ROTFLOL. You know, I had a quick look at Charlotte Pangel‘s „Königskinder im Rokoko“, and being me, I started with the Heinrich chapter.
1.) Her three mainly quoted sources are Andrew Hamilton, sigh, Heinrich‘s early 20th century American biographer Chester Easum, and... Lehndorff. Yay to the last?
2.) Except Pangels, writing in the 1970s, is the first person, including nineteenth century people like Fontane, who gives us Heinrich the heterosexual. You read that right. Quoting Lehndorff‘s mentions of the Countess Bentinck to tell a tale of how Heinrich cheated on Mina with Bentinck, Lehndorff was the confidant of this affair, and felt very distressed when it was over and he and Heinrich weren‘t that close anymore. But, you know, in a platonic manner, just as a friend.
3.) Seriously, how anyone can read Lehndorff‘s diaries, even just the first volume, the original edition, and assume the above is beyond me.
4.) Marwitz doesn‘t exist. (Naturally, since Heinrich is straight.) Heinrich‘s early aversion to Big Bro is incomprehensible, his later hatred is warped, and for no reason other than fraternal jealousy. (AW having brought his death upon himself by his defeatism and gloom.) Sure, Heinrich advised Fritz against the Maxen disaster, and Fritz did it anyway, but Heinrich is still a know-it-all critisizing the great man with hindsight (even though she just mentioned he did it before the event itself). Heinrich‘s presumption of being as good a general as Fritz is megalomania. Treatment of civilians? Not an issue.
5.) Heinrich dies in self-caused isolation without any loved ones (naturally, since he‘s straight and there‘s no girlfriend around, and his wife is utterly estranged). But then, he never loved anyone. He was incapable. (The early Bentinck fling isn‘t presented as love, either, just as sex.) He could just hate. Why Fritz the eternally chill and forgiving kept trying is a mystery. Well, okay, he was a good uncle to Ferdinand‘s kids, and okay, Ferdinand and he got along, and yeah, some French people in France and out of it liked him, too, and Lehndorff seems to have done (still yearning for the days where he was a confidant to the Heinrich/Bentinck affair), but other than that.
6.) Heinrich liked the French Revolution because he liked anything French, i.e. Pangels quotes Hamilton on this. Okay, he also seems to have had a warped bias against kings.
7.) I‘m still not over Heinrich the heterosexual and Lehndorff the Heinrich/Bentinck shipper.
Given this, I‘m not sure I‘m up to the other chapters, but maybe she does better with the sisters...
Re: The Very Secret Divorce Lawyer Text Messages
1.) Her three mainly quoted sources are Andrew Hamilton, sigh, Heinrich‘s early 20th century American biographer Chester Easum, and... Lehndorff. Yay to the last?
2.) Except Pangels, writing in the 1970s, is the first person, including nineteenth century people like Fontane, who gives us Heinrich the heterosexual. You read that right. Quoting Lehndorff‘s mentions of the Countess Bentinck to tell a tale of how Heinrich cheated on Mina with Bentinck, Lehndorff was the confidant of this affair, and felt very distressed when it was over and he and Heinrich weren‘t that close anymore. But, you know, in a platonic manner, just as a friend.
3.) Seriously, how anyone can read Lehndorff‘s diaries, even just the first volume, the original edition, and assume the above is beyond me.
4.) Marwitz doesn‘t exist. (Naturally, since Heinrich is straight.) Heinrich‘s early aversion to Big Bro is incomprehensible, his later hatred is warped, and for no reason other than fraternal jealousy. (AW having brought his death upon himself by his defeatism and gloom.) Sure, Heinrich advised Fritz against the Maxen disaster, and Fritz did it anyway, but Heinrich is still a know-it-all critisizing the great man with hindsight (even though she just mentioned he did it before the event itself). Heinrich‘s presumption of being as good a general as Fritz is megalomania. Treatment of civilians? Not an issue.
5.) Heinrich dies in self-caused isolation without any loved ones (naturally, since he‘s straight and there‘s no girlfriend around, and his wife is utterly estranged). But then, he never loved anyone. He was incapable. (The early Bentinck fling isn‘t presented as love, either, just as sex.) He could just hate. Why Fritz the eternally chill and forgiving kept trying is a mystery. Well, okay, he was a good uncle to Ferdinand‘s kids, and okay, Ferdinand and he got along, and yeah, some French people in France and out of it liked him, too, and Lehndorff seems to have done (still yearning for the days where he was a confidant to the Heinrich/Bentinck affair), but other than that.
6.) Heinrich liked the French Revolution because he liked anything French, i.e. Pangels quotes Hamilton on this. Okay, he also seems to have had a warped bias against kings.
7.) I‘m still not over Heinrich the heterosexual and Lehndorff the Heinrich/Bentinck shipper.
Given this, I‘m not sure I‘m up to the other chapters, but maybe she does better with the sisters...