Masque et séduction dans la Venise de Casanova

Gilles Bertrand : Mask and seduction in Casanova's Venice. A study of the text of Casanova's Memoirs and a comparison with 18th-century printed and archive sources help to revise the mythical 19th-century vision of the Venice carnaval. While the mask was an weapon of seduction and an aid to enjoyment which provided Casanova with subtle pleasures, it was also a way of life for the Venetian aristocracy, a form of public costume which protected the wearer and preserved his incognito. As well as guaranteeing the privilege of extraterritoriality, it was part a network of constraints whose purpose was to control relations with foreigners and moralize social life. Casanova, who was profoundly legalistic as well as a past master in the conduct of his affairs, was above all a Venitian who understood the art of using the whole range of the mask's possibilities.Bertrand Gilles. Masque et séduction dans la Venise de Casanova. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°31, 1999. Mouvement des sciences et esthétique(s) sous la direction de Christine Rolland, François Azouvi et Michel Baridon. pp. 407-428