I suppose I need more evidence that 1) you never intended to publish, 2) you fully expected everyone would recognize that it was fanfic, which, considering one of your sources was your diary, is a bit much.
There's also the fact that Zimmermann, Nicolai and some of the other early anecdote collectors and biographical writers all talked to Henri de Catt, several were told the suicide pill story, and I think Zimmermann at least was aware that Catt either had written or was in the process of writing his own book, may even have read it. All of which argues that Catt did intend to go public, if not within his own life time, then afterwards.
It's interesting in general to wonder how the various unpublished memoirists thought their memoirs were being treated. Sophie of Hanover insists she writes for herself, and within her life time, Leipniz seems to have been the only one who read them (when she gave them to him while he weas working on a general history of her family). If he hadn't made a copy, it's also questionable whether they would still exist, so she took no care to preserve them. Wilhelmine did take the care of making several copies, and the Memoirs, while unfinished, were a work in progress she redraftet at least twice, and where at least in the later part she does seem to intend it to be read (by her daughter, by future readers). (There is for example late in the memoirs a Fritz-critical passage where she asks the readers, plural to withhold their judgment on "the King" until she's finished her story.) So while self therapy was a big motivator, she was aware, and intended, the memoirs to be read at some future point beyond her and Fritz' lifetimes. (Which did indeed happen.) Hervey also definitely intended the Memoirs to be published, but was aware it would/could not happen in his own life time. (He probably hoped they'd be a bombshell torpedoing Fritz' of Wales' reign as King, not knowing FoW wouldn't outlive him for long.) Otoh, he wasn't careful enough, considering his offspring robbed posterity of some chapters. (Whereas Lady Mary knew this kind of thing would happen to her own writings if she just left them with her family and hence left the manuscript of the Embassy Letters in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Casanova: had published some autobiographical writings within his life time (the story of his escape from the lead chambers, for example, and the story of a duel), along with non-biographical essays. He probably figured and intended that the Memoirs would be published at some point after his death. But he didn't contact any publishers - and he knew several! - to make sure this would happen, so it might never have if his niece hadn't needed the cash.
Voltaire: you bet. Not even a question. Made sure it would happen, too. Rewrote his letters for good measure.
Re: War of the Spanish Succession: French, Dutch, and Bavarian Backstories: Fictional annotations
OH RIGHT, all the word-of-mouth evidence. (Like Catt telling Nicolai that Fritz started believing in the afterlife.)
Right, right, carrying on with the Catt-mocking tradition.
Rewrote his letters for good measure.
Voltaire: literally THE BEST. I should be mad at him over fooling everyone with Pamela for two hundred years, but it's too hilarious not to forgive. Also, Frankfurt, he had legitimate complaints there! Catt wasn't even trashing Fritz, he was just self-aggrandizing at the expense of innocent people who believed him.
Re: War of the Spanish Succession: French, Dutch, and Bavarian Backstories: Fictional annotations
Voltaire: literally THE BEST. I should be mad at him over fooling everyone with Pamela for two hundred years, but it's too hilarious not to forgive.
I knoooow, in principle I guess it's pretty similar to Catt, but in practice I'm kind of like LOLOLOLOL you are such a troll! There's honestly just... something about him rewriting an entire suite of letters and arranging for them to be disseminated after his death that... I just gotta admire the sheer over-the-topness that went into that.
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Re: War of the Spanish Succession: French, Dutch, and Bavarian Backstories: Fictional annotations
There's also the fact that Zimmermann, Nicolai and some of the other early anecdote collectors and biographical writers all talked to Henri de Catt, several were told the suicide pill story, and I think Zimmermann at least was aware that Catt either had written or was in the process of writing his own book, may even have read it. All of which argues that Catt did intend to go public, if not within his own life time, then afterwards.
It's interesting in general to wonder how the various unpublished memoirists thought their memoirs were being treated. Sophie of Hanover insists she writes for herself, and within her life time, Leipniz seems to have been the only one who read them (when she gave them to him while he weas working on a general history of her family). If he hadn't made a copy, it's also questionable whether they would still exist, so she took no care to preserve them. Wilhelmine did take the care of making several copies, and the Memoirs, while unfinished, were a work in progress she redraftet at least twice, and where at least in the later part she does seem to intend it to be read (by her daughter, by future readers). (There is for example late in the memoirs a Fritz-critical passage where she asks the readers, plural to withhold their judgment on "the King" until she's finished her story.) So while self therapy was a big motivator, she was aware, and intended, the memoirs to be read at some future point beyond her and Fritz' lifetimes. (Which did indeed happen.) Hervey also definitely intended the Memoirs to be published, but was aware it would/could not happen in his own life time. (He probably hoped they'd be a bombshell torpedoing Fritz' of Wales' reign as King, not knowing FoW wouldn't outlive him for long.) Otoh, he wasn't careful enough, considering his offspring robbed posterity of some chapters. (Whereas Lady Mary knew this kind of thing would happen to her own writings if she just left them with her family and hence left the manuscript of the Embassy Letters in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Casanova: had published some autobiographical writings within his life time (the story of his escape from the lead chambers, for example, and the story of a duel), along with non-biographical essays. He probably figured and intended that the Memoirs would be published at some point after his death. But he didn't contact any publishers - and he knew several! - to make sure this would happen, so it might never have if his niece hadn't needed the cash.
Voltaire: you bet. Not even a question. Made sure it would happen, too. Rewrote his letters for good measure.
Re: War of the Spanish Succession: French, Dutch, and Bavarian Backstories: Fictional annotations
Right, right, carrying on with the Catt-mocking tradition.
Rewrote his letters for good measure.
Voltaire: literally THE BEST. I should be mad at him over fooling everyone with Pamela for two hundred years, but it's too hilarious not to forgive. Also, Frankfurt, he had legitimate complaints there! Catt wasn't even trashing Fritz, he was just self-aggrandizing at the expense of innocent people who believed him.
Re: War of the Spanish Succession: French, Dutch, and Bavarian Backstories: Fictional annotations
I knoooow, in principle I guess it's pretty similar to Catt, but in practice I'm kind of like LOLOLOLOL you are such a troll! There's honestly just... something about him rewriting an entire suite of letters and arranging for them to be disseminated after his death that... I just gotta admire the sheer over-the-topness that went into that.