selenak: 1.) Zimmermann, as you may recall, is the planet's first Fritz/MT shipper and conspiracy theorist Me: Oh yeah, I remember that now, but mostly I know him as the guy who -- selenak: Of course, the part of Zimmermann's "Fragments" everyone talked about wasn't this, it was the "Fritz: psychologically impotent due to botched penis operation after youth of STD... Me: Yeah, that.
Heh, Nicolai is funny with his "nothing to see here, Herr von Z, move right along!" As well as what you say later about his whole "be nice to the ladies!!" thing.
Nicolai via selenak: He then, as Büsching did, prints signed testimony of the various guys involved to the effect Fritz had a completely normal piece of male equipment without any scarring tissue, meaning there can't have been any operation, botched or not, at any point. Me: Why the heck was everyone so obsessed with Fritz's penis, anyway? [Not words I ever thought I'd say.] Selenak: Because Nicolai is thorough, he also says readers (if they'd made it so far in this unsavoury subject) might wonder what the various people were doing checking Fritz' genitals close enough to look for scarring tissue. Me: ...I am not sure whether I'm impressed that he thought this might be something people would ask about, or sort of freaked out that he's going that far. I guess given that he answered my question, I'll lean towards the impressed side. Maybe.
Zimmermann was filled full of male tenderness (männliche Zärtlichkeit)
That is... really manly tenderness, all right. Wow.
I feel a bit cruel for mocking Zimmermann; it's clear he did adore Fritz and was deeply affected by having to watch someone he loved so extensively be painfully ill without being able to truly help.
Okay, yeah, that sounds rather unfortunate. But also, I mean, broken penis theory :P
and secondly, none of them has ever said a harsh word about the equally Swiss Catt, did they? On the contrary, see all the positive references to Henri de Catt in his and Büschings collections since they talked with him, too. But you see, Z, CATT would never!
(I laughed.) Oh Nicolai, if you only knew!
"Eine Canaille von einem Gott" is my new favourite contemporary Voltaire description.
Why the heck was everyone so obsessed with Fritz's penis, anyway? [Not words I ever thought I'd say.
See, other Kings don't have that effect! You hear about the occasional possible royal penis operation (Louis XVI) as an explanation for fertilty after years of non fertility, but you don't get signed testimonies!
Mind you, while Nicolai entirely blames Voltaire, it did occured to me that we've found out a few months back that not the "botched STD treatment/penis operation = impotence" story, but the youthful STD = impotence" theory predates both Zimmermann and Voltaire by decades, because my guy Boswell hears about it on September 2nd, 1764: He said the King of Prussia had been sadly debauched in his youth: for he used to go to the common bawdy houses as well as to divert himself with the Ladies of the Court. He is now (said Blancho) quite impotent.
So even non-Voltaire readers could possibly have heard rumors that made them look.
Oh, you're right! I remember Boswell had heard the debauched youth and STD stories in 1764, but had forgotten the impotence rumors were making the rounds already. Need not have been Voltaire, then!
I'm increasingly inclined to think Voltaire picked up on existing rumors rather than started them.
Ha. I can definitely see that. Given that they spent some time together at the very least when Heinrich played Catilina to Voltaire's Cicero in the production of Voltaire's play, there was certainly occasion. It would also provide another reason why Heinrich refused to sell his Voltaire letters to Melchior Grimm when the later bought all Voltaire material he could get his hands on for Catherine, and why those letters didn't survive. Clearly, Voltaire had mentioned Heinrich as the source for the impotence tale. (Hey, maybe Heinrich even told him he had it from Marwitz!)
Hey, maybe Heinrich even told him he had it from Marwitz!
Lol! Maybe so! It's my headcanon now, anyway.
It would also provide another reason why Heinrich refused to sell his Voltaire letters to Melchior Grimm when the later bought all Voltaire material he could get his hands on for Catherine, and why those letters didn't survive.
It would also provide another reason why I REALLY wish Heinrich's oral commentary to his friends while reading Voltaire's memoirs aloud had survived. :D
Katte stories and Heinrich commentary, two places where Lehndorff failed in his duties to posterity. But you've given us so much, Lehndorff, that we forgive you. <3
Ha! I missed the Unsent Letters deadline (probably correctly, given the lack of spare time I seem to have right now) but either Heinrich's and Voltaire's letters, or the detailed notes that didn't make it into Lehndorff's diary (or both) would also be an excellent subject for it!
