Frederick the Great discussion post 11

[cahn]

In our last installment, our heroes found that Henri de Catt's memoirs, a major source for current biographers of Frederick the Great, are not to be trusted!!

rheinsberg

Comments

Re: Fritz as a writer: an early Victorian take

[mildred_of_midgard]

LOLOL

Catt, Hille, Voltaire, Algarotti, everyone: We've all been there, Mitchell.
Fredersdorf: Je ne parle pas français!

Re: Fritz as a writer: an early Victorian take

[selenak]

Detective Mildred, I think you have discovered the true reason why Fredersdorf in several decades with Fritz did not learn enough French to correspond in. ;)

Re: Fritz as a writer: an early Victorian take

[mildred_of_midgard]

Doesn't it explain so much? He was clearly intelligent enough to master a new language if he'd put his mind to it. And it would have been such an obvious career move. But he had so many cautionary examples before his eyes.

Fredersdorf was truly a wise man.

:D

Re: Fritz as a writer: an early Victorian take

[cahn]

Ha! It totally does explain so much!

Fredersdorf, you were awesome <3

Re: Fritz as a writer: an early Victorian take

[mildred_of_midgard]

Also, I've always thought one of the best and most underrated lines from Voltaire's memoirs is this one, from immediately after the 1753 breakup:

Leaving my palace of Alcina, I went to pass a month with the Dutchess of Saxe-Gotha, the best of Princesses, full of gentleness, discretion, and equanimity, and who, God be thanked, did not make verses.

I remember laughing out loud when I first read it, and it still has the power to make me dissolve into helpless sniggering.

Re: Fritz as a writer: an early Victorian take

[cahn]

HAHAHAHAHAHA omg VOLTAIRE!

Re: Fritz as a writer: an early Victorian take

[selenak]

It's a golden sentence. I've just read a very short novella (in German) about the Voltaire-Emilie-Fritz triangle which somehow manages to make this great story bland, so can't rec it, but the author does quote that sentence as well.