Mike Fontaine

Professor

Image of Mike Fontaine
120 Goldwin Smith Hall
mf268@cornell.edu

Departments and programs

  • Classics

Academic interests

  • Greek Literature
  • Latin Literature

Links

Keywords

Classics, Latin Literature, ancient Rome

Overview

I'm a Latinist with broad interests in Ancient Rome, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. My latest books are on willpower and free speech, both for Princeton University Press. Previous books covered wine, swine, grief, mind, breakups, and a good laugh. Oh, and I was also recently parodied on Saturday Night Live (really! see it here.) 

At Cornell I teach courses on Ancient Rome, comedy, Greek Mythology, Wine Culture, and Latin literature of all time periods. For business executives worldwide I teach eCornell courses on leadership from Ancient Rome and the effective use of humor in the workplace.

  • Cornell students: click here for current course syllabi.
  • Exec ed students: click here for course information.

For the 2024-2025 academic year I'm serving as Interim Director of Cornell's Program on Freedom and Free Societies. Our guest lectures aim to enhance understanding of liberty and free inquiry. Debate is encouraged and all are welcome. 

Publications

For a complete list, click here. Book reviews are here. Popular press writings are here.

 

Latest Books

1. 2024. Ovid. How to Get Over a Breakup: An Ancient Guide to Moving On. Princeton University Press. The Podcast! overview (15 minutes)

2. 2025. Prudentius and Plutarch. How to Have Willpower: An Ancient Guide to Not Giving In. Princeton University Press.

3. 2025/6. Plato. How to Speak Freely: An Ancient Guide for Modern Dissenters. Princeton University Press. (A bilingual edition of Plato's Apology and a dialogue of Lucian.)

Latest Articles

  1. 2024. "L'arte del prologo." In: Orietta Rossini, Salvatore Monda, and Lucia Spagnuolo (eds.), Teatro: Autori attori e pubblico nell’antica Roma. Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider, pp. 99-105.
  2. 2024. “Verba Genuina: Parole autentiche e parole “cheeky” in Plauto.” ClassicoContemporaneo.
  3. In press. “How to Make a Joke Without Getting Cancelled: Plutarch’s Survival Guide to Jesting Safely.” (On some passages in Table Talk and Macrobius' Saturnalia).
  4. In press. "Humour as a Calculated Risk."

Just for Fun

  1. 2024. How to Steal From Homer: Duplicative Language in Ancient Greece and Rome. Classical Wisdom.
  2. 2024. Roamin' Algeria. Antigone Journal.
  3. 2024. Ovid's 38 Recommendations for Getting Over a Breakup. Ideas.
  4. 2024. Three Dad Jokes from Ancient Greece for Father’s Day.
  5. 2024. E Pluribus Unum. (A stubborn mistranslation!)
  6. 2024. On the Obscenity of Ovid. Classical Wisdom.

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