(man I am super asking for epistolary for Yuletide though)
Unsent Letters: I might, but now there's no one I can write the story for. (And as I've found out two Yuletides ago, dedicating a story to a non-participant in a ficathon will sic the mods on you.) :(
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: Nicolai vs Zimmermann and Zimmermann
Me: Oh yeah, I remember that now, but mostly I know him as the guy who --
selenak: Of course, the part of Zimmermann's "Fragments" everyone talked about wasn't this, it was the "Fritz: psychologically impotent due to botched penis operation after youth of STD...
Me: Yeah, that.
Heh, Nicolai is funny with his "nothing to see here, Herr von Z, move right along!" As well as what you say later about his whole "be nice to the ladies!!" thing.
Nicolai via selenak: He then, as Büsching did, prints signed testimony of the various guys involved to the effect Fritz had a completely normal piece of male equipment without any scarring tissue, meaning there can't have been any operation, botched or not, at any point.
Me: Why the heck was everyone so obsessed with Fritz's penis, anyway? [Not words I ever thought I'd say.]
Selenak: Because Nicolai is thorough, he also says readers (if they'd made it so far in this unsavoury subject) might wonder what the various people were doing checking Fritz' genitals close enough to look for scarring tissue.
Me: ...I am not sure whether I'm impressed that he thought this might be something people would ask about, or sort of freaked out that he's going that far. I guess given that he answered my question, I'll lean towards the impressed side. Maybe.
Zimmermann was filled full of male tenderness (männliche Zärtlichkeit)
That is... really manly tenderness, all right. Wow.
I feel a bit cruel for mocking Zimmermann; it's clear he did adore Fritz and was deeply affected by having to watch someone he loved so extensively be painfully ill without being able to truly help.
Okay, yeah, that sounds rather unfortunate. But also, I mean, broken penis theory :P
and secondly, none of them has ever said a harsh word about the equally Swiss Catt, did they? On the contrary, see all the positive references to Henri de Catt in his and Büschings collections since they talked with him, too. But you see, Z, CATT would never!
(I laughed.) Oh Nicolai, if you only knew!
"Eine Canaille von einem Gott" is my new favourite contemporary Voltaire description.
That is pretty awesome :D
Re: Nicolai vs Zimmermann and Zimmermann
See, other Kings don't have that effect! You hear about the occasional possible royal penis operation (Louis XVI) as an explanation for fertilty after years of non fertility, but you don't get signed testimonies!
Mind you, while Nicolai entirely blames Voltaire, it did occured to me that we've found out a few months back that not the "botched STD treatment/penis operation = impotence" story, but the youthful STD = impotence" theory predates both Zimmermann and Voltaire by decades, because my guy Boswell hears about it on September 2nd, 1764: He said the King of Prussia had been sadly debauched in his youth: for he used to go to the common bawdy houses as well as to divert himself with the Ladies of the Court. He is now (said Blancho) quite impotent.
So even non-Voltaire readers could possibly have heard rumors that made them look.
Re: Nicolai vs Zimmermann and Zimmermann
I'm increasingly inclined to think Voltaire picked up on existing rumors rather than started them.
Re: Nicolai vs Zimmermann and Zimmermann
Re: Nicolai vs Zimmermann and Zimmermann
Who told Voltaire?
Re: Who told Voltaire?
Lol! Maybe so! It's my headcanon now, anyway.
It would also provide another reason why Heinrich refused to sell his Voltaire letters to Melchior Grimm when the later bought all Voltaire material he could get his hands on for Catherine, and why those letters didn't survive.
It would also provide another reason why I REALLY wish Heinrich's oral commentary to his friends while reading Voltaire's memoirs aloud had survived. :D
Re: Who told Voltaire?
Lehndorff, you should have taken detailed notes instead of just telling us discreetly you enjoyed the hell out of it!
Re: Who told Voltaire?
Re: Who told Voltaire?
(man I am super asking for epistolary for Yuletide though)
Re: Who told Voltaire?
Re: Who told Voltaire?