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Bored and exiled in the pine forests of rural Bohemia, far from the cities and the women he had loved and left, the aging Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798) spent his final years writing his memoirs. The Venice he grew up in no longer existed. The Paris he loved was riddled with Revolution. Writing was, he said, "the only remedy I could think of to keep me from going mad or dying of grief" (Willsher). Through a close reading of "Histoire de ma vie" (Story of my life), this course will explore different understandings of "moral order", "literary engagement," and "resistance". The question of how film adaptations have contributed to shapeing these concepts will also be taken into consideration. Readings and discussions will be in English but majors in Italian, French, Romance Languages will have access to readings in original languages.