La Mettrie: oh, I take Nicolai's rendition of what is undoubtedly D'Argens take on the relationship with Fritz with a huuuuge pint of salt, for, as Trier puts it in the chronicle of D'Argens life: 7. Februar: Ankunft La Mettries in Berlin. Anfänglich ist das Verhältnis zwischen dem Autor des Homme machine und d'Argens sehr innig, wie Darget berichtet, kühlt später aber stark ab.. More also here, where it's mentioned that D'Argens wrote anti-La Mettrie publications nearly until his (D'Argens') death.
Singe: yes, that was a typo.
But also, still fascinated that she got to be the exception to the rule.
As a multilingual scholar and ex dancer (the portrait of whose sister by Pesne was hanging in Fritz' rooms at Sanssouci), she was perhaps exceptional enough for Fritz to mentally qualify her as another honorary male, the way he did Wilhelmine. Also D'Argens sounds lovely about her in a letter to Fritz: "For a scholar, it is not a little thing to have a good wife. Since three years, I would have died or gone mad ten times if I hadn't had the fortune to win mine." (written in 1762) (I also find it interesting that EC, whom you wouldn't think to be fond of either Fritz' free-thinking friends or their ex commoner ex ballet dancer wives, sounds as warmly in her reply to the Marquise's condolence letter. It bears repeating: I have always, my dear Marquise, distinguished your late husband as a a very estimable man, and above all by his attachment to the late King, my husband of glorious memory whose death plunges me into the most severe pain. Rest assured that I am very sensitive to the sympathy that you show and I will always be delighted that, having fulfilled all your duties towards your husband, you are rewarded by all the possible happiness. These are the feelings that I will always have for you. Your good Queen: Elisabeth.
It's also a striking contrast to what Nicolai reports about Quintus Icilius' marriage. There, Fritz behaved as usual if someone from his circle wanted to marry (i.e. badly) and finally and grudgingly granted his permission for Quintus Icilius to marry in a striking switch from their usual French correspondence to German. He then proceeded to ignore the existence of Mrs. Quintus Icilius.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: The Sanssouci Table Round (aka Nicolai, Volume I, a)
Date: 2021-03-01 07:53 am (UTC)Singe: yes, that was a typo.
But also, still fascinated that she got to be the exception to the rule.
As a multilingual scholar and ex dancer (the portrait of whose sister by Pesne was hanging in Fritz' rooms at Sanssouci), she was perhaps exceptional enough for Fritz to mentally qualify her as another honorary male, the way he did Wilhelmine. Also D'Argens sounds lovely about her in a letter to Fritz: "For a scholar, it is not a little thing to have a good wife. Since three years, I would have died or gone mad ten times if I hadn't had the fortune to win mine." (written in 1762) (I also find it interesting that EC, whom you wouldn't think to be fond of either Fritz' free-thinking friends or their ex commoner ex ballet dancer wives, sounds as warmly in her reply to the Marquise's condolence letter. It bears repeating: I have always, my dear Marquise, distinguished your late husband as a a very estimable man, and above all by his attachment to the late King, my husband of glorious memory whose death plunges me into the most severe pain. Rest assured that I am very sensitive to the sympathy that you show and I will always be delighted that, having fulfilled all your duties towards your husband, you are rewarded by all the possible happiness. These are the feelings that I will always have for you.
Your good Queen: Elisabeth.
It's also a striking contrast to what Nicolai reports about Quintus Icilius' marriage. There, Fritz behaved as usual if someone from his circle wanted to marry (i.e. badly) and finally and grudgingly granted his permission for Quintus Icilius to marry in a striking switch from their usual French correspondence to German. He then proceeded to ignore the existence of Mrs. Quintus Icilius.