Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 19

[cahn]

Yuletide nominations:

18th Century CE Federician RPF
Maria Theresia | Maria Theresa of Austria
Voltaire
Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great
Ernst Ahasverus von Lehndorff
Friedrich Heinrich Ludwig von Preußen | Henry of Prussia (1726-1802)
Wilhelmine von Preußen | Wilhelmine of Prussia (1709-1758)
Anna Amalie von Preußen | Anna Amalia of Prussia (1723-1787)
Catherine II of Russia
Hans Hermann von Katte
Peter Karl Christoph von Keith
Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf
August Wilhelm von Preußen | Augustus William of Prussia (1722-1758)

Circle of Voltaire RPF
Emilie du Chatelet
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson (Madame de Pompadour)
John Hervey (1696-1743)
Marie Louise Mignot Denis
Lady Mary Wortley-Montagu
Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis
Armand de Vignerot du Plessis de Richelieu (1696-1788)
Francesco Algarotti

Comments

Re: Molière - Küstrin poetry

[mildred_of_midgard]

If this is all one paragraph - which is what it looks like in the original - then I'd suspect that the bolded they ["sie" originally, not any more clear on what it's referring to, so not a translation problem] might mean Wilke's verses, not Moliere's?

Yeah, I went back and forth on what "they" was, and finally settled on "probably Wilke's verses", but it *is* really confusing having "sie" refer to not the most recent applicable plural noun, but the one before it. I should have said something, but I just translated it literally and waited to see what the German speakers thought. :)

Either way, I'm delighted that Hille basically accomplished the opposite of what he wanted.

Fritz at the end of his life: So, Dad and Hille, I still write verses like I'm running out of time, and also I still believe in predestination. Hah!

Re: Fritz' passion for poetry, I really liked the recurring "I don't want your flattery, I know my poetry isn't that great, I rather want you to correct me and tell me what I'm doing wrong, because I want to learn" theme in Fritz' letters to Voltaire.

Yeah, that is great. People not Voltaire were still in a dicey position when asked to offer feedback, but fortunately Mitchell was a professional diplomat and managed to couch his such that Fritz accepted criticism (which, without any data, I'm going to guess was partly to Fritz's credit, partly to Mitchell's).