The stereotype of Casanova as a promiscuous and unscrupulous lover has been so pervasive that generations of historians have failed to take serious account of his philosophical legacy. This has recently changed, however, as the publication of the definitive edition of his memoirs and the majority of his longer treatises has heralded a surge of interest in the writer. This book constitutes an interpretive turn in Casanova studies in which the author is positioned as a highly perceptive and engaged observer of the Enlightenment. Drawing primarily on Casanova’s large body of manuscripts and lesser-known works, the contributors reveal a philosopher whose writings covered topics ranging from sensual pleasure to suicide. Analysing Casanova’s œuvre from the perspective of moral philosophy, contributors show how several of his works – including his historical writings and satirical essays on human folly – contribute to the Enlightenment quest for a secular morality. A major feature of this book is the first English annotated translation of Federico Di Trocchio’s seminal article ‘The philosophy of an adventurer’, which paved the way for a re-evaluation of Casanova as a serious philosopher. In subsequent chapters contributors uncover the Italian context of Casanova’s anticlericalism, analyse the sources of his views on suicide and explore the philosophical dialogues contained in his recently published manuscripts. Casanova: Enlightenment philosopher marks a turning point in literary and philosophical studies of the eighteenth century, and is an indispensable resource for analysing and interpreting the work of this previously overlooked Enlightenment thinker.
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Analysing Casanova’s œuvre from the perspective of moral philosophy, contributors show how several of his works – including his historical writings and satirical essays on human folly – contribute to the Enlightenment quest for a secular morality.
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AcknowledgementsForewordList of abbreviationsList of tablesIvo Cerman, Introduction: the philosophy of Giacomo CasanovaPart I: Casanova’s philosophy: an overview1. Ivo Cerman, Casanova’s observations on moral philosophy2. Federico Di Trocchio, The philosophy of the adventurer: Giacomo Casanova beyond libertinism and EnlightenmentPart II: National contexts3. Wolfgang Rother, Italian Enlightenment debates on religion and Church: Casanova’s philosophy and its background 4. Maciej Forycki, Casanova and his considerations on the partition of PolandPart III: Case studies5. Paolo L. Bernardini and Diego Lucci, Casanova on suicide6. Jean-Christophe Igalens, Casanova: writing the dream between philosophy and autobiography7. Gérard Lahouati, Voltaire, Casanova and the Dialogues chrétiens: an investigation8. Ivo Cerman, ‘Je viens pour vous convertir’: Casanova’s dialogues on philosophy and religionSummariesBibliographyIndex
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The Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment series, previously known as SVEC (Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century), has published over 500 peer-reviewed scholarly volumes since 1955 as part of the Voltaire Foundation at the University of Oxford.
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780729411844
Publisert
2016-09-15
Utgiver
Vendor
Voltaire Foundation
Vekt
300 gr
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
156 mm
Dybde
20 mm
Aldersnivå
UP, 05
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
264