30. Casanovas Heinfahrt
un„ box 4/10
as Nerm
Women in Love' nor a“ Young Girl’s
Diary, but I shall certainly do so at the
Sc
earliest opportunity. The Satyricon'
is, of co#rse, a classic which everybody
100 Oau- S
has rez d. Casanova’s Homecoming“
is a potential classic, which everybody,
or almost everybody, should read.
1112
Tne Casanova Schnitzler portrays in
his novel is not the Casanova of the
CASANOVA'S HOMECOMING
Memoirs; or, at least, no longer. Written
BY ARTHUR SCHNITZLER
toward the close of his life, in his Me¬
(Thomas Seltzer, 1922)
moirs Casanova exhibits himself as he
had once been; or, possibly, only as he
THE effect of the decisions ren¬
would like to have been—handsome, ir¬
dered in the case of Mr. Seltzer
resistible, ubiquitously successful, the
(defending Casanova’s Homecoming,
man of the thousand amours and thou¬
Women in Love' and a“ Young Girl’s
sand escapades. This Casanova exists
too in the novel but only in retrospect;
Diary) and Messrs. Boni and Liveright
only in recollection, however vivid. The
("The Satyricon'lis to draw the teeth of
Casanova of the novel is in his fifty¬
Mr. Sumner and the Society for the
third year. With the approach of old
Supression of Vice. It has now been es¬
age, his "inward and outward lustre'
tablished’’—says Mr. Gilberf Seldes in
are beginning to fade. While still suc¬
the November Dial—“that you cannot,
cessful with women; he is no longer
in America, read a few lines from a
ubiquitously successful. His means are
book, stressing a few words which
now extremely slender; and he has only
otherwise used might be indecent, and
two suits, one of which is a trifle
expect the book to be barfed from cir¬
shabby. He is homesick, and in the
culation; it has been further estab¬
opening chapter is waiting at Mantua
lished that the decency, and dignity of
in a modest but respectable inn where
a great writer’s position shall be con¬
he has stayed in happied years—wait¬
sidered in determining even the prob¬
ing for a pardon to arrive from Venice
able effect of a book on its reader; spe¬
from the Council. In the meantime,
cifically it has been stated that the de¬
he is bored with his amusements—a
scription of manners and customs in
polemic he is composing against Vol¬
other (worse) ages is not a criminal
taire, the morning walks into the coun¬
offense in this country. Worst of all, the
try, the evenings spent in gambling
young person is reduced to the ranks,
for petty stakes, and his hostess, a
uncapitalized and almost decapitated as
woman ardent but no longer young.
an authority on literature.' Let us re¬
It is on one of these walks into the
joice! Perhaps there will be an Amer¬
country that he encounters Olivo, a man
ican edition of" Ulysses“. Another ef¬
whom he had befriended some fifteen
fect of the decisions is to advertise the
works which the Vice Society would years before. Olivo has since acquired
have supressed. So far Ihave not read a.farm and amassed a comfortable for¬
tune, but he has not forgotten Casa¬
nova, or the fact that the adventurer
had once befriended him. Olivo invites
Casanova to stay at his house until the
arrival of the expected letter from
Venice.
While he is hesitating whether or no
to accept, Olivo prattles about his wife,
his three daughters and a niece, who
is young and erudite. Directly Casa¬
nova hears of the niece, he decides to
accept. Amalia, Olivos wife, he re¬
flects is no younger and no prettier than
she was when he last saw and possessed
her; and Teresina, the eldest of thei
three daughters, is only thirteen and “at
his age, a girl of thirteen would not find
him interesting.'' Marcolina, the niece,
is however a prospect. When he sees
her, Casanova is consumed with the de¬
sire to possess her. She is not only
young and erudite, but extremely beau¬
tiful. She is, however, disdainful of
and indifferent to his advances; and he
realizes that he will never possess her
because he is old. He is mistaken, how¬
ever. He does ultimately, by a trick.
How the trick is turned is really the
plot of the novel; the return to Venice
which occurs in the last chapter being
only a postlude, Casanova’s Last Ad¬
venture' (last at the time of writing)
would be a more pertinent title than
the actual.
Aside from the extremely interesting
and ingenious plot, there is the episode
f the seduction by Casanova of his
host’s daughter, the thirteen-year-oid
Teresina. This is perhaps the most un¬
leasant passage in the book, and in
he hands of a lesser artist, or another
han Schnitzler would be disgusting.
This incident, however, completes for
us the character of Casanova. If
Schnitler has drawn a Casanova less at¬
tractive than the Casanova of the Me¬
moirs, it is simply that he has drawn a
Casanova old. The portrait he has
drawn, if ugly, is admirably drawn.
