Well, the entire book is about their relationship, unlike Richter, he doesn't think Fredersdorf himself is of no interest, though he agrees with him and other letter readers that these letters allow a pretty unique look into Fritz because they were so emphatically not written for publication or to be read by anyone other than the recipient.
The word "homoerotic relationship" is never spoken, though Fahlenkamp says that Fredersdorf's good looks were "probably" one of several reasons why he attracted Fritz' attention, and points out that Mrs. Fredersdorf is only mentioned once, in the "nurse" letter, and that then Fritz continued to write to Fredersdorf as if she didn't exist. I.e. he implies, but doesn't say directly.
There's a reason why, until last year, the only thing I remembered about the Fritz/Voltaire fallout from 20 years ago was a biographer's description of it as inevitable because "two prima donnas can't share the same stage."
Andrew Mitchell: I put it far more elegantly when talking about Fritz and Heinrich by saying "two suns cannot share the same firmament".
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Re: Fredersdorf: The Dirk Fahlenkamp Version (I) - Generalities
Date: 2020-10-24 04:10 pm (UTC)Well, the entire book is about their relationship, unlike Richter, he doesn't think Fredersdorf himself is of no interest, though he agrees with him and other letter readers that these letters allow a pretty unique look into Fritz because they were so emphatically not written for publication or to be read by anyone other than the recipient.
The word "homoerotic relationship" is never spoken, though Fahlenkamp says that Fredersdorf's good looks were "probably" one of several reasons why he attracted Fritz' attention, and points out that Mrs. Fredersdorf is only mentioned once, in the "nurse" letter, and that then Fritz continued to write to Fredersdorf as if she didn't exist. I.e. he implies, but doesn't say directly.
There's a reason why, until last year, the only thing I remembered about the Fritz/Voltaire fallout from 20 years ago was a biographer's description of it as inevitable because "two prima donnas can't share the same stage."
Andrew Mitchell: I put it far more elegantly when talking about Fritz and Heinrich by saying "two suns cannot share the same firmament".
George Lucas: That's what YOU think.