I spend way too much time on zvab (website for buying old books) lately and, while browsing, I found that one seller is offering a book that belonged to Katte at some point! :D It's a philosophical text (Traité philosophique de la foiblesse de l'esprit humain by Pierre Daniel Huet), first edition from 1723. A rather fancy edition, apparently. Lots of gold on the exterior, according to the description.
Now, I can't afford to spend 2.5k on a book right now, but the seller was nice enough to respond to my plea for pictures with "Voilà." and this:
It's not much, but I thought I'd share it :D Another thing i found was this GDR-era novel about the trial with the dramatic title "Das Richtschwert traf den falschen Hals". Might read that once I finally get back to summarizing Burte...
Oh, neat! The author sounds like a very interesting person, too, if his wiki article is anything to go buy.
Google tells me said GDR era novel is actually a YA collection of short stories/novellas about historical injustices through the centuries, and that the 1730 Saga is online in its entirety. Having browsed through it, on the one hand, it's clear the author did his research, including the Hinrichs edition of the interrogation protocols of Katte and Fritz; their conversations about the escape plan is pretty much based on it. Otoh, there are some bewildering mistakes there: SD's brother is referred to as "George V." of England - and that's no typo, later in the text the number is written out as "Fifth"; Katte travels to Zeithain as part of "the entourage of (Friedrich's) brother Prince Heinrich", Heinrich is present at Zeithain and is referred to as the younger brother FW wants Fritz to step back from the succession for (I guess either the author confused Heinrich the Schwedt cousin with Heinrich the four years old brother, or Heinrich was the only brother he was aware, of, because Rheinsberg); and the author has clearly no idea of how English titles are used, it's not "Sir Hotham", but Sir Charles Hotham, and in direct address "Sir Charles".
The text itself is Fritz-, not Katte centric, and a solid YA type of recount of events, complete with the last sentence declaring Fritz never exacted any vengeance on anyone involved in his and Katte's sentencing, and that, "strangely, he never showed anyone any favor who had helped him (in 1730), either". Everyone's characterisation is standard, i.e. FW is brutal, Grumbkow is scheming (and in the intro scene is shown goading FW against Fritz), and as the author ends before having to explain Grumbkow making good weather between Fritz and FW and having a mutual interest type of "friendship" with the crown prince later, this doesn't have to be complicated, Katte is noble (and knows better but gives into Fritz). Peter's escape is the only scene where he shows up and is given some interesting detail, i.e. that he meets a comrade while strolling through the Wesel market who warns him that a warrant for his arrest has arrived and hightails it out of there, as opposed to Katte, who also gets a warning but "with the arrogance of his 22 years" (another mistake in numbers again, and I can hear our salon declaring "he was 26!) thinks he can explain and thus does not have to flee. The other scene where the author does some individual fleshing out was the war tribunal talking on how they'd get out of passing judgment on the Crown Prince, and von Döhnhoff eventually saying "hey, remember Philip of Spain and Don Carlos?" (Others: Yes, and your point? Dönhoff: Carlos was executed, but not because a jury condemned him to it. Philip ordered it directly. So we'll stick judging Katte, just tell FW we're not in a position to judge the heir of the crown and he'll have to do it himself.)
Now, the Philip & Carlos comparison was actually made, but by SD's lady in waiting when pleading with FW (together with the Peter & Alexej comparison), and oddly enough by Grumbkow somewhat later when saying that if Fritz and FW absolutely want to play Carlos and Philip, fine, but without him. Letting someone in the tribunal make it strikes me less inspired from these historical precedents, though, and more by the awareness that the target audience - teenage GDR students - have to read their Schiller in school.
Thank you for this! That is a very odd mixture of detail and mistakes indeed. Prince Heinrich, wow. And yes, that characterization is very standard. Peter getting warned is in Wilhelmine, though not the market bit.
I can hear our salon declaring "he was 26!
Lol. Our salon declares a lot of things in protest when consuming fictionalizations of these events! :D
Letting someone in the tribunal make it strikes me less inspired from these historical precedents, though, and more by the awareness that the target audience - teenage GDR students - have to read their Schiller in school.
