I should say something final about the Göse biography here, since I'm too annoyed for a proper write up. While it opens with Crown Prince FW and ends with his death, it's not structured chronologically as such but thematically, i.e. inner politics (in various subsections), foreign politics (again, various subsections), cultural activities, family. From what I can see, it does a reasonable good job explaining Prussia's involvement (or lack of same) in the various alliances and wars fought in Europe during FW's reign, and how FW's restructuring and reforms within Prussia worked. It also actually goes against the image of poor exploited by the Imperials FW by pointing out he wasn't above diplomatic double dealing himself (see also: War of Polish Succession), and admits FW's tendency to take everything personal and let his feelings influence his strategy was a severe hindrance in his dealings with Britain/Hannover once G2 was on the throne (he wasn't bff with his father-in-law, but they got along reasonably well), with the bonkers Klement affair being another case in point because of the lasting paranoia and the unwillingness to accept Clement/Klement really did make it all up. Oh, and there's this.
Göse: Yeah, well...I could rationalize his antisemitism by pointing out nearly everyone was in that age and that in the end he didn't kick them out of Prussia despite once threatening to because of the economic benefits, but after just doing that, I'll say I won't. So. Yes. He was antisemitic.
FW's antisemitic remarks aside, Göse's favourite adjective is "exaggarated" (not just in terms of Wilhelmine) when dealing with FW unfriendly sources. He also sometimes contradicts himself:
Göse: Oh, and there's this story about FW and G2 starting their feud as kids in Hannover. I'm sceptical, given the five years age difference, which surely for children and youths that age means they hardly interacted.
Göse when later referring to the G2/FW relationship: Their mutual animosity, which as we've seen dates back to their childhood in Hannover....
Speaking of Team Hannover, one thing that is unusual and unexpected in a FW friendly author is that he doesn't bash SD for both her pro-English Marriage policy and not appreciating FW being a Bürger husband to her enough; instead, as mentioned, he brings up Wilhelmine saying that her parents did love each other early in the memoirs and points to "Fieke" and "Fiekchen" and FW seeking out her company to the very end as proof they did develop human closeness to an unusual degree for a royal couple, despite the massive clashes.
I'm already complained about the way he resorts to passive constructions when summarizing Gundling's treatment, and the severe source twisting in his presentation of FW, passively tolerant father of gay sons who thoughtfully provided Heinrich with a gay governor and left both him and Fritz well enough alone to do as they pleased in terms of sexual inclination. That Göse does this, btw, isn't encouraging in terms of having faith in his presentation of other matters, but then I'm not interested enough in, say, the war of Nordic Succession to bother checking up on this.
So, all in all: claims to be a "man in his times, not an old fashioned personality portrait style biography", succeeds with the "and his times" part but serves up so much bias without admitting to that it makes you long for those 19th century guys who openly admit they're biased as hell.
So, all in all: claims to be a "man in his times, not an old fashioned personality portrait style biography", succeeds with the "and his times" part but serves up so much bias without admitting to that it makes you long for those 19th century guys who openly admit they're biased as hell.
YES This (or rather the opposite of this) was how I felt about Orieux, like, he was openly opinionated about a lot of things, but he admitted pretty frankly to it and said why. The bias without admitting to it drives me NUTS.
Isn't Stollberg-Rillinger working on a FW bio? That should be interesting.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: FW and the Younglings
Date: 2021-04-16 04:36 am (UTC)Subsection: FW and Jews.
Göse: Yeah, well...I could rationalize his antisemitism by pointing out nearly everyone was in that age and that in the end he didn't kick them out of Prussia despite once threatening to because of the economic benefits, but after just doing that, I'll say I won't. So. Yes. He was antisemitic.
FW's antisemitic remarks aside, Göse's favourite adjective is "exaggarated" (not just in terms of Wilhelmine) when dealing with FW unfriendly sources. He also sometimes contradicts himself:
Göse: Oh, and there's this story about FW and G2 starting their feud as kids in Hannover. I'm sceptical, given the five years age difference, which surely for children and youths that age means they hardly interacted.
Göse when later referring to the G2/FW relationship: Their mutual animosity, which as we've seen dates back to their childhood in Hannover....
Speaking of Team Hannover, one thing that is unusual and unexpected in a FW friendly author is that he doesn't bash SD for both her pro-English Marriage policy and not appreciating FW being a Bürger husband to her enough; instead, as mentioned, he brings up Wilhelmine saying that her parents did love each other early in the memoirs and points to "Fieke" and "Fiekchen" and FW seeking out her company to the very end as proof they did develop human closeness to an unusual degree for a royal couple, despite the massive clashes.
I'm already complained about the way he resorts to passive constructions when summarizing Gundling's treatment, and the severe source twisting in his presentation of FW, passively tolerant father of gay sons who thoughtfully provided Heinrich with a gay governor and left both him and Fritz well enough alone to do as they pleased in terms of sexual inclination. That Göse does this, btw, isn't encouraging in terms of having faith in his presentation of other matters, but then I'm not interested enough in, say, the war of Nordic Succession to bother checking up on this.
So, all in all: claims to be a "man in his times, not an old fashioned personality portrait style biography", succeeds with the "and his times" part but serves up so much bias without admitting to that it makes you long for those 19th century guys who openly admit they're biased as hell.
Re: FW and the Younglings
Date: 2021-04-16 05:12 am (UTC)YES
This (or rather the opposite of this) was how I felt about Orieux, like, he was openly opinionated about a lot of things, but he admitted pretty frankly to it and said why. The bias without admitting to it drives me NUTS.
Isn't Stollberg-Rillinger working on a FW bio? That should be interesting.