We're having a Lehndorff readalong omg yay!! *happy dance*
Okay, so first observation is this is FULL of names of people I don't know, and names of people that I do know, at least passively, and that cahn might not.
Second observation is that the prose is way easier than Wilhelmine, but the lack of connected narrative makes for less context. Both are as I expected going into this, and the latter is the reason I wanted to postpone this until after I'd read some technically more difficult works.
* 1751, May 14: Fräulein v. Beauvrai is there, along with her cousin, Fräulein v. Katt.
Fräulein v. Katt! I don't suppose we know who she is?
* 1751, May 20: Lehndorff says his brother is under Arrest.
Um, do we know why?
1751, July: Fest des Trimalchio
Classics alert! Trimalchio is a very rich character from the Satyricon, a Roman novel by Petronius. A good chunk (and a part that gets referred to a lot) of the Satyricon is given over to a lavish banquet he hosts. Wikipedia reminds me:
Trimalchio is known for throwing lavish dinner parties, where his numerous servants bring course after course of exotic delicacies, such as live birds sewn up inside a pig, live birds inside fake eggs which the guests have to "collect" themselves, and a dish to represent every sign of the zodiac.
...I wonder how much of this AW reproduced!
* 1751, November 11: La Mettrie dies. Lehndorff reports that he did not remain true to his god-denying principles and called on God and all the saints before he died.
Now, *my* sources (which I forget what, if any, are primary) say that this rumor was going around, and Fritz was very upset, and he researched it, and found that it was all slander made up by his enemies, who don't want to believe anyone could be an atheist on their deathbed. Fritz was very relieved to find it wasn't true.
Maybe Fritz was lied to, but I'm willing to believe Lehndorff is repeating the rumors that Fritz was so upset about hearing and that they may not have been true.
For context, La Mettrie was a materialist philosopher, who had taken refuge at Fritz's court because the French censors didn't want to hear anything about how humans didn't have immortal souls and the like, and Fritz made him royal reader. So this was important to Fritz.
Note that Voltaire is not the only one Fritz worries about recanting on his deathbed, and while this may not solely be due to Katte's recantation, I still think that must have made an impression on Fritz. (I mean, it was supposed to, just not the way it did. ;))
1751, December 6: The Duke of Anhalt dies: this is the oldest surviving son of the Old Dessauer.
1751, December 6: Prussian Count Rothenburg dies; Fritz cries like a child. Rothenburg is the one who Fritz reported to Wilhelmine died in his arms, and he was heartbroken. Biche also dies at this time, I think within 24 hours of Rothenburg. Whom I'm just now realizing is supposed to be the one who gave Biche to Fritz! Weird, I always knew and commented on their near simultaneous deaths, but had failed to make the gifting connection.
Wait a sec. I just checked the chronology, and it says Rothenburg died December 29. According to Trier, Fritz's letter to Wilhelmine on Biche is December 29, and on Rothenburg is December 30, and he says "died yesterday" of Rothenburg. However, the dates on the letters are in parentheses with notes on the dates of Wilhelmine's replies, suggesting maybe the dates are reconstructed. Or maybe Lehndorff's diary, which, now that I look at it more closely, has several paragraphs, consisting of various entries, following a date marker of December 6, is a collection of things that happen in December, which he doesn't give us specific dates. I bet that's what it is.
(See, this is why it takes me so long to comment on what I read. So much research!)
* 1752, January 18: Lehndorff describes a marriage by saying the husband is stone blind, which is an advantage for the wife, since she's really ugly. Lol.
* 1752, April: Lehndorff points out that this one woman squints horribly. I can't decide whether Peter's really was as mild as Lehndorff says, or if he just got used to it because he liked Peter, because this poor lady is proof that Lehndorff does mind some squints. In any case, as selenak pointed out, it's good that Lehndorff could get used to a squint, since Heinrich got one later in life!
* 1752, April: Lehndorff goes to Meseberg, which belongs to Count Hermann Wartensleben, and is really pretty.
Reminder: Unless there are more than one in the vicinity of Berlin, Meseberg is the "Kaphengst must have been *spectacular* in bed" estate.
Hermann Wartensleben must be the oldest surviving son of Grandpa Wartensleben, and thus Katte's uncle.
* 1752, May 10: Grumbkow--not our Grumbkow! He died in 1739.
* 1752: Ich mache mit den Prinzen eine kleine Reise nach Friedrichsfelde, die nicht gut endigt; wir kehren gehörig benebelt zurück.
Google wants "gehörig benebelt" to be "in a good mood", but that feels like a non sequitur. German speakers help us out? Given that "benebelt" means "foggy" (which I'm pleased to have figured out on my own, although kind of cheating via Latin)...tipsy, maybe? In the sense of "in high/good spirits" that's often used in English as a euphemism for "good mood with chemical assistance"?