Ha! Well, that's a legit reason, I guess -- as a teenager I'd be pretty stoked to catch the reference :)
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timeasmymeasure
Findings while browsing zvab
Date: 2021-01-31 01:47 am (UTC)Now, I can't afford to spend 2.5k on a book right now, but the seller was nice enough to respond to my plea for pictures with "Voilà." and this:
It's not much, but I thought I'd share it :D Another thing i found was this GDR-era novel about the trial with the dramatic title "Das Richtschwert traf den falschen Hals". Might read that once I finally get back to summarizing Burte...
Re: Findings while browsing zvab
Date: 2021-01-31 01:54 am (UTC)I also spend too much time on zvab? Lol. But shipping costs (or just non-existent shipping) to the US deter me from spending more, alas.
Re: Findings while browsing zvab
Date: 2021-01-31 07:40 am (UTC)Google tells me said GDR era novel is actually a YA collection of short stories/novellas about historical injustices through the centuries, and that the 1730 Saga is online in its entirety. Having browsed through it, on the one hand, it's clear the author did his research, including the Hinrichs edition of the interrogation protocols of Katte and Fritz; their conversations about the escape plan is pretty much based on it. Otoh, there are some bewildering mistakes there: SD's brother is referred to as "George V." of England - and that's no typo, later in the text the number is written out as "Fifth"; Katte travels to Zeithain as part of "the entourage of (Friedrich's) brother Prince Heinrich", Heinrich is present at Zeithain and is referred to as the younger brother FW wants Fritz to step back from the succession for (I guess either the author confused Heinrich the Schwedt cousin with Heinrich the four years old brother, or Heinrich was the only brother he was aware, of, because Rheinsberg); and the author has clearly no idea of how English titles are used, it's not "Sir Hotham", but Sir Charles Hotham, and in direct address "Sir Charles".
The text itself is Fritz-, not Katte centric, and a solid YA type of recount of events, complete with the last sentence declaring Fritz never exacted any vengeance on anyone involved in his and Katte's sentencing, and that, "strangely, he never showed anyone any favor who had helped him (in 1730), either". Everyone's characterisation is standard, i.e. FW is brutal, Grumbkow is scheming (and in the intro scene is shown goading FW against Fritz), and as the author ends before having to explain Grumbkow making good weather between Fritz and FW and having a mutual interest type of "friendship" with the crown prince later, this doesn't have to be complicated, Katte is noble (and knows better but gives into Fritz). Peter's escape is the only scene where he shows up and is given some interesting detail, i.e. that he meets a comrade while strolling through the Wesel market who warns him that a warrant for his arrest has arrived and hightails it out of there, as opposed to Katte, who also gets a warning but "with the arrogance of his 22 years" (another mistake in numbers again, and I can hear our salon declaring "he was 26!) thinks he can explain and thus does not have to flee. The other scene where the author does some individual fleshing out was the war tribunal talking on how they'd get out of passing judgment on the Crown Prince, and von Döhnhoff eventually saying "hey, remember Philip of Spain and Don Carlos?"
(Others: Yes, and your point?
Dönhoff: Carlos was executed, but not because a jury condemned him to it. Philip ordered it directly. So we'll stick judging Katte, just tell FW we're not in a position to judge the heir of the crown and he'll have to do it himself.)
Now, the Philip & Carlos comparison was actually made, but by SD's lady in waiting when pleading with FW (together with the Peter & Alexej comparison), and oddly enough by Grumbkow somewhat later when saying that if Fritz and FW absolutely want to play Carlos and Philip, fine, but without him. Letting someone in the tribunal make it strikes me less inspired from these historical precedents, though, and more by the awareness that the target audience - teenage GDR students - have to read their Schiller in school.
Re: Findings while browsing zvab
Date: 2021-01-31 01:26 pm (UTC)I can hear our salon declaring "he was 26!
Lol. Our salon declares a lot of things in protest when consuming fictionalizations of these events! :D
Re: Findings while browsing zvab
Date: 2021-02-12 05:30 am (UTC)Ha! Well, that's a legit reason, I guess -- as a teenager I'd be pretty stoked to catch the reference :)
Re: Findings while browsing zvab
Date: 2021-02-12 05:29 am (UTC)