Okay, then small scale fireworks for the kids it shall be. Something I forgot to add: the fact that Stratemann reports Sophie got the least presents from FW in 1731, but SD made it up to her in secret by giving her a cross with diamonds is another hint that Sophie’s governess Madame de Jouccourt (I wrote Jouccoulles by mistake recently, having Madame de Rouccoulles the governess of Fritz and FW on the brain) was his source for all the family anecdotes.
And he really avoids unpleasantness and extolls the King and Queen as good parents whenever he can, hence no reported Fritz abuse before the escape attempt and only cryptic hints that things are tense between the two oldest and FW. There’s actually more about Wilhelmine’s pre-escape attempt problems with FW than those of Fritz, and that only in retrospect (i.e. in the description of FW being considerate to very pregnant with Ferdinand SD, bringing the kids to her, forgiving Wilhelmine and taking her to look after Heinrich). This is really different to all the other envoys, not just from the court of FW. For example, think of Valory remarking on Fritz ruling over his brothers with an iron thumb in his reports, or the French ambassador, after the MT/FS wedding, writing that no one other than MT likes FS at the Austrian court. (Even discounting the French bias - and they were deeply distrustful that the Lorrraine guy would use the Habsburg might to make a play for his former dukedom for years, so the envoy is invested in showing FS in a weak position - he’s reporting some genuine grumblings, though they were probably because from the point of the Austrian nobility, foreigner FS had undeservedly hit the jackpot by marrying himself into the Empire.)
You know what Mitchell wrote about Fritz and Heinrich. And Seckendorff the Younger certainly reports all the ups and downs of the 1730s Fritz/FW relationship as he observes and hears about it (i.e. sometimes it’s “Fritzchen” and paternal love, sometimes it’s snide remarks. And Mantteuffel provides with all the indiscreet utterings Fritz gave about his siblings and inability to get excited about EC. To say nothing of Suhm, back in the day, with the Hubertusday report. Now wasn’t that in 1728 as well, i.e. when Stratemann starts to write? Because I have this vision of Stratemann going “hey, Suhm, you were at the hunting, want to share some adorable stories about how the King is such great father to his children?”
Basically: what I’m saying is that Stratemann is clearly the scriptwriter for Fritz: The Disney Version. Or rather FW: The Disney Version. And since none of the others are, how on earth did they get along?
ETA: OMG.It just occured to me - the Hohenzollern as described by Stratemann was what EC thought she was marrying into. You know, that adorable family where Dad goes Christmas shopping for his kids, and if he neglects one, Mom is there to make her feel treasured, Mom and Dad love each other, of course, he's feeding her hot soup when she's sick, and sure, there was that tiny tiny escape attempt problem, but you know, Dad forgave Sonny almost immediately, and Oldest Daughter was sick, I swear, with her parents making sure she had a good long time to recover from that dreadful illness. And everyone is rejoicing and loving each other. /ETA
Dilettanti: at a guess, this sounds like Horace Walpole the younger was suffering from sour grapes, i.e. maybe he wanted to be a member, but they wouldn’t have him - he had been in Italy, remember, meeting Lady Mary during her years there and writing home disgustedly he heard about her menstruating so that she bled through to the bed of the inn, and this at her age, how disgusting, and she DANCED, too, etc, etc.
Garrick: we should also tell Cahn Garrick had been Johnson’s old pupil. They were from the same place, Lichfield, and Johnson had taught David Garrick and his brother when they were boys. This informed their relationship in both good and bad ways, depending on whether Johnson thought Garrick needed to be defended or was overly praised. (I.e. it was a “no one talks trash about Davy but me” thing.) After Garrick had produced Johnson’s play Irene, Garrick invited him backstage, but Johnson said: “No, Davy, I shall never come back. For the white bubbies and the silk stockings of your actresses excite my genitals.”
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Re: Stratemann
Date: 2020-10-07 09:53 am (UTC)And he really avoids unpleasantness and extolls the King and Queen as good parents whenever he can, hence no reported Fritz abuse before the escape attempt and only cryptic hints that things are tense between the two oldest and FW. There’s actually more about Wilhelmine’s pre-escape attempt problems with FW than those of Fritz, and that only in retrospect (i.e. in the description of FW being considerate to very pregnant with Ferdinand SD, bringing the kids to her, forgiving Wilhelmine and taking her to look after Heinrich). This is really different to all the other envoys, not just from the court of FW. For example, think of Valory remarking on Fritz ruling over his brothers with an iron thumb in his reports, or the French ambassador, after the MT/FS wedding, writing that no one other than MT likes FS at the Austrian court. (Even discounting the French bias - and they were deeply distrustful that the Lorrraine guy would use the Habsburg might to make a play for his former dukedom for years, so the envoy is invested in showing FS in a weak position - he’s reporting some genuine grumblings, though they were probably because from the point of the Austrian nobility, foreigner FS had undeservedly hit the jackpot by marrying himself into the Empire.)
You know what Mitchell wrote about Fritz and Heinrich. And Seckendorff the Younger certainly reports all the ups and downs of the 1730s Fritz/FW relationship as he observes and hears about it (i.e. sometimes it’s “Fritzchen” and paternal love, sometimes it’s snide remarks. And Mantteuffel provides with all the indiscreet utterings Fritz gave about his siblings and inability to get excited about EC. To say nothing of Suhm, back in the day, with the Hubertusday report. Now wasn’t that in 1728 as well, i.e. when Stratemann starts to write? Because I have this vision of Stratemann going “hey, Suhm, you were at the hunting, want to share some adorable stories about how the King is such great father to his children?”
Basically: what I’m saying is that Stratemann is clearly the scriptwriter for Fritz: The Disney Version. Or rather FW: The Disney Version. And since none of the others are, how on earth did they get along?
ETA: OMG.It just occured to me - the Hohenzollern as described by Stratemann was what EC thought she was marrying into. You know, that adorable family where Dad goes Christmas shopping for his kids, and if he neglects one, Mom is there to make her feel treasured, Mom and Dad love each other, of course, he's feeding her hot soup when she's sick, and sure, there was that tiny tiny escape attempt problem, but you know, Dad forgave Sonny almost immediately, and Oldest Daughter was sick, I swear, with her parents making sure she had a good long time to recover from that dreadful illness. And everyone is rejoicing and loving each other. /ETA
Dilettanti: at a guess, this sounds like Horace Walpole the younger was suffering from sour grapes, i.e. maybe he wanted to be a member, but they wouldn’t have him - he had been in Italy, remember, meeting Lady Mary during her years there and writing home disgustedly he heard about her menstruating so that she bled through to the bed of the inn, and this at her age, how disgusting, and she DANCED, too, etc, etc.
Garrick: we should also tell Cahn Garrick had been Johnson’s old pupil. They were from the same place, Lichfield, and Johnson had taught David Garrick and his brother when they were boys. This informed their relationship in both good and bad ways, depending on whether Johnson thought Garrick needed to be defended or was overly praised. (I.e. it was a “no one talks trash about Davy but me” thing.) After Garrick had produced Johnson’s play Irene, Garrick invited him backstage, but Johnson said: “No, Davy, I shall never come back. For the white bubbies and the silk stockings of your actresses excite my genitals.”