I dimly recall this as well, but alas not the source.
I'm pretty sure it's in Wilhelmine, but what I think I'm remembering is that we later found it backed up in one of the documentary sources, just not which one, or if I'm remembering correctly at all.
Mind you, I imagine back in 1729 he hoped for more than the (good) deal Hans Heinrich had gotten, because that involved working hard away from the royal presence.
Agreed, but I think what Katte would have had as his framework is "royal favor for the family, however that pans out in any given generation," and the real example he would have had before his eyes was Grandpa Wartensleben. Who, may I remind everyone else who needs it, was one of the three chief ministers for F1, who was *not* a micromanaging workaholic like his son and grandson, so the ministers had actual power. And I assume that in Katte's mind would have been the fact that if he had that kind of royal favor *and* he and Fritz were also lovers or at least close friends, as was not the case for HH and FW, then he could parlay that into a nice position that allowed him to spend time with Fritz, while also reaping in the rewards.
But as you say, the actual choices he made were to systematically distance himself from that possibility while drawing ever closer to Fritz, down to the last handkiss as he knelt in the sand.
where in a best case scenario G2 would have supported Fritz' living expenses and Aunt Melusine those of Katte.
And Queen Caroline Peter Keith's, as it played out in real life. ;)
Incidentally, Peter did not end up fabulously wealthy in exile, but he also got to be a gentleman of leisure and study and attend salons indefinitely, so that ended up being a pretty sweet deal. Maybe less so if he wanted to start a family and leave them well off, but as a bachelor in his twenties, that was a pretty good outcome for him financially.
(Unless they really thought G2 would go "Fritz! You poor boy, marry Emily, have Hannover for your income, I'm looking forward to go mano a mano with your Dad AT LAST!" But surely Dickens told them this wasn't likely?)
Indeed--in July, at least, and possibly earlier, Dickens was like, "Please don't run away. Your uncle really doesn't want you showing up. We'll give you money for your debts to keep you from running away."
And Fritz is like, "Okay, if Dad doesn't take me on the trip out west and leaves me behind, I promise not to run away while he's gone."
Later, to Katte, "Hahaha, I left a loophole for if he did take me on the trip, and also I told him I had twice as many debts as I do, so now we've got some money. Let's run away!"
But yeah, they definitely knew they weren't wanted, and if they did show up, they were going to have to push for whatever they got, and they had no way of knowing what that would be. (Peter, without any relatives in England to take him in *or* rich family back home to send him money, really took a gamble.)
it would be, and also with the way many an 18h century and 19th century writer interpreted King Fritz' own take on his past.
I know he said to Mitchell that he had no right to limit his bridal choices by promising in writing never to marry anyone but Emily, and I forget what non-Catt sources we have for other expressions of "I was young and stupid," but I definitely get that vibe from Fritz at least partially.
Voltaire is something of an outlier there with his "FW: an abusive fright"
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Re: Katte psychology examined
Date: 2021-06-28 10:21 pm (UTC)I'm pretty sure it's in Wilhelmine, but what I think I'm remembering is that we later found it backed up in one of the documentary sources, just not which one, or if I'm remembering correctly at all.
Mind you, I imagine back in 1729 he hoped for more than the (good) deal Hans Heinrich had gotten, because that involved working hard away from the royal presence.
Agreed, but I think what Katte would have had as his framework is "royal favor for the family, however that pans out in any given generation," and the real example he would have had before his eyes was Grandpa Wartensleben. Who, may I remind everyone else who needs it, was one of the three chief ministers for F1, who was *not* a micromanaging workaholic like his son and grandson, so the ministers had actual power. And I assume that in Katte's mind would have been the fact that if he had that kind of royal favor *and* he and Fritz were also lovers or at least close friends, as was not the case for HH and FW, then he could parlay that into a nice position that allowed him to spend time with Fritz, while also reaping in the rewards.
But as you say, the actual choices he made were to systematically distance himself from that possibility while drawing ever closer to Fritz, down to the last handkiss as he knelt in the sand.
where in a best case scenario G2 would have supported Fritz' living expenses and Aunt Melusine those of Katte.
And Queen Caroline Peter Keith's, as it played out in real life. ;)
Incidentally, Peter did not end up fabulously wealthy in exile, but he also got to be a gentleman of leisure and study and attend salons indefinitely, so that ended up being a pretty sweet deal. Maybe less so if he wanted to start a family and leave them well off, but as a bachelor in his twenties, that was a pretty good outcome for him financially.
(Unless they really thought G2 would go "Fritz! You poor boy, marry Emily, have Hannover for your income, I'm looking forward to go mano a mano with your Dad AT LAST!" But surely Dickens told them this wasn't likely?)
Indeed--in July, at least, and possibly earlier, Dickens was like, "Please don't run away. Your uncle really doesn't want you showing up. We'll give you money for your debts to keep you from running away."
And Fritz is like, "Okay, if Dad doesn't take me on the trip out west and leaves me behind, I promise not to run away while he's gone."
Later, to Katte, "Hahaha, I left a loophole for if he did take me on the trip, and also I told him I had twice as many debts as I do, so now we've got some money. Let's run away!"
But yeah, they definitely knew they weren't wanted, and if they did show up, they were going to have to push for whatever they got, and they had no way of knowing what that would be. (Peter, without any relatives in England to take him in *or* rich family back home to send him money, really took a gamble.)
it would be, and also with the way many an 18h century and 19th century writer interpreted King Fritz' own take on his past.
I know he said to Mitchell that he had no right to limit his bridal choices by promising in writing never to marry anyone but Emily, and I forget what non-Catt sources we have for other expressions of "I was young and stupid," but I definitely get that vibe from Fritz at least partially.
Voltaire is something of an outlier there with his "FW: an abusive fright"
Voltaire, always an outlier. :D