Stratemann, unexpected source. Although I did remember you telling us about his reports on unsuccessful successor recruitment efforts, which read even less lighthearted now.
But seriously, the cruelty of it all is breathtaking every time I read about it.
Totally. I kind of just wanted to stop reading once I encountered the pig detail. :(
And then I got to the money detail, which, really? There's so much effort put into this from FW's side.
Yes, and that makes it really so... I mean, the other awful things FW does and says, I have no trouble to understand the psychological motivation for. With Fritz, he never really gets over the part where as a young father he imagined they'd have the perfect loving father/son relationship and Fritz would be just like him and happy that FW saves from boring Latin and boring ancient history and boring French literature, and then Fritz likes all that and is afraid of FW and lies and WHY IS THE WRETCHED BOY SO UNGRATEFUL? Executing Katte isn't about Katte, it's about punishing Fritz. Exploding at SD is because she, too, is ungrateful (he's faithful to her! Has no mistresses! No bastards! Keeps her with him instead of living apart most of the time! What more does she want?), and the older the children get, the more he blames her for turning them against him. And his mutual hate-on with G2 is just one of those childhood things that can happen within a family, aided and abetted by the fact they're way too much alike. But this systematic tormenting of Gundling even beyond death? If he ever had been in Gundling's power and abused, I'd get where it comes from, but as it is, I'm left with Klepper's and Stade's novelistic theory that in his heart, he knew Gundling had been right in his comments, and therefore Gundling had to be humiliated and shown beyond the shadow of a doubt as being someone whom no one, including FW himself, could possibly believe to be right about anything.
I mean, the other awful things FW does and says, I have no trouble to understand the psychological motivation for.
Yes, this! Like, for all those things I can have a tiny amount of -- idk if I should even call it sympathy, but at least where I see where he's coming from, even if I think he's horrible. But Gundling is just... beyond the pale.
Totally. I kind of just wanted to stop reading once I encountered the pig detail. :(
I knoooow. Katte is the kind of tragedy that's terrible to live through and be affected by, but clean enough to be enjoyable to the romantic fannish mind. Gundling's fate is just nauseating. The poor guy.
And apparently practically *everyone* stops reading when they get to FW and Gundling, and develops selective amnesia, ugh.
selenak, I was going to say, I was incorporating your chronology additions into the master chronology this weekend, and it was really just dizzying watching it go back and forth between "FW tortures Gundling" and "FW ennobles Gundling" and "FW tortures Gundling some more" and "FW appoints Gundling to some prestigious position." It just read like the abuser's playbook (I can't take credit for this term; rachelmanija used it in an email to me, and it's always stuck with me, because there are so many times you see people following this very specific pattern).
it was really just dizzying watching it go back and forth between "FW tortures Gundling" and "FW ennobles Gundling" and "FW tortures Gundling some more" and "FW appoints Gundling to some prestigious position." It just read like the abuser's playbook
Doesn't it just? Though I'm entirely ready to believe FW was acting on instinct, not well thought out long term plans; I mean, we're talking about the man with zero child psychology knowledge who never could figure out why his plan of becoming the fun parent and let SD be the scary discipline parent did not work out, and why his choices to keep his sons chaste and religious teenagers really weren't best suited for such an endeavour.
But when it came to providing just enough incentive to create a state where Gundling could tell himself "it's worth hanging on for" or "I'll be worse off if I leave", and create an atmosphere of perpetual fear, he was dead on. It also makes sense that a younger man like Fassmann, after trying very hard to get the job to begin with, couldn't stand it for more than a few months. Presumably Fassmann had told himself all the humiliations were clearly solely Gundling's fault for being a coward which endured them, that FW by contrasted respected him and would never let him be treated the same way, and when he realised this was self delusion, he called it quits.
And apparently practically *everyone* stops reading when they get to FW and Gundling, and develops selective amnesia, ugh.
Including Wusterhausen guides. I think I told you when I was there the one present said re: the painting showing him "this was the King's fool", and no more.
Katte is the kind of tragedy that's terrible to live through and be affected by, but clean enough to be enjoyable to the romantic fannish mind. Gundling's fate is just nauseating. The poor guy.
THIIIIS.
I don't think it is rachel's original term either; it's a term I've seen used in other places for that kind of abusive pattern. But yes, ugggggh.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Stratemann on Gundling's funeral.
Date: 2021-03-29 10:58 pm (UTC)But seriously, the cruelty of it all is breathtaking every time I read about it.
Totally. I kind of just wanted to stop reading once I encountered the pig detail. :(
And then I got to the money detail, which, really? There's so much effort put into this from FW's side.
Re: Stratemann on Gundling's funeral.
Date: 2021-03-30 07:14 am (UTC)Re: Stratemann on Gundling's funeral.
Date: 2021-04-01 05:31 am (UTC)Yes, this! Like, for all those things I can have a tiny amount of -- idk if I should even call it sympathy, but at least where I see where he's coming from, even if I think he's horrible. But Gundling is just... beyond the pale.
Re: Stratemann on Gundling's funeral.
Date: 2021-03-30 04:37 pm (UTC)I knoooow. Katte is the kind of tragedy that's terrible to live through and be affected by, but clean enough to be enjoyable to the romantic fannish mind. Gundling's fate is just nauseating. The poor guy.
And apparently practically *everyone* stops reading when they get to FW and Gundling, and develops selective amnesia, ugh.
UGH FOREVER.
Re: Stratemann on Gundling's funeral.
Date: 2021-03-31 08:45 am (UTC)Doesn't it just? Though I'm entirely ready to believe FW was acting on instinct, not well thought out long term plans; I mean, we're talking about the man with zero child psychology knowledge who never could figure out why his plan of becoming the fun parent and let SD be the scary discipline parent did not work out, and why his choices to keep his sons chaste and religious teenagers really weren't best suited for such an endeavour.
But when it came to providing just enough incentive to create a state where Gundling could tell himself "it's worth hanging on for" or "I'll be worse off if I leave", and create an atmosphere of perpetual fear, he was dead on. It also makes sense that a younger man like Fassmann, after trying very hard to get the job to begin with, couldn't stand it for more than a few months. Presumably Fassmann had told himself all the humiliations were clearly solely Gundling's fault for being a coward which endured them, that FW by contrasted respected him and would never let him be treated the same way, and when he realised this was self delusion, he called it quits.
And apparently practically *everyone* stops reading when they get to FW and Gundling, and develops selective amnesia, ugh.
Including Wusterhausen guides. I think I told you when I was there the one present said re: the painting showing him "this was the King's fool", and no more.
Re: Stratemann on Gundling's funeral.
Date: 2021-04-01 05:33 am (UTC)THIIIIS.
I don't think it is rachel's original term either; it's a term I've seen used in other places for that kind of abusive pattern. But yes, ugggggh.