![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cahnMore diaries of our favorite 18th-century Prussian diary-keeper have been unearthed and have been synopsized!
January 18th: Blessed be thou to me! Under your light, my Prince Heinrich was born!
January 18th: Blessed be thou to me! Under your light, my Prince Heinrich was born!
Re: Katte
Date: 2022-09-05 11:27 am (UTC)Correct, Ingersleben is our teacup man!
To quote
Speaking of Trick or Treat fairy-tale motifs! To quote you:
Heart: sorry, [personal profile] mildred_of_midgard, I have no idea. Though the Sandman and fairy tale reader in me now wonders whether you could construct a fairy tale version whether the heart was from Fritz, which he gave to Katte to keep, and which ended up in the Prussian State's possession, hence the entirety of the rest of Fritz' life!
Though Spaen shows up in Nicolai, I think?
Also correct!
Frederick the Great had done nothing for Spaen after his ascension; but when he travelled to Kleve in the year 1763, he did take lodgings with General von Spaen, was very gracious and confidential towards him, reminded him of stories of their shared youth, but did not mention the year 1730 with one word; which is why General von Spaen used to joke that the King had an excellent memory right up to 1730.
Kloosterhuis says Spaen was cashiered, imprisoned 3 years in in Spandau (starting November 7, 1730), and then went into Dutch service.
I can see why you would want Fritz to acknowledge you made a sacrifice!
THERAPY FOR EVERYONE
Re: the second excerpt, I see the conclusion as a bit more ambigously - the "If he did go, I would try to get free from here" can also mean that Katte, still recounting his conversation with Spaen, told Spaen that if he were Spaen, he'd follow Fritz in the event that Fritz does manage to escape.
Ahh, yes. Could be. I saw multiple ways of interpreting that sentence, but I didn't come up with that one. