Yeah, Volz is definitely biased pro-Fritz in his introduction. I've only read the crown prince part so far, which consists of 25 letter excerpts, most of them very short and six of them AW's. And I do believe Ziebura might have quoted Volz - or quoted the same letters he decided to include as well - since I definitely remembered one of the "here's what Dad is saying about you" reports, as well as his little poem in response to Fritz' muuuuuch longer one. (By far the longest thing he wrote to AW during that time, at least based on what's included here.)
Speaking of bias, though, Mister "Fritz was incapable of friendship and didn't have friends and his letters to Wilhelmine were all just rococo playacting" Luh isn't much better himself IMO. :P Oh, and I see by your comment in the Gundling thread that, although I haven't read the Katte book myself, I got the right impression of Kloosterhuis as a "FW, totally misjudged" proponent? (By the way, he does mention Gundling at least once in the Tabagie book, a half sentence in the preview ("ohne das schlimme Schicksal des alkoholkranken Tabagisten Jakob Paul von Gundling vertuschen zu wollen") which reads to me as leading re: alcoholism and like a "okay, I've mentioned him, now back to the Sehnsuchtsort" dismissal. But, not having read the rest, I could be completely wrong and he discusses him in detail later on.)
I've been wondering if we wanted to acquire the tobacco parliament essay! It's not terribly expensive, but based on my experience with the Katte volume, I probably can't purchase it in the US.
The original essay (33 pages) is part of a collection which is available at the Stabi if Selena wanted to get it at some point. (The collection also contains an essay on crown prince reading lists (for F1/FW/Fritz) and the "nuns and cadets" one on FW as a father, which might also be of interest.) The little book (only 65 pages) is a revised version of that and might not contain too much more.
Speaking of bias, though, Mister "Fritz was incapable of friendship and didn't have friends and his letters to Wilhelmine were all just rococo playacting" Luh isn't much better himself IMO. :P
Oh, quite, he's as biased, just in the other direction. (I seem to recall in his Fritz biography, he's also of the "Fritz loved no one except possibly Fredersdorf" persuasion.)
I got the right impression of Kloosterhuis as a "FW, totally misjudged" proponent?
Yes. It's basically the same argument Fontane concludes his Katte part of the Wanderungen with - that FW acted according to Prussian law, and that all the contemporaries, including Katte's family, agree on this - only with many more quotes.
By the way, he does mention Gundling at least once in the Tabagie book, a half sentence in the preview ("ohne das schlimme Schicksal des alkoholkranken Tabagisten Jakob Paul von Gundling vertuschen zu wollen") which reads to me as leading re: alcoholism and like a "okay, I've mentioned him, now back to the Sehnsuchtsort" dismissal.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Volz on Richter: The Review
Date: 2021-03-31 12:41 pm (UTC)Speaking of bias, though, Mister "Fritz was incapable of friendship and didn't have friends and his letters to Wilhelmine were all just rococo playacting" Luh isn't much better himself IMO. :P
Oh, and I see by your comment in the Gundling thread that, although I haven't read the Katte book myself, I got the right impression of Kloosterhuis as a "FW, totally misjudged" proponent? (By the way, he does mention Gundling at least once in the Tabagie book, a half sentence in the preview ("ohne das schlimme Schicksal des alkoholkranken Tabagisten Jakob Paul von Gundling vertuschen zu wollen") which reads to me as leading re: alcoholism and like a "okay, I've mentioned him, now back to the Sehnsuchtsort" dismissal. But, not having read the rest, I could be completely wrong and he discusses him in detail later on.)
Re: Volz on Richter: The Review
Date: 2021-03-31 12:45 pm (UTC)Re: Volz on Richter: The Review
Date: 2021-03-31 06:17 pm (UTC)Re: Volz on Richter: The Review
Date: 2021-03-31 06:26 pm (UTC)Re: Volz on Richter: The Review
Date: 2021-04-01 08:02 am (UTC)Re: Volz on Richter: The Review
Date: 2021-03-31 01:17 pm (UTC)Oh, quite, he's as biased, just in the other direction. (I seem to recall in his Fritz biography, he's also of the "Fritz loved no one except possibly Fredersdorf" persuasion.)
I got the right impression of Kloosterhuis as a "FW, totally misjudged" proponent?
Yes. It's basically the same argument Fontane concludes his Katte part of the Wanderungen with - that FW acted according to Prussian law, and that all the contemporaries, including Katte's family, agree on this - only with many more quotes.
By the way, he does mention Gundling at least once in the Tabagie book, a half sentence in the preview ("ohne das schlimme Schicksal des alkoholkranken Tabagisten Jakob Paul von Gundling vertuschen zu wollen") which reads to me as leading re: alcoholism and like a "okay, I've mentioned him, now back to the Sehnsuchtsort" dismissal.
That's what it sounds like to me as well.