I was curious to see if anyone has had any interest in or has successfully finished reading the unabridged memoirs of Jacques Casanova? About a year ago, I downloaded all 30 free ebooks (from amazon) which comprise the entirety of the memoirs of this famous adventurer (and ubiquitous lady's man). It took me about a year of sometimes intermittent reading to make it through all of them, finally finishing the last book about 2 weeks ago. There would be times when I would go through an entire book in a day and other times when it would take me a few weeks to finish a single book; but in time, I always found a reason to come back to his memoirs, mostly because they are very well-written and the translator(s) have done a terrific job of putting this into English.
The man himself was a Venetian of non-noble birth who was born in 1725 and lived a very adventurous life filled with tales of violence, sexual conquest, riches, and desperate poverty. The memoirs start off with his childhood but quickly pick up steam into his early years when he is a teenager and loses his virginity via a threesome, with two sisters!!!
Among other things it is incredibly interesting to observe the obvious trials, triumphs, and tribulations of his chosen life of bachelorhood (seemingly managing to stay unmarried his entire life) and especially so in his later years. He describes a recurring yet difficult-to-describe feeling that he experiences every time he gets serious with a girl yet knows deep down inside his person that he will somehow be missing out or become miserable if he stays with her - the dreaded FOMO, anti-committment feeling which I can relate to so well. Furthermore, he provides some real insight into what life is like as a player after 50...which isn't always a rosy picture. It's fascinating to see his transformation as a man, even as his youth fades and women start to treat him more invisibly. It lets you see the obvious benefits and downfalls of this chosen lifestyle, in all of it's glory and misery!!
His book - which wasn't published until after his death - includes honest (Casanova insists they are entirely truthful) stories and general content containing the following topics through personal anecdotes and general musings of the world around him:
What makes all of his entertaining stories all the more impressive is that he was able to achieve all of this in an era without electricity (social media, dating websites, smartphones, lighting, RooshV forum, etc.), without airplanes or reliable transportation methods, without effective birth control (although he aludes to experimenting with an animal skin condom-like apparatus which was invented by the English), with much worse medical care, when duels were common, and during a time and culture when women would seriously consider killing themselves in the event they got pregnant outside of marriage in order to defend their "honor."
As a traveler and bit of an adventurer myself, I found a lot of very entertaining, well-written stories in his books, and really learned a great deal from this famous fellow. In total, I learned the following things from reading this book:
1) His book was written entirely in a second language, french, and later translated in English.
2) In my opinion, his evident success with women come down to several characteristics, which I will note here:
4) He details a very interesting method he uses to pick up girls in convents, which I'll call "convent game."
5) He doesn't appear to need to use alcohol much as a crutch to pick up women to give him more courage; he does however, gratuitously use alcohol to get his targets feeling uninhibited and merry, to excellent results.
7) He had healthy relationships with other men.
8) He fucked one of his daughters with enthusiasm.
9) He never backed down when someone challenged his honor, always accepting a proposed duel without hesitation.
10) He cries (bawls even) in front of women (and men) many, many times. This must have been one hell of an emotional guy. Although certainly the times may have been different and showing emotion as a man back then may not have had such negative societal repercussions then as compared to now.
In all, this was an entertaining, worthwhile read. I'd like to hear from any others who have read this or are thinking about reading it in the future. Specifically, what did you learn from his memoirs, and what struck you as most interesting or useful from Casanova's story? That's all for now.
The man himself was a Venetian of non-noble birth who was born in 1725 and lived a very adventurous life filled with tales of violence, sexual conquest, riches, and desperate poverty. The memoirs start off with his childhood but quickly pick up steam into his early years when he is a teenager and loses his virginity via a threesome, with two sisters!!!
