The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 16: Depart Switzerland

In Short

This volume captures the restless movement of a European adventurer as he travels from Switzerland through the French provinces of Grenoble, Avignon, and Marseilles. Along the way, he maneuvers through the complexities of high society and the shadows of the demimonde, perpetually seeking both amusement and aesthetic refinement. The work has endured because it functions as an unvarnished, granular record of a vanished world, documenting the rigid social hierarchies and the fluid, transactional morality of the Enlightenment era through the lens of a man whose life was defined by perpetual motion.

The Story

The narrative follows the author’s departure from Switzerland into France, where he attempts to navigate local social circles with the help of introductions provided by his eccentric benefactors. His arrival in Grenoble is marked by a characteristic blend of intellectual posturing and romantic opportunism. He secures lodgings that allow him to observe the household’s inhabitants, quickly entangling himself in the lives of the landlord’s daughters. Using a mix of genuine charm and calculated "learned folly," he fabricates elaborate horoscopes for the local gentry, including the young Mdlle. Roman. His prophecies—designed to flatter and influence—serve as both a parlor trick and a vehicle for his own manipulative desires.

As he moves toward Avignon, the tone shifts from the lighthearted maneuvering of the salons to a more cynical observation of human desperation. He becomes involved with a "Chevalier" and his wife, a couple living on the edge of ruin. His attempts to provide them with financial support are met with a cold, performative hostility that forces him to confront the transactional nature of their lives. He eventually rejects the woman’s offer to sell her virtue, delivering a lecture on the nature of prostitution that highlights his own complex, often hypocritical, moral code.

The journey continues to Marseilles, where the focus turns toward the procurement of pleasure and the pursuit of a new companion. His encounter with a young girl named Rosalie serves as the emotional and aesthetic anchor for the latter portion of the book. He initially frames their relationship as that of a master and a rescued servant, but he becomes genuinely captivated by her lack of artifice and her natural grace. He transforms her from a struggling needle-woman into a poised, well-dressed lady, taking pride in the social camouflage he provides her.

The arc concludes with his arrival in Toulon, where he continues to curate the image of his traveling party. He is accompanied by his devoted and often impudent servant, Le Duc, and the refined Rosalie, whom he introduces to high-ranking officials. The volume ends not with a grand resolution, but with a continuation of the same cycle: the acquisition of new clothes, the management of servants, and the negotiation of social status. He remains a man who views the world as a series of encounters, where every person is a potential player in a game of wit, and every city is merely a temporary stage for the performance of his own life.

How It Unfolds

The arrival in Grenoble The protagonist establishes himself in a house outside the town walls, quickly assessing the daughters of the landlord. He leverages his connection to a learned officer to gain entry into local society, where he begins to weave astrological narratives to secure his influence.

The game of horoscopes He spends hours drafting "learned folly" in the form of prophecies for the impressionable Mdlle. Roman and her aunt. These documents act as his primary tool for gaining trust, allowing him to manipulate the destinies of those around him under the guise of mystical wisdom.

The encounter with despair A transition occurs as he meets a desperate couple who represent the darker, more transactional side of his travels. He provides them with financial aid only to be insulted, leading to a confrontation that exposes the thin veil between his own romantic pursuits and the grim reality of poverty.

The discovery of Rosalie In Marseilles, the narrative pivots to the rescue and refinement of a poor young woman. He finds in her an authentic simplicity that contrasts with the artifice of the high-society women he typically pursues.

The final polish The journey concludes in Toulon, where he tests Rosalie’s transformation by introducing her to the local elite. He finds satisfaction in her ability to mirror the expectations of the commandant and his family, cementing his role as her benefactor.

The People

Giacomo Casanova acts as both the observer and the primary catalyst, driven by a need for social validation and the thrill of the chase. He is a man of vast contradictions, capable of deep intellectual vanity and moments of surprising compassion. His servant, Le Duc, serves as his shadow and his foil—a man of humble origins who aspires to the airs of his master, often providing a sharp, comedic commentary on the absurdity of their situation. Mdlle. Roman represents the ideal of youthful, uncorrupted beauty, caught in the protagonist's web of prophecy and desire. She is ultimately a prize to be analyzed and influenced. Rosalie stands apart as the most significant figure of the latter chapters; she is defined by her transition from a state of quiet desperation to one of refined contentment. She is the only person who manages to stir in the author a sense of protectiveness that transcends his typical, transactional approach to intimacy.

In Its Own Voice

"I found it an easy task to fill eight pages with learned folly; and I confined myself chiefly to declaring the events which had already happened to the native."

The author describes his method for creating a convincing horoscope for the unsuspecting ladies of Grenoble.

"In those voluptuous rounded limbs I saw now only the covering of a wild beast's soul."

The author reflects on his disillusionment after a woman offers herself to him purely out of the necessity of poverty.

"I took her to the play, but as she did not understand the language she got dreadfully tired, and asked me to take her home at the end of the first act, which I did very willingly."

The author recounts an evening with Rosalie, illustrating his attentive, if possessive, style of companionship.

What It's Really About

At its core, this volume explores the intersection of artifice and reality. The author is obsessed with the "performance" of life—how one dresses, how one speaks, and how one uses social status to navigate the world. Astrology, for him, is a metaphor for the entire social order: a collection of "ifs" and probabilities that, when presented with sufficient confidence, become truth. The book questions whether it is possible for a person to shed their origins, as he constantly attempts to do for himself and for Rosalie. He argues, implicitly, that social class is a costume one dons, and that with enough money and the right manners, the performance can be sustained indefinitely.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy historical immersion will find this a fascinating, if sometimes challenging, window into the 18th century. The prose is precise and observational, lacking the filtered, polite veneer of modern historical fiction. It feels like walking through a bustling, crowded market; you are constantly jostled by minor characters, servants, and the mundane details of daily travel—the cost of lodgings, the quality of chocolate, and the shifting fashions of cloaks.

However, the modern reader must be prepared for the author's relentless self-absorption and the period’s casual objectification of women. His narrative voice is that of a man who views everyone he meets as an object of study or a means to an end, a stance that can feel jarring and, at times, deeply alienating. If you are willing to look past the moral blind spots, you are rewarded with a rare, granular look at a life lived without hesitation. What stays with you is not just the list of his amorous conquests, but the vivid, almost tactile sense of his movement through a Europe that is both alien and strangely recognizable—a world where wit is a currency and the next town always promises a new beginning.