The original version of ‘Casanova in Paris’ never included a prologue but for several reasons we decided to create one, even though that meant beginning the novel with quite a lot of text which for some readers of graphic novels might be a bit off-putting. It fleshes out his character and establishes his turbulent past. It helps to manage people’s expectations a little by making it clear that there was more to him than seducing women. The reader is, therefore, to some extent already prepared for a narrative that takes a line which does not conform to the Hollywood myth. It allowed us to establish the presence of Casanova’s unseen oracle (in which the historical Casanova seems to have genuinely believed) through the unusual device of a second person voice, adding ambiguity, tension and interest. It also builds in a certain amount of redundancy by drawing attention to events that are referred to again later in the narrative the significance of which might otherwise be less clear, such as a flashback to a formative moment in Casanova’s youth when he discovers his mother having an affair.
‘Casanova in Paris: The Shadows of the King’ is freely available here.
Long form articles on Casanova’s life and times are freely available here.
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