As Victorian assessments go, that's very fair in a very Victorian way. I bet Macauly read the unbowlderized edition of the Memoirs complete with fistula conversations. Though if Wilhelmine is coarse, one shudders to think what he'd have made of women like Aphra Behn who wrote erotic poetry, some of which includes jokes about impotence...
Huh! I was ready to go up in arms for my girl Wilhelmine, but I guess I can see what you mean.
but Wilhelmine also thought the fistula conversation was indelicate!
It all sounded familiar to me because when an (abriviated) version of Wilhelmine's memoirs was published for the first time in the early 19th century, the initial reaction was to describe it as an anti Prussian forgery, not just because such horrible things would not happen in a royal family but no princess and delicate lady would describe them. It's not just the fistula scene - it's everything, and the fact she's writing to critically about her parents. A lady of finer feeling does not do that in the 19th century (according to 19th century taste).
Macaulay is in luck MT's letters weren't published yet. The ones to her favourite lady in waiting contain discussions of her menses. He'd have gotten the vapours.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Macaulay - Fritzian friends and family
Date: 2020-09-05 05:21 am (UTC)Huh! I was ready to go up in arms for my girl Wilhelmine, but I guess I can see what you mean.
but Wilhelmine also thought the fistula conversation was indelicate!Re: Macaulay - Fritzian friends and family
Date: 2020-09-05 08:00 am (UTC)Macaulay is in luck MT's letters weren't published yet. The ones to her favourite lady in waiting contain discussions of her menses. He'd have gotten the vapours.