Citation

Di Trocchio F. Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century 2016; 2016-January(9): 49-91.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

This is an English translation of a seminal article which is an indispensable starting point for anyone studying Casanova's philosophy. It reconstructs the sources and character of Casanova's libertinism. It proves that he drew in no small measure on clandestine literary manuscripts, erotic literature and anti-religious polemics. The philosophical hedonism, as it is present in his Histoire de ma vie, reveals his personal experience that the quest for pleasure does not bring happiness, and this uncertainty about the hedonist credo makes his autobiography different from libertine novels of his era. This melancholic tone is intensified by his serious interest in abortions and in suicide, which he discussed in several shorter treatises. This existential intensity of Casanova's life has been appreciated by Stefan Zweig who makes him appear to be a precursor of post- rationalist German thinkers like Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, who recognised that abstract rationalist philosophy turns man away from truth.

Language: en