The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 19: Back Again to Paris

The memoir recounts the narrator's return to Paris, where he reestablishes social ties, arranges a planned mission to Augsburg to secure an imprisoned adept of a mystical fraternity, and navigates courtly and diplomatic intrigues. He frequents salons, encountering Madame d'Urfe's fervent mystical delusions and a fleeting sighting of the enigmatic St. Germain, and hears the Duc de Choiseul's wry perspective on those machinations. Encounters with Madame Varnier and a young woman sent from Grenoble prompt reflections on the hollowness of courtly luxury versus simple happiness. Family confidences about his brother's private misfortune and its tragic consequences further complicate the portrait of social life.