Among other things it is incredibly interesting to observe the obvious trials, triumphs, and tribulations of his chosen life of bachelorhood (seemingly managing to stay unmarried his entire life) and especially so in his later years. He describes a recurring yet difficult-to-describe feeling that he experiences every time he gets serious with a girl yet knows deep down inside his person that he will somehow be missing out or become miserable if he stays with her - the dreaded FOMO, anti-committment feeling which I can relate to so well. Furthermore, he provides some real insight into what life is like as a player after 50...which isn't always a rosy picture. It's fascinating to see his transformation as a man, even as his youth fades and women start to treat him more invisibly. It lets you see the obvious benefits and downfalls of this chosen lifestyle, in all of it's glory and misery!!
His book - which wasn't published until after his death - includes honest (Casanova insists they are entirely truthful) stories and general content containing the following topics through personal anecdotes and general musings of the world around him:
- multiple duels in which he is personally involved
- writing, reciting, and discussing poetry in depth
- political, religious, and philosophical criticism
- personal honor and demonstrating courage
- serving time in prison on more than one occasion
- orgies
- prostitution
- descriptions the general lifestyle of the 1700's in Western Europe
- fighting off near-deadly infections
- contracting and dealing with venereal diseases
- grappling with the highs and lows of a gambling lifestyle
- eating and drinking very well
- regularly keeping the company and sharing stories of the rich, noble, and famously historical figures of that time
- enlightening discussions on customs and cultures of that time
- picking up women in all sorts of situations and using many different tactics, ranging from: social circle game, dance game, direct day-game, cave man game, indirect game, night game, pay-for-play, and even the long boyfriend game by professing love and emotions to a woman, buying gifts, and promising eventual marriage (which never appears to happen).
What makes all of his entertaining stories all the more impressive is that he was able to achieve all of this in an era without electricity (social media, dating websites, smartphones, lighting, RooshV forum, etc.), without airplanes or reliable transportation methods, without effective birth control (although he aludes to experimenting with an animal skin condom-like apparatus which was invented by the English), with much worse medical care, when duels were common, and during a time and culture when women would seriously consider killing themselves in the event they got pregnant outside of marriage in order to defend their "honor."
As a traveler and bit of an adventurer myself, I found a lot of very entertaining, well-written stories in his books, and really learned a great deal from this famous fellow. In total, I learned the following things from reading this book:
1) His book was written entirely in a second language, french, and later translated in English.
2) In my opinion, his evident success with women come down to several characteristics, which I will note here:
- showing passion/emotion using words and behavior
- demonstrating emotional vulnerability
- showing courage (making the first move and defending the honor of yourself and your woman at all costs)
- utilizing hand-written love-letters to maintain correspondence with current, past, and future conquests
- having great hair and personal style without necessarily being good-looking
- demonstrating an extravagant lifestyle that shows you have an understanding of nice clothes and accessories, comfortable lodging, and quality food and wine
- being an excellent storyteller with a story to share in any situation
- demonstrating wit and understanding its value in society
- being very opinionated
- being able to recite and compose poetry at the drop of a hat
- and of course showing a TON of persistence in terms of pursuing desire and having the patience for the persistence to bear fruits.
4) He details a very interesting method he uses to pick up girls in convents, which I'll call "convent game."
5) He doesn't appear to need to use alcohol much as a crutch to pick up women to give him more courage; he does however, gratuitously use alcohol to get his targets feeling uninhibited and merry, to excellent results.
7) He had healthy relationships with other men.
8) He fucked one of his daughters with enthusiasm.
9) He never backed down when someone challenged his honor, always accepting a proposed duel without hesitation.
10) He cries (bawls even) in front of women (and men) many, many times. This must have been one hell of an emotional guy. Although certainly the times may have been different and showing emotion as a man back then may not have had such negative societal repercussions then as compared to now.
In all, this was an entertaining, worthwhile read. I'd like to hear from any others who have read this or are thinking about reading it in the future. Specifically, what did you learn from his memoirs, and what struck you as most interesting or useful from Casanova's story? That's all for now.