It constantly amazes me how there can be biographies of Fritz that I've read cover-to-cover multiple times and constantly picked over for data, and I still completely forget little tidbits like...
Fritz actually had a pet monkey, not at Sanssouci (that I know of! but apparently that means nothing) but at Rheinsberg! I've often wondered what the dog situation was like at Rheinsberg, for, um, fic purposes, but have not found out. Anyway, the monkey was named Mimi, and he comes up in the following anecdote, which is recounted by Fritz himself in a letter.
Fritz is reading Wolff1, the German philosopher. In French translation, because of course he is. Then he goes to eat dinner, but while he's eating, Mimi sets the manuscript (fortunately just a copy) on fire, and celebrates watching it burn. Fritz writes, "Our wits maintain that the monkey wanted to study the Metaphysics and, being unable to construe a word, put it to the flame. Others aver that Lange [a Pietist] had corrupted him, and that he played that turn from motives of zeal inspired by the prig. Finally, others said that Mimi was annoyed at the number of prerogatives which Wolff accords to man over beast, and offered up to Vulcan a book which denigrated his race."
Omg. Every time *I* think the the wacky anecdotes are done, there is ANOTHER one! I would have liked to be a fly on the wall at Rheinsberg, with all those wits.
Naturally, I had to go check out Fritz's correspondence, and found only one more reference to Mimi, in a letter to the same person only a month later. Fritz says he can't find it in him to blame Mimi "for having tried to consign to the flames the immortal work of the divine Wolff, since I find it extremely natural and extremely ingenious that this poor animal had tried to get rid of a paper that so often prevents his master from playing with him and enjoying his antics. It seems to me that in his place, even with all my reason, I could not have reasoned better, and I would have done the exact same thing." (Translation mine.)
On Fritz as a monkey, Voltaire would have agreed. I'm finding on google a number of anecdotes that all agree Voltaire kept a monkey that used to bite him a lot because monkeys aren't pets. He called it Luc...except when he was calling it Frédéric II. Conversely, apparently he would refer to Fritz as Luc in letters to friends (not to Fritz's face), and he said, "Fritz is like my monkey; he bites the hand that caresses him."
Now, about Voltaire's room, I couldn't remember whether Fritz had put Voltaire in the room decorated with monkeys, or decorated it with monkeys after he left. Apparently, the latter. "Frederick had Voltaire's rooms redecorated after he left. They were painted yellow, the colour of envy, and the walls were decorated with grimacing monkeys, proud peacocks and venomous snakes and toads, all attributes of the departed trouble maker."
Way to go with the passive aggressiveness, you guys. I rather you got therapy and Remedial Interpersonal Relations 101, 102, 201, 2012..., but failing that, you totes deserve each other, and feel free to have snark/hate/frenemy sex any time, since you both give as good as you get. :P
Voltaire to Fritz: You realize we're exactly alike? Fritz to Catt: Can you BELIEVE what he said? About ME?! [Catt: Oh, no, Sire, nobody but very foolish persons could imagine such a thing. *cough*]
Self-awareness: Voltaire 1, Fritz 0.
1. I'll probably talk about Wolff and Leibniz and their connections to the Hohenzollerns at some point, if selenak doesn't beat me to it (and you're welcome to, especially if you know more than I do).
2. Some people Fritz didn't get along with would only require a 101 course to mend matters. Voltaire...I think they'd both need at least a master's degree in interpersonal relations before they could live together without explosions. ;) AT LEAST.
Monkey see, monkey do
Fritz actually had a pet monkey, not at Sanssouci (that I know of! but apparently that means nothing) but at Rheinsberg! I've often wondered what the dog situation was like at Rheinsberg, for, um, fic purposes, but have not found out. Anyway, the monkey was named Mimi, and he comes up in the following anecdote, which is recounted by Fritz himself in a letter.
Fritz is reading Wolff1, the German philosopher. In French translation, because of course he is. Then he goes to eat dinner, but while he's eating, Mimi sets the manuscript (fortunately just a copy) on fire, and celebrates watching it burn. Fritz writes, "Our wits maintain that the monkey wanted to study the Metaphysics and, being unable to construe a word, put it to the flame. Others aver that Lange [a Pietist] had corrupted him, and that he played that turn from motives of zeal inspired by the prig. Finally, others said that Mimi was annoyed at the number of prerogatives which Wolff accords to man over beast, and offered up to Vulcan a book which denigrated his race."
Omg. Every time *I* think the the wacky anecdotes are done, there is ANOTHER one! I would have liked to be a fly on the wall at Rheinsberg, with all those wits.
Naturally, I had to go check out Fritz's correspondence, and found only one more reference to Mimi, in a letter to the same person only a month later. Fritz says he can't find it in him to blame Mimi "for having tried to consign to the flames the immortal work of the divine Wolff, since I find it extremely natural and extremely ingenious that this poor animal had tried to get rid of a paper that so often prevents his master from playing with him and enjoying his antics. It seems to me that in his place, even with all my reason, I could not have reasoned better, and I would have done the exact same thing." (Translation mine.)
On Fritz as a monkey, Voltaire would have agreed. I'm finding on google a number of anecdotes that all agree Voltaire kept a monkey that used to bite him a lot
because monkeys aren't pets. He called it Luc...except when he was calling it Frédéric II. Conversely, apparently he would refer to Fritz as Luc in letters to friends (not to Fritz's face), and he said, "Fritz is like my monkey; he bites the hand that caresses him."Now, about Voltaire's room, I couldn't remember whether Fritz had put Voltaire in the room decorated with monkeys, or decorated it with monkeys after he left. Apparently, the latter. "Frederick had Voltaire's rooms redecorated after he left. They were painted yellow, the colour of envy, and the walls were decorated with grimacing monkeys, proud peacocks and venomous snakes and toads, all attributes of the departed trouble maker."
Way to go with the passive aggressiveness, you guys. I rather you got therapy and Remedial Interpersonal Relations 101, 102, 201, 2012..., but failing that, you totes deserve each other, and feel free to have snark/hate/frenemy sex any time, since you both give as good as you get. :P
Voltaire to Fritz: You realize we're exactly alike?
Fritz to Catt: Can you BELIEVE what he said? About ME?!
[Catt: Oh, no, Sire, nobody but very foolish persons could imagine such a thing. *cough*]
Self-awareness: Voltaire 1, Fritz 0.
1. I'll probably talk about Wolff and Leibniz and their connections to the Hohenzollerns at some point, if
2. Some people Fritz didn't get along with would only require a 101 course to mend matters. Voltaire...I think they'd both need at least a master's degree in interpersonal relations before they could live together without explosions. ;) AT LEAST.