I may not be able to reply to comments until this weekend, but I had to clarify this one.
Because you and I developed a whole theory about what happened to produce this Worst of All Possible Condolence Letters!
Facts: September 30: Middle brother Albert dies at Soor (not to be confused with youngest brother Franz, who dies later at Hochkirch). October 2: Fritz writes two lines to EC with virtually no content at all, certainly no mention of her brother. He writes to Fredersdorf that Albert is dead, but that was no great loss. October 5: EC writes to surviving brother Ferdinand that Albert died in Fritz's service and it's cruel of Fritz not to have written a syllable to her or to sister Louise. October 9: Fritz writes the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad condolence letter that he'd always told Albert to stop being reckless or he was going to get himself killed, and it's only a surprise it didn't happen sooner. Other relevant fact: AW was present at Soor.
The theory that you and I came up with: Fritz initially does not write a condolence letter to EC, because he dislikes Albert and has no strong feelings for EC. EC and Louise complain to each other that Albert died in Fritz's service and they haven't heard a word from Fritz. Louise passes these complaints on to AW. AW, ever the family mediator, tries to tactfully suggest to Fritz that maybe it's his job as husband and commander-in-chief to write this letter, even if he didn't like the guy, because he died in Fritz's service.
Cue letter in which a suddenly on the defensive Fritz feels the need to write about how it's not HIS fault that Albert's dead, HE tried to save Albert, it's ALBERT'S fault he wouldn't listen to Fritz, because everyone would be so much better off if they always listened to Fritz.
I think Fritz went from having mildly negative feelings about the parties in involved to suddenly having extremely strong feelings about how it can't possibly be his fault. Hence the tone of this letter matching the first part of the Worst Letter to Heinrich about how AW's estrangement and death were anyone's fault but Fritz's.
So I think it still falls into the category of Fritz's emotional involvement getting in the way of anything like emotional intelligence, only in a different way from the other letters (though the defensiveness is notably common to AW and Albert).
felis, this is the original thread where we discussed this, and downthread it has some discussion of Blanning and Manger.
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Re: Fritz-Duhan Follow-Up
Date: 2020-11-18 04:35 pm (UTC)Because you and I developed a whole theory about what happened to produce this Worst of All Possible Condolence Letters!
Facts:
September 30: Middle brother Albert dies at Soor (not to be confused with youngest brother Franz, who dies later at Hochkirch).
October 2: Fritz writes two lines to EC with virtually no content at all, certainly no mention of her brother. He writes to Fredersdorf that Albert is dead, but that was no great loss.
October 5: EC writes to surviving brother Ferdinand that Albert died in Fritz's service and it's cruel of Fritz not to have written a syllable to her or to sister Louise.
October 9: Fritz writes the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad condolence letter that he'd always told Albert to stop being reckless or he was going to get himself killed, and it's only a surprise it didn't happen sooner.
Other relevant fact: AW was present at Soor.
The theory that you and I came up with: Fritz initially does not write a condolence letter to EC, because he dislikes Albert and has no strong feelings for EC. EC and Louise complain to each other that Albert died in Fritz's service and they haven't heard a word from Fritz. Louise passes these complaints on to AW. AW, ever the family mediator, tries to tactfully suggest to Fritz that maybe it's his job as husband and commander-in-chief to write this letter, even if he didn't like the guy, because he died in Fritz's service.
Cue letter in which a suddenly on the defensive Fritz feels the need to write about how it's not HIS fault that Albert's dead, HE tried to save Albert, it's ALBERT'S fault he wouldn't listen to Fritz, because everyone would be so much better off if they always listened to Fritz.
I think Fritz went from having mildly negative feelings about the parties in involved to suddenly having extremely strong feelings about how it can't possibly be his fault. Hence the tone of this letter matching the first part of the Worst Letter to Heinrich about how AW's estrangement and death were anyone's fault but Fritz's.
So I think it still falls into the category of Fritz's emotional involvement getting in the way of anything like emotional intelligence, only in a different way from the other letters (though the defensiveness is notably common to AW and Albert).