Frederick the Great, discussion post 6

[cahn]

...I think we need another one (seriously, you guys, this is THE BEST) and I'd better make it now before I disappear into the wilds of music performance.

(also, as of this week there are two Frederician fics in the yuletide archive and eeeeeeeeeee)
(huh, only one of them is actually tagged with Frederick the Great even though two with Maria Theresia and Wilhelmine, eeeeeee this is awesome I CAN'T WAIT)

Frederick the Great masterpost

Comments

Re: Fredersdorf letters

[cahn]

This is just so great.

If one makes children, one has worries; and if one lacks children, one's sisterchildren do the job. (Yes, Fritz is using the even then old fashioned and very Tolkien like term "Schwesterkinder".) Two just arrived here who claim their uncle is a miser, and they won't leave without more money. Their poor uncle has already bled dry with the sisters and has decided to create gold via alchemy, otherwise things will get critical.

This is just really sweet!

Get yourself married better today than tomorrow if that helps with your nursing.

Yeah, when I read this I didn't get the sense he was resentful at all, although I see mildred's point below that there is other evidence of him being against marriage (is there specifically other evidence of him being against Fredersdorf's marriage, mildred?) and it could be read as "do what you have to do."

Though the Editor does wonder whether the second sentence is Fritz the marriage enemy making a (fatherly) joke.

Because of course it would be a fatherly joke :P

Cue editor going on about Wihelhelmine being a) a blind Voltaire fangirl ("who was hopelessly fallen for Voltaire"

*facepalm*

I also find Fritz using the German linguistic spelling to Fredersdorf to be all kinds of adorable <3

Re: Fredersdorf letters

[mildred_of_midgard]

Yeah, when I read this I didn't get the sense he was resentful at all, although I see mildred's point below that there is other evidence of him being against marriage (is there specifically other evidence of him being against Fredersdorf's marriage, mildred?) and it could be read as "do what you have to do."

Not that I'm aware of re Fredersdorf specifically. It's the general attitude + nursing excuse that raises a red flag for me. Plus the next line that reads like "You're not expecting to be *happy* in this marriage, right? You're just doing it for the free nursing care?" It reads to me like Fritz's insecurities needing to be soothed (as usual).

I mean, maybe Fredersdorf knew exactly how it was going to go, and so from the beginning presented it as a nursing opportunity. So Fritz never had the chance to get upset about it and was supportive of the *nursing* project. I mean, he'll do anything to keep Fredersdorf alive, including "Don't write back!" But it does not read to me like a clear-cut case of Fritz being in favor of a friend's *marriage*.

So maybe he wasn't strictly speaking resentful, but maybe that was because Fredersdorf had to do some up-front emotional labor for the guy he'd lived with for twenty years and knew how to manage emotionally.

We'll probably never know. But this take on things seems plausible to me.

Re: Fredersdorf letters

[cahn]

...you know, I would absolutely totally believe this kind of subtle managing of Fredersdorf :P