摘要：Ovid (Ovidius – Publius Ovidius Naso; 43 BCE-18 CE) is well known in classical studies a nd poetic circles for h is insightful portrayal s of heterosexual relations. However, h is The Art of Love and related texts h ave received sca nt attention from those i n the social sciences. Ovid's writings on love may be best known for their advisory and entertainment motifs, but this same set of texts also provides an extended and comparatively detailed set of observations on heterosexual intercha nges, as well as some remarkably astute analysis of interpersonal relations more generally. Developed with in a symbolic interactionist frame (Mead 1934; Blumer 1969; Strauss 1993; Prus 1996; 1997; 1999), t his pap er gives part icu lar attent ion to t he pro cesses by wh ic h peo ple engage others in romantic contexts, make sense of their experiences with one another, dea l with an assortment of th ird-parties, and manage wide ranges of related emotional sensations as they work their ways through aspects of the broader relation sh ip process (from prelimin ary anticipations and initial encounters to termin ations and re-involvements of relationships). It is in these respects that this paper considers the more distinctive ethnograph ic potential of Ovid's depiction s of love in the Roma n classical era.As an in stance of ethno-hi story, Ovid's considerations of people's involvements with love, sex, and romance, as well as the varying emotion al states that people experience along the way, add some h igh ly instructive cross-cultural and trans-h istorical dimensions to more contemporary, generic examinations of affective relationships. Using Ovid's materials as an ethno-historical database with which to assess contemporary interactionist notions of "developi ng relationships," this paper concludes with a consideration of the i mplications of Ovid's works and contemporary interactioni st studies for research on i ntimate relationships, emotionality, and influence work