Or are they just really in a good mood after their trip that didn't end well?
* 1752, September: Cocceji and Barbarina, overview, in case anyone needs reminding on how that went down:
Meanwhile, in 1749:
Cocceji, son of Prussian official: Barbarina, I love you! Will you accept my marriage proposal on the open stage?
Barbarina: Experience has taught me that I can get away with murder, so yes! I accept your Fritz-contract-violating proposal on the open stage.
Barbarina: Hey, Fritz. I want to go to London with my lover. How about it?
Fritz: You have a contract, missy. Cocceji, that's prison for you.
Barbarina: *escapes to London* [Someone made it!]
Fritz: *pardons Cocceji like a good enlightened monarch and lets Barbarina come back, thus proving she can get away with murder*
Barbarina: *promptly marries Cocceji in secret*
Fritz: OMFG. You give them an inch and they take a mile. Okay, watch this. I'm going to be nice and make you governor, Cocceji...of a city way out in the middle of nowhere in Silesia, far from that Hollywood lifestyle your wife is used to living.
Cocceji: *is authoritarian and unfaithful*
Barbarina and Cocceji: *separate after only a few years, eventually get divorced*
* 1752, November 10: I noticed while looking for something else that in keeping with "rubbish soaps" and "Cape stallion", Google has decided to translate Heinrich's boyfriend Reisewitz as "travel jokes."
* 1752, November 12: Maupertuis is pleased with a defense of him, and the principle of least action. Lehndorff reports that "it is believed that it is a very illustrious writer who took over his defense."
If it's not obvious, this is Fritz's "anonymous" pamphlet, retaliating against Voltaire's recent "anonymous" pamphlet, which Voltaire will retaliate against with another "anonymous" pamphlet, which Fritz will retaliate against by having it confiscated and burned, which Voltaire will retaliate against by reworking his entire correspondence with MD and fooling us all for 200+ years.
* 1752, November 17: Lehndorff saying that if Heinrich had been born a shepherd, he would have been the delight of his little village--I can hear cahn saying, "Endearing!" :)
That's all I have time to comment on, but I'm planning to read some more before bed. I mostly wanted to put some things out there that might help clarify things for cahn.
ETA: Read up through the end of 1752. I don't have time to resummarize Maurice de Saxe, whom we've talked about a bit, but in November 1750, you'll run into a famous military commander in French service who dies, and that's Maurice. He's famous enough that I had read some of his work during my military history phase in high school, though don't quiz me on the details 20 years later. ;)
Lehndorff readalong
Okay, so first observation is this is FULL of names of people I don't know, and names of people that I do know, at least passively, and that
Second observation is that the prose is way easier than Wilhelmine, but the lack of connected narrative makes for less context. Both are as I expected going into this, and the latter is the reason I wanted to postpone this until after I'd read some technically more difficult works.
* 1751, May 14: Fräulein v. Beauvrai is there, along with her cousin, Fräulein v. Katt.
Fräulein v. Katt! I don't suppose we know who she is?
* 1751, May 20: Lehndorff says his brother is under Arrest.
Um, do we know why?
1751, July: Fest des Trimalchio
Classics alert! Trimalchio is a very rich character from the Satyricon, a Roman novel by Petronius. A good chunk (and a part that gets referred to a lot) of the Satyricon is given over to a lavish banquet he hosts. Wikipedia reminds me:
Trimalchio is known for throwing lavish dinner parties, where his numerous servants bring course after course of exotic delicacies, such as live birds sewn up inside a pig, live birds inside fake eggs which the guests have to "collect" themselves, and a dish to represent every sign of the zodiac.
...I wonder how much of this AW reproduced!
* 1751, November 11: La Mettrie dies. Lehndorff reports that he did not remain true to his god-denying principles and called on God and all the saints before he died.
Now, *my* sources (which I forget what, if any, are primary) say that this rumor was going around, and Fritz was very upset, and he researched it, and found that it was all slander made up by his enemies, who don't want to believe anyone could be an atheist on their deathbed. Fritz was very relieved to find it wasn't true.
Maybe Fritz was lied to, but I'm willing to believe Lehndorff is repeating the rumors that Fritz was so upset about hearing and that they may not have been true.
For context, La Mettrie was a materialist philosopher, who had taken refuge at Fritz's court because the French censors didn't want to hear anything about how humans didn't have immortal souls and the like, and Fritz made him royal reader. So this was important to Fritz.
Note that Voltaire is not the only one Fritz worries about recanting on his deathbed, and while this may not solely be due to Katte's recantation, I still think that must have made an impression on Fritz. (I mean, it was supposed to, just not the way it did. ;))
1751, December 6: The Duke of Anhalt dies: this is the oldest surviving son of the Old Dessauer.
