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

Appears on: Classics

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 a few years ago I was parodied on Saturday Night Live (really! see it here). 

At Cornell I teach courses on Ancient Rome, Julius Caesar, the Art of Humor, 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.

I'm also the 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

10. 2025. Prudentius and Plutarch. How to Have Willpower: An Ancient Guide to Not Giving In. Princeton University Press.

11. 2026. Plato. How to Speak Freely: An Ancient Guide to Free Speech and Dissent. Princeton University Press. 

A vivid and timely new translation of Plato's Apology, in which Socrates defends his pursuit of truth, no matter the consequences. And How to Speak Freely supplements Plato’s Apology with a delightful fable on free speech told from a different angle. In the short dialogue The Gods in Council, Lucian (c. 125–180 CE) satirizes the concept of “platforming,” showing how free speech ideals are truly tested only when they’re truly applied.

12. 2027. Killing Socrates: Four Dialogues by Plato, with Aristophanes' Clouds. Princeton University Press.

After these books, my next project is a book on Lucian, Euripides, Gorgias, and a host of Latin authors from antiquity through the later Renaissance.

Latest Articles

  1. 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.)
  2. In press. "Humour as a Calculated Risk." (For a Cambridge Companion in the works.)
  3. 2026. "Clueless Strepsiades, Clueless Scribes? Recovering Two Lost Jokes in Aristophanes’ Clouds (234, 380–81)." Electryone.
  4. 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.
  5. 2024. “Verba Genuina: Parole autentiche e parole “cheeky” in Plauto.” Classico Contemporaneo.

Just for Fun

  1. 2025. Caesar in the Kremlin: Vladimir Putin's Speeches in Latin. Antigone.
  2. 2025. What Kimmel and Colbert can learn from ancient comedians who ticked off their leaders. NPR.
  3. 2025. Jimmy Kimmel Ratings Over The Years: He Was No. 1 With Young Adults. Forbes.
  4. 2025. Scholarship, Not Ideology, Guides Western Civilization Curricula. Inside Higher Ed. (nonpaywalled here)
  5. 2025. Lies, Lies, and More Lies in Homer’s Odyssey. In Medias Res.

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