Video chat: Michael Fontaine on Cicero, jokes, and grief

Episode 11 of "Meet the Greco-Romans"

Welcome to another entry in our occasional series of video chats with authors and translators who have written about the philosophy, culture, and history of the Greco-Roman tradition.

In this episode I talk to Michael Fontaine, a Latinist with broad interests in Ancient Rome, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. Michael’s 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 he was also recently parodied on Saturday Night Live (really! see it here.)

At Cornell University, Michael teaches courses on Ancient Rome, comedy, Greek Mythology, Wine Culture, and Latin literature of all time periods. In April 2024 he did a TEDx talk called "How to Build Trust with Humor." It combines his research interests in ancient comedy with his leadership experiences over eight years in Cornell's central administration (all in the past now, he says).

Michael and I chatted about two of his books for the ongoing Princeton Press series, Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers: How to Tell a Joke, by Cicero, and How to Grieve, by a Renaissance author who wrote in the style of Cicero. Here is our conversation:R