1751, December 6: Prussian Count Rothenburg dies; Fritz cries like a child. Rothenburg is the one who Fritz reported to Wilhelmine died in his arms, and he was heartbroken. Biche also dies at this time, I think within 24 hours of Rothenburg. Whom I'm just now realizing is supposed to be the one who gave Biche to Fritz! Weird, I always knew and commented on their near simultaneous deaths, but had failed to make the gifting connection.
Wait a sec. I just checked the chronology, and it says Rothenburg died December 29. According to Trier, Fritz's letter to Wilhelmine on Biche is December 29, and on Rothenburg is December 30, and he says "died yesterday" of Rothenburg. However, the dates on the letters are in parentheses with notes on the dates of Wilhelmine's replies, suggesting maybe the dates are reconstructed. Or maybe Lehndorff's diary, which, now that I look at it more closely, has several paragraphs, consisting of various entries, following a date marker of December 6, is a collection of things that happen in December, which he doesn't give us specific dates. I bet that's what it is.
(See, this is why it takes me so long to comment on what I read. So much research!)
* 1752, January 18: Lehndorff describes a marriage by saying the husband is stone blind, which is an advantage for the wife, since she's really ugly. Lol.
* 1752, April: Lehndorff points out that this one woman squints horribly. I can't decide whether Peter's really was as mild as Lehndorff says, or if he just got used to it because he liked Peter, because this poor lady is proof that Lehndorff does mind some squints. In any case, as
* 1752, April: Lehndorff goes to Meseberg, which belongs to Count Hermann Wartensleben, and is really pretty.
Reminder: Unless there are more than one in the vicinity of Berlin, Meseberg is the "Kaphengst must have been *spectacular* in bed" estate.
Hermann Wartensleben must be the oldest surviving son of Grandpa Wartensleben, and thus Katte's uncle.
* 1752, May 10: Grumbkow--not our Grumbkow! He died in 1739.
* 1752: Ich mache mit den Prinzen eine kleine Reise nach Friedrichsfelde, die nicht gut endigt; wir kehren gehörig benebelt zurück.
Google wants "gehörig benebelt" to be "in a good mood", but that feels like a non sequitur. German speakers help us out? Given that "benebelt" means "foggy" (which I'm pleased to have figured out on my own, although kind of cheating via Latin)...tipsy, maybe? In the sense of "in high/good spirits" that's often used in English as a euphemism for "good mood with chemical assistance"?
Or are they just really in a good mood after their trip that didn't end well?
* 1752, September: Cocceji and Barbarina, overview, in case anyone needs reminding on how that went down:
Meanwhile, in 1749:
Cocceji, son of Prussian official: Barbarina, I love you! Will you accept my marriage proposal on the open stage?
Barbarina: Experience has taught me that I can get away with murder, so yes! I accept your Fritz-contract-violating proposal on the open stage.
Barbarina: Hey, Fritz. I want to go to London with my lover. How about it?
Fritz: You have a contract, missy. Cocceji, that's prison for you.
Barbarina: *escapes to London* [Someone made it!]
Fritz: *pardons Cocceji like a good enlightened monarch and lets Barbarina come back, thus proving she can get away with murder*
Barbarina: *promptly marries Cocceji in secret*
Fritz: OMFG. You give them an inch and they take a mile. Okay, watch this. I'm going to be nice and make you governor, Cocceji...of a city way out in the middle of nowhere in Silesia, far from that Hollywood lifestyle your wife is used to living.
Cocceji: *is authoritarian and unfaithful*
Barbarina and Cocceji: *separate after only a few years, eventually get divorced*
* 1752, November 10: I noticed while looking for something else that in keeping with "rubbish soaps" and "Cape stallion", Google has decided to translate Heinrich's boyfriend Reisewitz as "travel jokes."
* 1752, November 12: Maupertuis is pleased with a defense of him, and the principle of least action. Lehndorff reports that "it is believed that it is a very illustrious writer who took over his defense."
If it's not obvious, this is Fritz's "anonymous" pamphlet, retaliating against Voltaire's recent "anonymous" pamphlet, which Voltaire will retaliate against with another "anonymous" pamphlet, which Fritz will retaliate against by having it confiscated and burned, which Voltaire will retaliate against by reworking his entire correspondence with MD and fooling us all for 200+ years.
* 1752, November 17: Lehndorff saying that if Heinrich had been born a shepherd, he would have been the delight of his little village--I can hear
That's all I have time to comment on, but I'm planning to read some more before bed. I mostly wanted to put some things out there that might help clarify things for
ETA: Read up through the end of 1752. I don't have time to resummarize Maurice de Saxe, whom we've talked about a bit, but in November 1750, you'll run into a famous military commander in French service who dies, and that's Maurice. He's famous enough that I had read some of his work during my military history phase in high school, though don't quiz me on the details 20 years later. ;)