The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, Vol. III: The Eternal Quest
Casanova, Giacomo, 1725-1798Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019
Rating 4.3- Word count
- 1.1M words
- Chapters
- 106
Tags
English Originals General Biography Fate and FortuneRake's ProgressRomantic AdventureLibertineComplex HumanityMemoirEighteenth CenturyEuropean TravelSummary
Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, Vol. III (of VI), "The Eternal" Author: Casanova, Giacomo, 1725-1798, Language: English, Class: D: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere, Release Date: Mar 29, 2012Editor's review
This is the English translation of the third of six volumes of Casanova's memoirs, a free Project Gutenberg eBook. Casanova recounts in the first person his travels, social encounters, and romantic experiences in eighteenth-century Europe. This volume continues his autobiographical narrative; it is both a personal life history and a window onto European city life, aristocratic society, and customs of the time. For general readers, its value lies not in a tight plot but in its immediacy: the author presents the details of an era's life in a candid, even self-flattering tone. It is best read as a literary autobiography with historical value, attending to the gap between the narrator's perspective and the context of his time rather than seeking a coherent story. It suits readers interested in eighteenth-century European society and culture, the memoir genre, or translated texts, and also serves as a sample of Project Gutenberg's public-domain resources. Note that the book includes adult romantic content; young readers would benefit from guidance.Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in eighteenth-century European social customs and city life
- Readers who enjoy first-person memoirs and diary-style narration
- Students and enthusiasts studying European cultural history or autobiographical writing
- Readers who want to try public-domain English eBooks and practice reading long English texts
Not a good fit for
- Readers of fiction who prefer tight plots and strong storytelling
- Readers seeking systematic historical analysis rather than a personal perspective
- Young readers sensitive to adult romantic content should proceed with caution
- Readers who need a Chinese translation and are not comfortable with English originals
Reading tips
- Begin with the autobiographical background at the start of the volume; clarify the timeline and relationships before entering the main text.
- After each travel episode, note the places and social settings to build a map of the era.
- Read it alongside contemporary European travelogues or social histories to discern the biases of a personal perspective.
- The English has many long sentences; read slowly in sections and skip unfamiliar names and places at first to keep your pace.
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.
Contents
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FAQ
Is this the complete memoirs or one volume of it?
This is the English translation of the third of six volumes of Casanova's memoirs, not the complete work. Readers who want the full arc need to read the other volumes as well; reading this volume alone still conveys the author's narrative style and vignettes of eighteenth-century European life.Can I read this volume without having read the first two?
Yes. Although the volumes of the memoirs follow a chronological order, this volume still records travels and observations in self-contained passages, so reading it directly will not leave you entirely without bearings. It is advisable to learn about the author's life and the historical background first for smoother understanding.What are the language and edition details of this eBook?
This is an English public-domain eBook released by Project Gutenberg, with the text in English. It is a free resource, mainly in plain text, suitable for reading on electronic devices. Readers should note that the language is English and that edition information is subject to the release page.Should I read it as historical material or as literature?
Both approaches are appropriate. It is a personal memoir with the embellishments and self-fashioning of literary narration, and it also preserves details of eighteenth-century European social life. Read as history, keep a critical eye; read as literature, attend to the narrator's tone and perspective.This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.
About the author
Casanova, Giacomo, 1725-1798 AuthorGiacomo Casanova (1725–1798) is known to the world for his autobiographical memoirs, The Story of My Life. This database holds forty of his works, most of them complete or partial editions of those memoirs, including volumes on his Venetian years and on his time in Paris and London, as well as one volume recounting his encounters with Voltaire. Written in the first person, these texts describe his travels across Europe, his social life and his romantic experiences in a candid, lively style rich in detail, and they are valued both as personal confession and as a record of eighteenth-century social customs. The memoirs have long been regarded as a distinctive work of autobiographical literature, offering readers a vivid picture of urban life and social culture in contemporary Europe. Because public information is limited, details of his biography cannot be firmly established; this entry therefore presents his writing solely on the basis of the works themselves, which are commonly classified as inspirational and personal-growth reading.