Talk:Giacomo Casanova

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Contents

[edit] Death?

This article halts at retirement and doesn't say anything about Casanova's death. Could someone please add a subsection on this?

Some info has been given on his last words and his second thoughts about writing Memoirs in 1792 This is taken from Penguin Classics abridged version "The Story of My Life" (81.132.145.51 16:27, 14 June 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Prison name

"I piombi" "The leads" is the name of the ancient Venice's prison. Adriano from wiki "italiano"

Encyclopædia Britannica online ( http://www.eb.com/ ) call him Giovanni Giacomo Casanova. --Den fjättrade ankan 23:10, 18 May 2004 (UTC)


[edit] Prison escape

Any chance of more details on the "incredible" escape? Sounds interesting. --maru (talk) contribs 02:46, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

Yes, it'd be swell if it could be expanded. During most of Casanova's life that was his claim to fame, and his telling of the story was sufficiently electrifying to secure him invitations to many homes. -Will Beback 00:48, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

For the story of escape see http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/naziprison/escapes.html. I may incorporate it in the talk article in a few days. It is rather interesting.--Will314159 23:18, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

That page says he was convicted of adultery, not interest in witchcraft. Also I find that story hard to believe, since the prison is surrounded by water. Could be it wasn't in that time though.83.118.38.37 01:16, 7 August 2006 (UTC)
The prison called "The Leads" in Venice was not surroundered by water (at least, no more than other Venitian buildings). The prisons don't exist anymore, but the building still exist, they were under the roof the Doge's Palace. A lot of people didn't believe Casanova's story, but it seems that it was true, as an old carpenter's bill for repairing a damaged door (dated about the time his escape claim) was found in historical archives some times ago... Hervegirod 08:29, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Family

Giovanni Casanova was the brother of Giacomo Casanova. The sons of Gaetano Casanova and Giovanna Farussi were six. Two were painters: it:Francesco Casanova and Giovanni Casanova

Atto di nascita di it:Giacomo Casanova (Birth act of Giacomo Girolamo Casanova)

Addì 5 aprile 1725
Giacomo Girolamo fig.o di D. Caietano Giuseppe Casanova del q.(uondam) Giac.o Parmegiano comico, et di D.a Giovanna Maria, giogali, nato li 2 corr. battezzato da P. Gio. Batta Tosello sacerd. di Chiesa de licentia, Comp. il signor Angelo Filosi q.(uondam) Bartolomeo stà a S. Salvador. Lev. Regina Salvi. (In P.Molmenti, Carteggi Casanoviani vol.I, p.9 nota)

Despite the old sourced post above, the article still had "Giovanni Giacomo Albanase Casanova". "Giovanni" is a commonly found error due to his brother Giovanni, his mother Giovanna, and a confusion with Jean-Jacques Rousseau (=Giovanni Giacomo Rousseau) in some old original French editions. "Albanese" is unsourced, patent nonsense. See also the bio in The Story of My Life, etc. 62.147.38.44 (talk) 04:57, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Conviction

Giacomo Casanova was convicted by the "Inquisitori di Stato" magistrates of the Repubblica di Venezia. The Inquisition of the Roman Church was a thing different. See the text of the accusation, copied in the Archives of State of Venice:

L'imputazione e la sentenza 21 agosto 1755 Venute a cognizione del Tribunale le molte riflessibili colpe di Giacomo Casanova principalmente in disprezzo publico della Santa Religione, SS. EE. lo fecero arrestare e passar sotto li piombi.

Andrea Diedo Inquisitor.
Antonio Condulmer Inquisitor.
Antonio Da Mula Inquisitor.


L'oltrascritto Casanova condannato anni cinque sotto li piombi.

Andrea Diedo Inquisitor.
Antonio Condulmer Inquisitor.
Antonio Da Mula Inquisitor.

(Venezia, Archivio di Stato, Inquisitori di Stato, Annotazioni, B. 534, p. 245)

Adriano from it.wiki

[edit] Disambig needed?

Now that there's a new film called Casanova which will doubtless have its own page soon, and both of the BBC serials of that name already have their own pages (Casanova (1971) and Casanova (2005)), is it worth having a disambiguation page at Casanova, rather than having that link re-direct to this page? Angmering 00:43, 11 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Curious what current biography means

At the end of the article it says "The most recent, and only current biography is Derek Parker: Casanova. London, Sutton, 2002".

I'm just curious what would make one biography "current" and another not? Wouldn't ANY biography written after someone's death be basically as current as possible? Does this recent one have a significant amount of new information that was previously unknown? I just can't see how this book is so special, so it should probably have an explanation of some sort. Atari2600tim 17:15, 12 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] specify whose social life?

