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About 1 h 10 min to read.A chi è rivolto
Readers who enjoy eighteenth century wit, classical myth retold with a smile, and the social scenes of old London, from pleasure gardens to playhouses.
Che cos’è questo libro
What if courtship were a school subject, taught by a master who drives Love's chariot like a coachman? In The Lovers Assistant, Henry Fielding gives the Roman poet Ovid's Art of Love an English home, with London gardens, theaters and gossip. The first book promises three lessons: find a mistress, win her, and keep her. It covers the first two, in a mock-learned voice.
In questo riassunto
- 1Love is a craft with three lessonsFree
- 2Look for love where London gathers
- 3Win her through her maid and your letters
- 4Charm her with manner, dress and table
- 5The advice turns to pressure, and shows its age
Punto chiave 1 di 5
Love is a craft with three lessons
The speaker opens as a schoolmaster who says every skill needs rules, from steering a ship to driving a coach. Love, he claims, is no different. Cupid is a wild boy, and the master means to train him as a tutor trains a fierce young prince.
He names Venus as his muse and says he writes from experience alone. He turns away prudes and writes for good-natured girls. Then he sets out his plan: choose a mistress, win her affection, and keep the love alive.
The frame matters because it sets the tone. Everything that follows is offered with a mock-learned grin, as a joke about teaching as much as a manual of love.
That’s 1 of 5 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Go deeper: the whole of L'assistente degli amanti; ovvero, nuova Arte d'amare
About 1 h 10 min to read.Questions about L'assistente degli amanti; ovvero, nuova Arte d'amare
What is The Lovers Assistant about?
It is a mock-serious guide to courtship. A schoolmaster of love teaches where to find a mistress, how to win her through her maid, letters, flattery and attention, and how to suit each woman's temper.
Is The Lovers Assistant based on Ovid?
Yes. It follows the plan of Ovid's Art of Love, with its three lessons and its Greek and Roman myths, but it sets them in eighteenth century London, with real places and local jokes.
What London places does the book mention?
Vauxhall, Ranelagh, the Mall, Kensington Gardens, Tower Hill, the law courts, the theaters and the spa at Bath all appear as places where the pupil might meet a sweetheart.
Is the advice meant to be taken seriously?
The voice is comic and boastful, a sham expert with mock-learned airs.
Is it easy to follow?
Yes, in its short, separate lessons. The advice is lively, and the myths are retold with humor, so you can dip in and enjoy the wit one scene at a time.