Yuletide tags are out: Frederician version

[cahn]

Come join us in this crazy Frederick the Great fandom and learn more about all these crazy associated people, like the star-crossed and heartbreaking romance between Maria Theresia's daughter Maria Christina and her daughter-in-law Isabella, wow.

OK, so, there are FOURTEEN characters nominated:
Anna Karolina Orzelska (Frederician RPF)
Elisabeth Christine von Preußen | Elisabeth Christine Queen of Prussia (Frederician RPF)
Francesco Algarotti (Frederician RPF)
François-Marie Arouet | Voltaire (Frederician RPF)
Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great (Frederician RPF)
Hans Hermann Von Katte (Frederician RPF)
Joseph II Holy Roman Emperor (Frederician RPF)
Maria Theresia | Maria Theresa of Austria (Frederician RPF)
Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf (Frederician RPF)
Peter Karl Christoph von Keith (Frederician RPF)
Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (Frederician RPF)
Stanisław August Poniatowski (Frederician RPF)
Wilhelmine von Preußen | Wilhelmine of Prussia (1709-1758) (Frederician RPF)
Yekatarina II Alekseyevna | Catherine the Great of Russia (Frederician RPF)

This means some fourth person kindly nominated Algarotti and -- I think? -- Stanislaw August Poniatowski! YAY! Thank you fourth person! Come be our friend! :D Yuletide is so great!

I am definitely requesting Maria Theresia, Wilhelmine, and Fritz (Put them in a room together. Shake. How big is the explosion?), and thinking about Elisabeth Christine, but maybe not this year.

I am also declaring this post another Frederician post, as the last one was getting out of hand. I think I'll still use that one as the overall index to these, though, to keep all the links in one place.

(seriously, every time I think the wild stories are done there is ANOTHER one)

Comments

Re: Fritz: Worst condolence letter writer ever?

[mildred_of_midgard]

Exactly, and while I'm sure he had decent examples in the sense that he'd received at least some decent condolence letters in his life, I don't think he understood the principles of what makes a good condolence letter, especially the part where holding back on saying everything he thought would be a better move in this case than giving advice.

He was, after all, an inveterate advice-giver (see also: teaching castrati to sing), and I don't think he had the tools in his emotional toolbox to figure out that while this might be the advice he gives himself at a time like this, it's not what he needs to be giving Heinrich if he wants to help him. That's the part of the letter that's easiest for me to forgive. (And by "forgive" I mean "it is specifically the fact that this letter is so terrible that means it requires forgiveness.")

Re: Fritz: Worst condolence letter writer ever?

[cahn]

Yeah, I guess I've never been in that kind of situation -- that being said, I am coming from a position of having to basically take notes on things like this based on what other people say is good... and it occurs to me that (along with all my other advantages, which are major) I have the internet to tell me things like ring theory. (Course, Fritz would probaly have said that he was in the inner ring, and though he's not exactly wrong...)

Re: Fritz: Worst condolence letter writer ever?

[mildred_of_midgard]

(along with all my other advantages, which are major) I have the internet to tell me things like ring theory.

Seriously, the reason I'm so understanding of Fritz's shortcomings (okay, one major reason) is that I realize that many of the things he did that I don't do are because of the internet plus books written in the 20th/21st century that I have access to. Not that "how to write a good condolence letter" or "how to not invade neighboring countries" hadn't been invented in the 18th century (the Anti-Machiavel proves one of them had), but "how to convince someone like me and Fritz (not) to do these things" hadn't necessarily been articulated, and articulated enough times in enough different ways to register (or win in the face of absolute power).

Interesting about the ring theory! I wasn't aware that it had been formalized and given a name, but I had basically intuited that exact principle. I have deleted as irrelevant at least twice in this discussion the fact that Fritz did his whole "I told you so" after EC's brother died at Soor not once (to EC), not twice (to EC and her other brother), but three times (to EC, her other brother, and Fredersdorf), but I'm okay with him venting to Fredersdorf, because Fredersdorf wasn't (presumably) that close to the directly affected parties. Fredersdorf is who Fritz *should* be saying these things to! Just not the people in the inner circles.

ETA: Also, did you think of algebraic ring theory when you first encountered that term too? Because I had two semesters of it--well, of groups, rings, and fields--and though I've forgotten almost all of it by now, it was one of my absolute favorite parts of college, and it still brings back the happy memories.

Re: Fritz: Worst condolence letter writer ever?

[cahn]

Yeah, the first time I had to write a condolence letter (literally just a couple of years ago -- a combination of good luck, my mom usually writing them for family friends, and the only relatives dying until then ones I didn't particularly want to write letters for) I just googled "how to write a condolence letter" and went from there :P

*nods* I had also intuited that principle by the time I came across that, but yes, from things like the internet and being able to watch what things people were like "wow, I can't BELIEVE that person did that thing" in advice columns and so on (I love advice columns), which also weren't available to Fritz.

And, lol, yes, my first thought on encountering it was "...author, you do know this is a thing already in math, right?" I also have forgotten my year of groups, rings, and fields, but loved it a Lot. (My best friend is a geometer, so she thinks I'm crazy, and I think she's crazy for loving topology, which was not my favorite. :) )

Re: Fritz: Worst condolence letter writer ever?

[mildred_of_midgard]

Googling it, a good idea! I'm surprised it didn't occur to me. My usual situation is having to write condolences about the death of someone I don't want to let on that I didn't particularly like, and have it be supportive without being dishonest, because I'm not a big fan of white lies.

I'm sure that in Fritz's shoes, without any internet, I'd just be listing out the faults of the person I didn't like, and talking about how great it is not to experience grief (one place where Fritz and I differ severely), and have they tried that? :P And genuinely expecting that suggestion to be helpful.

Re: Fritz: Worst condolence letter writer ever?

[cahn]

ahahahaha, yup, I had to do that. But I did like the person I was writing it to (otherwise I wouldn't have bothered), so I leaned hard into the "it must be so hard to lose your beloved mom, I am sorry for your loss" and ignored the part where "she was really terrible to everyone who wasn't biologically related to her, especially my parents, and none of us are even slightly sorry she's dead." Which are both true!