series of short poems depicting the various phases of a love affair with a woman called Corinna. Their keynote is not passion but the witty and rhetorical exploitation of…
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…first poems, the Amores (The Loves), were published at intervals, beginning about 20 bce, in five books. They form a series of short poems depicting the various phases of a love affair with a woman called Corinna. Their keynote is not passion but the witty and rhetorical exploitation of…
Read More

Latin literature
Elegy
In the Amores he is outrageous and amusing in the role adopted from Propertius, his Corinna being probably a fiction. Elegy became his characteristic medium. He carried the couplet of his predecessors to its logical extreme, characterized by parallelism, regular flow and ebb, and a neat wit.
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In the Amores he is outrageous and amusing in the role adopted from Propertius, his Corinna being probably a fiction. Elegy became his characteristic medium. He carried the couplet of his predecessors to its logical extreme, characterized by parallelism, regular flow and ebb, and a neat wit.
Read More