Shouldn't this be European, Western European, or French and Italian social life? It's not a very good source of customs and norms of Native Americans, Africans, Chinese or Mongolians is it? It seems a little presumptuous to imply that its an authentic source for all cultures of the 18th century.

from the article: "which is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of social life during the 18th century." --Jim 13:03, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

I did it, but be bold in updating articles is kind of the point of the WP. Don't wait a year and half next time. AnonEMouse (squeak) 08:59, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ladies man

I'm confused: is the depiction of Casanova as an infamous ladies man historically correct or was it erroneously drawn from the second biography? And if it is true, I think more should be added about it to the article since it is perhaps what he is best known. ewok37 05:16, 7 January 2006 (UTC)


"Ultimately she ruined his confidence in women and in himself, which goes some way towards explaining why the man whose name would become synonymous with lovers spent the last sixteen years of his life as a broken man working as a librarian"

This part is not quite right. Casanova still chases women around Europe after England, though physically he was declining after 39. He excises good behaviour in Poland but certainly seduces women in Russia and Spain. The reason he calmed down in the last years was simply because he was old.86.158.158.111 20:55, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] need references

This article is littered with statements without reference. For example, losing his virginity at 16 in a foursome, having a continuous struggle with veneral diseases, having sex with men "for the experience". Would be nice if these claims could be substantiated. -- Nambio 08:22, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

Indeed, there are rather large swaths of his personal history, quoted or not, that are entirely unreferenced. Then again, who hasn't met the Compte de Saint-Germain by now? -- Lowrads 22:43, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

A lot of the information in this article seems to come from the recent biography of Cassanova written by English historian Judith Summers. But you're correct, I don't see that many (specific) citations of the chapters it's drawn from. Ruthfulbarbarity 02:00, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Shock journalism

Also, "raped" at 11? Not the way he tells it. Sure, we'd consider it abuse now but this was 300 years ago and things have changed. To use such a loaded phrase for something he judged as consensual and positive seems a bit reactionary.

[edit] How to say it

I mean it could look like "Jee'Ah'Ko'Mo" but in the movies they say it more like "Jack'ee'moe" JayKeaton 15:29, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

I was under the impression that it was pronounced something like Jock-ah-moe, but I could be totally wrong, I don't even speak Italian. You might want to ask a native speaker for help with that one, or maybe try the language reference desk. -- Vary | Talk 15:38, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
I think I will. Chances are if I wanted to know someone else would too, and if you are researching Casanova it would be nice for everyone to know how to say his name properly JayKeaton 16:37, 31 August 2006 (UTC)
Haha, I never realized until reading this that his name just means "Jack Newhouse". Not so romantic in English :) Perle 07:34, 18 September 2006 (UTC)
Actually, if I recall correctly, Giacomo translates to James. Also, I'm not fluent, but I'm an Italian student, and I believe the "i" is more or less no pronounced; it's just there to make the G soft. So, jah-koe-moe. (I don't know correct ways of writing pronunciation, but koe and moe rhyme with... Sumogrip 02:05, 9 October 2006 (UTC)
It's essentially pronoucned simmilar to the french name Jaques. Therefore Jaques-e-mo. I always thought it translated to James Newcastle (which is why there's the Casanova Club in the comic Hellblazer).BriarPatchWabbit 18:20, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Judith Summers

I cut the bulls: "For the first 8 years of his life he was dismissed as a sickly imbecile and his mother all but ignored him." As a sickly imbecile? What is the source? Did you take it from Summers books? About our "great historian" -lol- Judith Summers, she is only the author of funny novels and not a true historian. Her personal opinion on some characters are supported by no source. Jack 10:50, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

I am also concerned that much of this article appears to be derived from said book. I haven't seen it, but it seems to be fairly tendentious, esp. if it advocates that Casanova was a feminist which is not generally accepted. The way, the truth, and the light 04:55, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Casanova and bisexuality

There is nothing unreliable about http://www.askmen.com/, which is an online magazine. Online publications are fine under RS. Why can't this source be added? Dev920 (Have a nice day!) 16:06, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Most of the article you cited is simply ludicrous and not supported by Casanova's memoirs, which I have actually read. While I have no doubt that he did occasionally engage in homosxual activity, most authors do not consider him bisexual. The way, the truth, and the light 16:12, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
People disagree. However, as I assume you are a large contributor to this article, I will leave you to it. If what you say it true, it might be a good idea to mention that while he had homosexual affairs, few scholars consider him bisexual. It'll stop people coming along later trying to add the tag again. Dev920 (Have a nice day!) 16:23, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Source?

"Casanova himself suspected his biological father to have been Michele Grimani, who was a member of the patrician family that owned the San Samuele theatre where Zanetta and Gaetano had worked; however, in his autobiography he did not mention this." What is the source for this then if its not taken from his biography?--Crossmr 07:17, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

From the article:
Casanova was permitted to return to Venice in 1774 after eighteen years' exile, but was expelled again in 1783 after writing a vicious satire poking fun at Venetian nobility; in it he made his only public statement that Grimani was his true father.
--Error 18:47, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nun and husband

A story to which there is more than seems at first glance is the gorgeous nun who slipped Casanova a note suggesting he meet her in private. Casanova waxed lyrical about tasting the forbidden fruit and trespassing on the rights of the omnipotent husband.

If she is a nun, there would be no husband. Wouldn't it? --Error 18:49, 2 September 2007 (UTC) --nuns are supposed to be married to god, that's the omnipotent father he's talking about. 144.89.184.190 23:28, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Acquitted of sex crime?

This bio is categorized as a Person acquitted of sex crime but there is no mention of a court action and acquittal in the bio. Canuckle (talk) 16:47, 19 February 2008 (UTC)