One essay/lecture that was linked at the Bayreuth website about Wilhelmine goes into those letters after her marriage, and shows Wilhelmine writing to FW, SD and Fritz about the same time but quite differently, tailored to recipient. And yes, FW gets the most polyanna letter. Considering he made her sign a disclaimer that she gave up her right to inheritance from SD just before the marriage as a last minute surprise and that as a result she was financially still very much dependent on him (and that her father-in-law had expected more cash), I think any letter from Wilhelmine to Dad has to be taken with extreme caution as to the veracity. And with SD, SD's general disapproval of the marriage was still hanging over her, so a "see, Mom, at least my husband loves me, and I'm doing well!" argument is ongoing.
Those letters, which you wrote up for us, were exactly what I was thinking of. So far, I haven't been blown away by Oster's scholarship. I mean, Ziebura also trusts Catt, but that seems unavoidable, and I do feel like she did a better job (as far as I can perceive) of deploying the epistolary evidence. I'm still glad I'm reading Oster, of course! Learning a lot, just like with Blanning and MacDonogh. But serious grains of salt.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Oster Wilhelmine readthrough
Date: 2020-09-27 05:05 am (UTC)Re: Oster Wilhelmine readthrough
Date: 2020-09-27 01:52 pm (UTC)