Frederick the Great discussion post 12

[cahn]

Every time I am amazed and enchanted that this is still going on! Truly DW is the Earthly Paradise!

All the good stuff continues to be archived at rheinsberg :)

Comments

Re: The Lehndorff Report: 1776

[cahn]

As far as I’m concerned: I’m playing the amazed spectator, withdraw into a corner with the honored and highly esteemed Countess Camas and talk to her about a new book which has just been published under the title of „Candide“ and supposedly was written by Voltaire.

HAHAHAHAHA reading this after we had agreed Lehndorff would make a terrible diplomat was awesome. Lehndorff as a diplomat: would ignore the scandals and go in a corner to talk about books!

This, too, proves we don’t live in the best of all possible worlds!

Aww, Lehndorff! <3

I am thunderstruck and return home slowly, and tell myself that one has to approach the weaknesses of one’s parents with respect. Doubtlessly, she is angry because I socialize with the Wreech family despite them being in extreme disfavour with her because the Dönhoff mentioned her age the other day.

OMG. I mean, I know we're getting it from his perspective, but still, total respect to Lehndorff for being nice to his mom here. (I just really get the impression he was *nice*. I wonder how much of that was because he *couldn't* go in the army and so didn't get all the manliness stuff drummed into him. I mean, probably not all of his niceness is due to that! But maybe some of it?)

Re: The Lehndorff Report: 1776

[selenak]

Lehndorff as a diplomat: would ignore the scandals and go in a corner to talk about books!

Well, to be fair, he'd also talk about the scandals - otherwise no diary entry about Marwitz years after the fact, among others - , but not while they were happening!

I wonder how much of that was because he *couldn't* go in the army and so didn't get all the manliness stuff drummed into him. I mean, probably not all of his niceness is due to that! But maybe some of it?)

I do think there's a connection. No drilling from early youth onwards makes for a very different socialization. Re: his mother, let's not forget he was keenly aware he was the unfavourite among his siblings there - he'd been born after his father died, she couldn't cope and handed him over to his grandmother at first, and then he got crippled and she couldn't cope with that, either, hence various painful treatments to put his leg and foot straight again until that was given up - and so her approval and love was doubly important to him. (When she's in Berlin while it's occupied, he's incredibly worried and very grateful to Peter Keith's widow for taking his mother in.) The rare occasion where he does argue with her: when she tells his (first) wife that her bloodline is inferior to the Lehndorff clan's.