cahn | Frederick the Great, discussion post 16

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We have slowed down a lot, but are still (sporadically) going! And somehow filled up the last post while I wasn't looking!

...I was asked to start a new thread so that STDs could be discussed. Really! :D

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From:

selenak

It definitely is. The entire uncut passage in the German edition, translated by yours truly into English:

The Queen steered the conversation towards the future Princess Royal while we were having supper. "Your brother," she said while looking at me, "is inconsolable about this engagement, and justly so, for she is exceedingly stupid, can only reply with "yes" or "no" to everything, and laughs while doing so in such a silly fashion that one wants to vomit."
"Oh!" my sister Charlotte said, "Your Majesty doesn't even known all her good qualities yet. I attended her getting dressed one morning, and I had to hold my breath, because she smelled like something rotten; she must have at least ten to welve fistulas, otherwise I can't explain it. I also noticed that she's grown mishapenly; her skirt has been padded on one side, and one hip sits higher than the other."
I was very amazed about these speeches, which were held in front of the servants and even in front of my brother. I saw that he blushed and that the words hit him in a sensitive spot. Immediately after supper, he withdrew. I followed suit.

Poor EC. Needless to say, there was nothing wrong with her figure (as even unlovoing bridgegroom Fritz observed, and the stinking is also invented. That she was very shy at this stage and only replied with yes and no, otoh, is reported by other parties (and who wouldn't be, getting thrown into that family), and we know how her efforts to become a better conversationalist ended up annoying Lehndorff and Sophie von Voss who complained about her boring talk instead. :( :( :(

Edited Date: 2020-08-30 03:26 am (UTC)

From:

mildred_of_midgard

Oh, man, that got extremely bowdlerized! Thank you. Our version has:

"Your brother," said she to me, looking closely at him, "is in despair at being obliged to marry her, and not unreasonably : she is a downright fool ; to all that is said to her she replies yes or no, accompanied by a foolish laugh inexpressibly displeasing." I was astonished at this conversation, which was carried on in presence of the servants, and especially as my brother was also present.

Not even any vomiting!

Maybe I should get my hands on the German edition. My German could always use a little more practice. :P

Can you give me the publication details of yours, so I end up with the right one?

Poor EC indeed.

From:

selenak

"Inexpressibly displeasing" instead of "makes me want to vomit" and censoring the entire Charlotte-authored slander sounds like someone did not like their royal ladies mentioning bodily functions, to put it mildly. The edition I used was the one put up on German Amazon Kindle for free, here.

(I also have a paperback edition, but that's the cut down version which leaves out most of the post marriage stuff anyway.)

From:

mildred_of_midgard

"Inexpressibly displeasing" instead of "makes me want to vomit" and censoring the entire Charlotte-authored slander sounds like someone did not like their royal ladies mentioning bodily functions, to put it mildly.

Exactly what I thought.

The edition I used was the one put up on German Amazon Kindle for free, here.

Wonderful! It's also free on Kindle in the US, and sure enough, there are the fistulas.

From:

cahn

OH! OK, I had the English bowdlerized quote in "Survived" but now I am totally going to amend it to put the vomiting in. And maybe the fistulas too? (With your permission, of course, but I would assume you'd rather have the actual quote...)

This now makes WAY more sense that Wilhelmine was all "but there are servants here listening!!" which as mildred remarked in response to the V. Secret Diary, of course usually servants would be around to listen to things, it seemed with the bowderlized version that it was a sort of mild thing to object to. I thought at the time that maybe it was not the Done Thing to complain about one's future relations in front of the servants? But now I can totally see why she would be all !! about it.

Yeah, poor EC :( I would be terrified of saying anything but yes or no either :(

Edited Date: 2020-08-30 05:01 am (UTC)

From:

selenak

No kidding, and yes, of course, edit by all means. <3

From:

mildred_of_midgard

RIGHT? This makes so much more sense now! I don't think I would have raised an eyebrow at Wilhelmine silently protesting about the vomiting and fistula discussion taking place in front of the servants. Yeah, I guess I went with "don't let the servants hear you dissing the future queen," and now it's all clear!

now I am totally going to amend it to put the vomiting in. And maybe the fistulas too?

Hee! I deliberately avoided using the quote in mine and kept it to indirect discourse, to reduce overlap between our fics. So if anyone reads both of ours, it would be cool if they got to see the complete quote in yours.

Yeah, poor EC :( I would be terrified of saying anything but yes or no either :(

MacDonogh quote of unknown veracity, from the first meeting of Fritz and EC:

Elisabeth Christine was now informed of the identity of her future husband for the first time. She was asked if she liked him. She turned red and said, ‘Ja’.

Who was it who speculated that Fritz had prepared a bunch of witty one-liners beforehand to see if she could keep up, and then immediately wrote her off when she wasn't prepared for a pop quiz? I thought, "Ooh, that would be just like him," but I can't remember who it was.