1 Casanova's Celebrity: a Case Study of Well-Knownness in 18Th -Century
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Casanova’s Celebrity: a Case Study of Well-knownness in 18th-century Europe Nicola Jody Vinovrski BA(Hons) LLB GDipPLEAT DALF A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2015 School of Languages and Cultures Centre for the History of European Discourses 1 Abstract Giacomo Casanova was born on 2 April 1725 in Venice and died in Dux, Bohemia on 4 June 1798. The voluminous manuscript of his memoirs, written in French, was recently acquired by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France for approximately £6 million, demonstrating the cultural significance of those memoirs today. The purchase resulted in an exhibition, the publication and reprinting of many of Casanova’s own writings and numerous new works about Casanova since 2010. The timing of this thesis coincides with a renewed academic interest in Casanova. Popular interest in him has been fairly constant since the 19th century. Given his interesting life story and the fact that he still interests international publics today, we might ask: Was he famous in his own time? Was he a celebrity? What is the difference between these two things? In historical accounts of fame and celebrity theory, it is argued that older models of fame (associated with merit or achievement) preceded the relatively recent phenomenon of celebrity (associated with artifice, media manipulation and a distinct lack of achievement). Historical studies of fame, or particular instances of it by scholars of the 18th century, focus on figures whose fame can be tied to a particular achievement or ascribed status, for example authors, politicians, actors, artists, composers, musicians and monarchs. Most contend that modern celebrity is a uniquely 20th and 21st-century phenomenon, inextricably linked to modern social conditions, forms of expression and means of mass and virtually instantaneous dissemination of visual images. Popular and academic discourse over the past two centuries presents celebrity as unique to the present historical context. The general trend is for each generation to plot the origin of celebrity or at least the point at which it reaches its most critical state in one’s own historical context. This study is an investigation of Casanova’s “well-knownness”. Well-knownness is a convenient umbrella term, taken from celebrity theory, which is intended to describe all the different ways of being well known, such as fame, notoriety and celebrity. It is used here to describe Casanova’s status as a well-known person during his lifetime. This study explores the hypothesis that contemporary celebrity both as observed in popular culture and as conceived by celebrity theorists shares significant similarities 2 with Casanova’s historical well-knownness, suggesting a celebrity culture in the 18th century. Several of the distinctive qualities of the contemporary celebrity identified by commentators on popular culture and celebrity theorists are that their fame has become detached from and outstrips their meritorious achievements (or indeed they may not claim any such achievements), they are highly visible through the media, their private lives attract greater public interest than their professional lives, they engage in deliberate attention-seeking, they circulate within particular networks and physical spaces, as a group and as individuals they have enormous economic power, there is intense public interest in their opinions and activities and they derive wealth and social power from their well-knownness. A case study of Casanova’s well-knownness allows one to observe these trends. This suggests that the desire among certain individuals and the market for modern celebrity, hitherto described as a creature of the 20th century onwards, may in fact have emerged during the 18th century. Casanova’s well-knownness has been given no critical attention. Celebrity, on the other hand, is one of the fastest growing areas of scholarship and provides an unusual correlation between academic and popular interest. By opening up a discourse between these two fields, it is hoped that new and fruitful discussions will be encouraged. 3 Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. 4 Publications during candidature No publications. Publications included in this thesis No publications included. Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. 5 Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to express my thanks to my supervisors, Associate Professor Elizabeth Stephens and Emeritus Professor Peter Cryle. You have both been fantastic mentors and morale boosters. I am eternally grateful for your unwavering support and encouragement, without which, this project would not have been possible. Secondly, I would like to thank Associate Professor Greg Hainge and Doctor Joe Hardwick for your helpful comments and for serving as committee members at my milestones, invariably at short notice and at difficult times of year. Further, I am extremely grateful to the SLCCS for being so collaborative throughout my candidature. I must also thank my little boy, Sebastjan, for behaving himself so mummy get could some editing done. Finally, I must thank my husband, Damjan, for unfailing support and patience during the 7 years it has taken to finish this thesis. 6 Keywords Casanova, fame, celebrity, 18th century, culture, society Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) ANZSRC code: 200204 Cultural Theory, 40% ANZSRC code: 210307 European History, 40% ANZSRC code: 220207 History and Philosophy of the Humanities, 20% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification FoR code: 2002, Cultural studies, 60% FoR code: 2103, Historical Studies, 40% 7 Table of Contents Item Page Introduction ...9 First Chapter: Casanova’s Conception of Well-knownness ...44 Second Chapter: Casanova and 18th-Century Spaces ...78 Third Chapter: Casanova’s Occupations ...99 Fourth Chapter: Casanova’s Autobiographical Storytelling ...130 Fifth Chapter: Casanova’s “public image” ...156 Sixth Chapter: Casanova’s Relationships with Women ...183 Conclusion ...196 Bibliography ...205 Appendix: Selected contemporaneous visual representations of ...215 Casanova 8 Introduction Je commence par déclarer à mon lecteur que dans tout ce que j’ai fait de bon ou de mauvais dans toute ma vie, je suis sûr d’avoir mérité ou démérité, et que par conséquent je dois me croire libre.1 (Casanova HDMV 1: 1) Introduction Giacomo Casanova was born on 2 April 1725 in Venice, the eldest of six children of two actors. He travelled Europe extensively, supporting himself through ad hoc projects, temporary appointments, wealthy patrons and charlatanism. Throughout his lifetime, he had audiences with royalty and two popes, he amassed and lost fortunes, he was imprisoned in and escaped from “the Leads” prison underneath the lead-plated roof of the Doge’s Palace in Venice, he had a much publicised duel with Count Franciszek Ksawery Branicki, he met some of the most famous figures of the 18th century, he was expelled from numerous cities and was at times a lawyer, a soldier, a priest, a violinist and a spy. The final years of Casanova’s life were spent at the Chateau of Count Waldstein in Dux, Bohemia, where he died on 4 June 1798. During his years in Dux, Casanova commenced writing the story of his life but died before he had finished. The voluminous manuscript of Casanova’s self-styled memoirs, written in French, was recently acquired by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France for approximately £6 million (Bremner), demonstrating the cultural significance attributed to those memoirs today. The purchase has resulted in an exhibition, the publication and reprinting of many of Casanova’s own writings and numerous new works about Casanova since 2010. The timing of this thesis coincides with a renewed academic interest in Casanova. Popular interest in him, or perhaps more accurately, in the myths associated with his name, has been fairly constant since the 19th century. Casanova still fascinates people. In the 20th and 21st centuries, he has been regularly portrayed in theatrical works,2 film and television,3 novels4 and comic 1 Opening line of Casanova’s preface to his memoirs. 2 For example Casanova Comédie parodique by Guillaume Apollinaire (Apollinaire); Mark Killmurray’s adaptation of Russell T. Davies’ Casanova (Sydney, 2011). 3 Perhaps most notably by Bela Lugosi in the Hungarian film Casanova (1918), by Ivan Mozzhukin in Alexandre Volkoff’s The Loves of Casanova (1926); by Frank Finlay in the BBC television miniseries 9 books.5 He is usually portrayed as an epic seducer, richly dressed, an adventurer who is recognised wherever he goes.