Mike Fontaine

Professor

Overview

Michael (Mike) Fontaine is Professor of Classics and Director of Cornell’s Program on Freedom and Free Societies. A Latinist with broad interests in ancient Rome and its reception from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment, he writes and teaches about free speech, humor, persuasion, leadership, and human behavior. His latest book, How to Speak Freely: An Ancient Guide to Free Speech and Dissent, combines a new translation of Plato’s Apology with an ancient satire about what happens when leaders promise free speech and someone takes them at their word. His books for general readers also include How to Tell a Joke, How to Drink, How to Grieve, How to Get Over a Breakup, and How to Have Willpower. His work has occasionally escaped the academy altogether—including, somewhat improbably, into a Saturday Night Live sketch. He is currently bringing a forgotten Renaissance comedy back to life; curious readers can follow the story on his Burmeister’s Asinaria project page.

He teaches courses on ancient Rome, Julius Caesar, mythology, humor, wine culture, and Latin literature, and develops executive-education programs for eCornell.

Cornell’s Program on Freedom and Free Societies promotes serious, open discussion of liberty, free inquiry, and the institutions that sustain them. Its lectures and events welcome disagreement, encourage debate, and are open to everyone. And we’re hiring! Applications are now open for a two-year Postdoctoral Associate position in the Program on Freedom and Free Societies, beginning January 1, 2027.

For books, public writing, talks, media, and speaking inquiries, visit michaelfontaine.com

Research Focus

Latin and Greek literature
Roman intellectual and cultural history
Classical reception
Rhetoric and humor
Free speech and freedom of inquiry

Publications

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

Latest Books

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

12. 2027. Dying for Truth: Four Dialogues by Plato, with Aristophanes’ Clouds. Princeton University Press. Fresh translations of Plato’s Apology, Crito, Euthyphro, and Phaedo, together with Aristophanes’ Clouds, with original commentary.

He is now working on a book (or more) that draws on Lucian, Celsus, Euripides, Aristophanes, Gorgias, and a host of Latin authors from antiquity through the Renaissance. The working title is The Art of Bullshit.

Latest Articles

In progress. Der letzte Lateiner in den Alpen. Carolus Egger und die Entstehung der modernen Alpen.
In press (2026). Carolus Egger auf der Seiser Alm. Ein wiederentdeckter lateinischer Wanderbericht.
2026. The Lost Foreskins of Joannes Burmeister.
2026. Clueless Strepsiades, Clueless Scribes? Recovering Two Lost Jokes in Aristophanes’ Clouds (234, 380–81). Electryone.
In press? (2023). “How to Make a Joke Without Getting Cancelled: Plutarch’s Survival Guide to Jesting Safely.” On some passages in Table Talk and Macrobius' Saturnalia.
In press? (2023). "Humour as a Calculated Risk." For a Cambridge Companion.

Just for Fun

2026. Fornication in America: Trump’s Arch, Rome’s Emperors, and the Meaning of Victory. War on the Rocks.
2026. Sacrum na sterydach. Wielkie odkrycie w Bibliotece Narodowej. Polityka. Q&A feature on Burmeister's Asinaria (in Polish)
2026. Trump: Brutale Kämpfe zum 80. Geburtstag (video in German). Kulturzeit
2026. Trump celebrates 80th birthday with an Iran deal and UFC cage fights at the White House. AP.
2026. Did Ovid Bury Philippi in a Love Story? (Part 2 of 2) In Medias Res.
2026. Was Ovid Really Apolitical? (Part 1 of 2) In Medias Res.

Mike Fontaine

Professor

Academic Interests

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