I am about to teach Casanova’s memoirs in the most recent English translation/selected edition–from 
Penguin–this week. I’d read the edition, among others, and thought it was solid and responsible. But, following the old academic joke, “Read it? I haven’t even taught it yet” (which one of my three readers claims was coined by his diss supervisor) I noticed on reading it to prep class that it produces a strange Casanova. It includes both of his proudest non-erotic adventures in thorough detail–his escape from imprisonment in Venice’s “The Leads” and his duel with a nobleman in Poland, and his encoutners with important historical figures like Voltaire. It also includes most of his most queer/unsual sexual adventures. But it pretty much ignores his relationships with women–that is, both his accounts of his “seduction technique” such as it is, and particularly those relationships that last more than a few nights and/or extend beyond sex to emotional engagement. This may be a fine editorial decision; after all Casanova’s seductions and his love relationships are quite repetitive in his presentation. This presents a problem for me as a teacher, though, because I am making my students read the text for a course entitled Eighteenth-Century Love.
So I made up a supplement, plundering the best e-text of Casanova for the accounts of his more emotionally engaged hetero relationships. And in the interests of the public, I am (cross)posting my work here, as my course blog is not intended as public.
Casanova: Love selections
There is a very nice etext of Casanova’s complete Memoirs. It is perfect for finding intriguing bits left out by the penguin editors.This is the first full English translation from the late 19c; it is not as complete and definitive as the Trask translation from the 1960s.
the first: Christine, who Casanova considers marrying. This is Chapter 19 of the 1st volume.
the second: Henriette, who Casanova has a very long relationship with, spanning Ch 23 of Vol 1, and Ch 1-3 of vol 2. I am linking 1:23 and 2:1 here.
The third: C. C., from 2:12. This one also continues in the following chapter.
Fourth: Madamoiselle XCV
Fifth: Veronique (and Annette)
Last: Pauline