Louis GILMORE.
un„ box 4/10
as Nerm
Women in Love' nor a“ Young Girl’s
Diary, but I shall certainly do so at the
Sc
earliest opportunity. The Satyricon'
is, of co#rse, a classic which everybody
100 Oau- S
has rez d. Casanova’s Homecoming“
is a potential classic, which everybody,
or almost everybody, should read.
1112
Tne Casanova Schnitzler portrays in
his novel is not the Casanova of the
CASANOVA'S HOMECOMING
Memoirs; or, at least, no longer. Written
BY ARTHUR SCHNITZLER
toward the close of his life, in his Me¬
(Thomas Seltzer, 1922)
moirs Casanova exhibits himself as he
had once been; or, possibly, only as he
THE effect of the decisions ren¬
would like to have been—handsome, ir¬
dered in the case of Mr. Seltzer
resistible, ubiquitously successful, the
(defending Casanova’s Homecoming,
man of the thousand amours and thou¬
Women in Love' and a“ Young Girl’s
sand escapades. This Casanova exists
too in the novel but only in retrospect;
Diary) and Messrs. Boni and Liveright
only in recollection, however vivid. The
("The Satyricon'lis to draw the teeth of
Casanova of the novel is in his fifty¬
Mr. Sumner and the Society for the
third year. With the approach of old
Supression of Vice. It has now been es¬
age, his "inward and outward lustre'
tablished’’—says Mr. Gilberf Seldes in
are beginning to fade. While still suc¬
the November Dial—“that you cannot,
cessful with women; he is no longer
in America, read a few lines from a
ubiquitously successful. His means are
book, stressing a few words which
now extremely slender; and he has only
otherwise used might be indecent, and
two suits, one of which is a trifle
expect the book to be barfed from cir¬
shabby. He is homesick, and in the
culation; it has been further estab¬
opening chapter is waiting at Mantua
lished that the decency, and dignity of
in a modest but respectable inn where
a great writer’s position shall be con¬
he has stayed in happied years—wait¬
sidered in determining even the prob¬
ing for a pardon to arrive from Venice
able effect of a book on its reader; spe¬
from the Council. In the meantime,
cifically it has been stated that the de¬
he is bored with his amusements—a
scription of manners and customs in
polemic he is composing against Vol¬
other (worse) ages is not a criminal
taire, the morning walks into the coun¬
offense in this country. Worst of all, the
try, the evenings spent in gambling
young person is reduced to the ranks,
for petty stakes, and his hostess, a
uncapitalized and almost decapitated as
woman ardent but no longer young.
an authority on literature.' Let us re¬
It is on one of these walks into the
joice! Perhaps there will be an Amer¬
country that he encounters Olivo, a man
ican edition of" Ulysses“. Another ef¬
whom he had befriended some fifteen
fect of the decisions is to advertise the
works which the Vice Society would years before. Olivo has since acquired
have supressed. So far Ihave not read a.farm and amassed a comfortable for¬
tune, but he has not forgotten Casa¬
nova, or the fact that the adventurer
had once befriended him. Olivo invites
Casanova to stay at his house until the
arrival of the expected letter from
Venice.
While he is hesitating whether or no
to accept, Olivo prattles about his wife,
his three daughters and a niece, who
is young and erudite. Directly Casa¬
nova hears of the niece, he decides to
accept. Amalia, Olivos wife, he re¬
flects is no younger and no prettier than
she was when he last saw and possessed
her; and Teresina, the eldest of thei
three daughters, is only thirteen and “at
his age, a girl of thirteen would not find
him interesting.'' Marcolina, the niece,
is however a prospect. When he sees
her, Casanova is consumed with the de¬
sire to possess her. She is not only
young and erudite, but extremely beau¬
tiful. She is, however, disdainful of
and indifferent to his advances; and he
realizes that he will never possess her
because he is old. He is mistaken, how¬
ever. He does ultimately, by a trick.
How the trick is turned is really the
plot of the novel; the return to Venice
which occurs in the last chapter being
only a postlude, Casanova’s Last Ad¬
venture' (last at the time of writing)
would be a more pertinent title than
the actual.
Aside from the extremely interesting
and ingenious plot, there is the episode
f the seduction by Casanova of his
host’s daughter, the thirteen-year-oid
Teresina. This is perhaps the most un¬
leasant passage in the book, and in
he hands of a lesser artist, or another
han Schnitzler would be disgusting.
This incident, however, completes for
us the character of Casanova. If
Schnitler has drawn a Casanova less at¬
tractive than the Casanova of the Me¬
moirs, it is simply that he has drawn a
Casanova old. The portrait he has
drawn, if ugly, is admirably drawn.
Louis GILMORE.