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: Déja vu all over again

[gambitten]

Aside from the source Blanning quotes, Thomas Caryle includes a more literal English translation of this entire conversation as an appendix, which is available on Gutenberg. He speaks more about the particulars of Fritz' German speech (he doesn't use the third person when addressing women) than the translator Peter Paret.

My favourite part (from Paret's translation):

KING: But why didn't his predecessor stay?
FROMME: He died.
KING: Couldn't his widow have kept the domain?
FROMME: She fell into poverty.
KING: Through mismanagement? (Caryle translation has 'By woman-husbandry!' LOL)
FROMME: Beg pardon, Your Majesty; she was a careful manager, but a run of bad luck ruined her. Bad luck can set back the best managers. Two years ago my own herd was hit by hoof-and-mouth disease; I was given no remission of taxes, and I can't recover either.
KING: My son, today something is wrong with my left ear; I can't hear well.

Fritz taking selective hearing to the next level.

I also like this:

Suddenly His Majesty left them, came to me, and called: Bailiff (into my ear): Who is the fat man in the white coat?
I (whispering into his ear): Your Majesty, that is County Councilor von Quast, of Radensleben in the county of Ruppin.
KING: All right!
[Some catch up talk with von Zeithen then] Suddenly he turned and said: Your servant, County Councilor. The county councilor began to approach His Majesty, but the king said: Stay where you are, I know you; you are Herr von Quast.

I wonder how much of Fritz' fabled memory for names and faces was just him asking people in-the-know to whisper the names of folks to him.

Re: Déja vu all over again

[mildred_of_midgard]

Thanks! I have Carlyle and like him in small doses, but wow I cannot bear to read that prose all the way through.

I wonder how much of Fritz' fabled memory for names and faces was just him asking people in-the-know to whisper the names of folks to him.

Heee. Quite likely, quite likely. You don't have to know everything, you just have to stay one step ahead of everyone else to create the illusion. :D

Re: Déja vu all over again

[cahn]

(Caryle translation has 'By woman-husbandry!' LOL)

LOL!

KING: My son, today something is wrong with my left ear; I can't hear well.

Fritz taking selective hearing to the next level.

Oh Fritz!

I wonder how much of Fritz' fabled memory for names and faces was just him asking people in-the-know to whisper the names of folks to him.

Heh. Probably so! I guess at least he asked? That may put him ahead of a lot of folks :)

Re: Déja vu all over again

[mildred_of_midgard]

That may put him ahead of a lot of folks :)

My faceblind and antisocial self just awkwardly sidles out of talking to people under these circumstances, so it puts him way ahead of me!