In addition to being a serial seducer, by 21st-century standards Casanova was a rapist, murderer and all-round scoundrel
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskAs Leo Damrosch chronicles in “Adventurer”, his new biography, this approach took Casanova into some pretty grim territory. In addition to being a serial seducer, by 21st-century standards he was a rapist, a murderer, a child-abuser, a crook and an all-round scoundrel. He was also an engaging storyteller, whose “Histoire de ma vie”
Casanova was born in Venice, an independent republic that had long since transformed itself from a maritime power to a tourist destination, in large part by guaranteeing a degree of anonymity to seekers of illicit pleasure. A child of actors in this city of masks, Casanova was naturally inclined to play fast and loose with his identity.
But, as Mr Damrosch points out, not only is Casanova an unreliable narrator of his libidinous career: the nature of his conquests usually discounts any notion of mutuality or consent. “Casanova”, Mr Damrosch writes, “aspired to a life of freedom from restraints—but freedom at whose expense?” The answer is painfully obvious in the scores of deceived, swindled, abandoned and abused victims who populate these pages. The author is clear-eyed about Casanova’s faults.
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