Same, but I was way too willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and go, "Maybe in the 18th century it could be?? My knowledge is not broad enough to rule this out?"
(BTW, "Mimi Fighting off Pandurs singlehandedly" should still be a thing).
And it can be, if we play our crackfic cards right! I kind of want her to be a capuchin, but I don't know if it's plausible that he would have a New World monkey.
Do we know anything about what species of monkeys were popular in the 18th century? I'm no expert, but I know a few things about primatology, and it's a casual interest of mine.
and the Fredersdorf letters, which provide a definite gender identification, are so short that he could have easily looked them up to countercheck.
True, but to be fair, I'm not sure it would have occurred to me to countercheck there. What would have occurred to me, and did occur to me, was that "il" referred to "le singe", not to "Mimi", and without someone specifically telling me it was a he, I would have used "it" if my text was ambiguous. Or, you know, "she", because of the name.
Anyway, MacDonogh has his strengths, but attention to detail is not one.
Darget is a librarian showing up after Fritz has already been all-powerful King a couple of years.
Very true. Those first five years from "wet behind the ears" to "Frederick the Great" made a lot of difference.
And if it is meant to tantalize Voltaire a bit, hey, Fritz is suposed to be Alcibiades, isn't he?
Laughed out loud.
cahn: remember, Alcibiades memorably banged everyone in the ancient world, possibly including Socrates! He was also a total flaming pan switch, you know he was. :P
the translations of the poetry I've seen so far really do not impress.
I don't think I've seen anyone, Fritz included, say he was a great poet.
his prose style (in the letters) really is elegant and witty and totally worth of him getting listed as a great French writing author of the 18th century.
Well, that's good to know! I am less qualified to judge than you, so will defer to the opinions of those more knowledgeable.
Well, he had Fredersdorf, but clearly "do not give your raunchy political poetry to your problematic fave!" was the kind of thing that would have risked an argument, so...
I was thinking exactly this! Catt tried talking him out of it on the grounds of "Didn't you JUST SAY he was the literal worst?" and it didn't work. Émilie donned the pants and put it under lock and key, but that's not the kind of thing you could do with Fritz. I don't see Fredersdorf touching this one with a ten-foot-pole. Boss says to get the book back, get it back. The end.
still better than having to send soldiers after Europe's most famous intellectual just to recover some manuscript he shouldn't ever have gotten his hands on in the first place.
To which Fritz would retort "One, that situation got out of hand through no fault of my own, two, Voltaire is a GOD among men and not subject to the same standards as mere mortals. He is the literal worst, of course. Nothing that happened to him in Frankfurt was either by my orders nor nearly as bad as he said. OMG WHAT'S THIS? A letter!! Should I send him my latest incriminating poem? I should! *sparkly hearts*"
And Fredersdorf would take Heinrich aside for a quiet word that this is a lost cause.
but then I doubt him and Algarotti ever talked about her
Normally I would say no, but since Fritz was one of the most vocal early proponents of inoculation, it's just possible they did.
Re: Toppings of all types, continued
Same, but I was way too willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and go, "Maybe in the 18th century it could be?? My knowledge is not broad enough to rule this out?"
(BTW, "Mimi Fighting off Pandurs singlehandedly" should still be a thing).
And it can be, if we play our crackfic cards right! I kind of want her to be a capuchin, but I don't know if it's plausible that he would have a New World monkey.
Do we know anything about what species of monkeys were popular in the 18th century? I'm no expert, but I know a few things about primatology, and it's a casual interest of mine.
and the Fredersdorf letters, which provide a definite gender identification, are so short that he could have easily looked them up to countercheck.
True, but to be fair, I'm not sure it would have occurred to me to countercheck there. What would have occurred to me, and did occur to me, was that "il" referred to "le singe", not to "Mimi", and without someone specifically telling me it was a he, I would have used "it" if my text was ambiguous. Or, you know, "she", because of the name.
Anyway, MacDonogh has his strengths, but attention to detail is not one.
Darget is a librarian showing up after Fritz has already been all-powerful King a couple of years.
Very true. Those first five years from "wet behind the ears" to "Frederick the Great" made a lot of difference.
And if it is meant to tantalize Voltaire a bit, hey, Fritz is suposed to be Alcibiades, isn't he?
Laughed out loud.
the translations of the poetry I've seen so far really do not impress.
I don't think I've seen anyone, Fritz included, say he was a great poet.
his prose style (in the letters) really is elegant and witty and totally worth of him getting listed as a great French writing author of the 18th century.
Well, that's good to know! I am less qualified to judge than you, so will defer to the opinions of those more knowledgeable.
Well, he had Fredersdorf, but clearly "do not give your raunchy political poetry to your problematic fave!" was the kind of thing that would have risked an argument, so...
I was thinking exactly this! Catt tried talking him out of it on the grounds of "Didn't you JUST SAY he was the literal worst?" and it didn't work. Émilie donned the pants and put it under lock and key, but that's not the kind of thing you could do with Fritz. I don't see Fredersdorf touching this one with a ten-foot-pole. Boss says to get the book back, get it back. The end.
still better than having to send soldiers after Europe's most famous intellectual just to recover some manuscript he shouldn't ever have gotten his hands on in the first place.
To which Fritz would retort "One, that situation got out of hand through no fault of my own, two, Voltaire is a GOD among men and not subject to the same standards as mere mortals. He is the literal worst, of course. Nothing that happened to him in Frankfurt was either by my orders nor nearly as bad as he said. OMG WHAT'S THIS? A letter!! Should I send him my latest incriminating poem? I should! *sparkly hearts*"
And Fredersdorf would take Heinrich aside for a quiet word that this is a lost cause.
but then I doubt him and Algarotti ever talked about her
Normally I would say no, but since Fritz was one of the most vocal early proponents of inoculation, it's just possible they did.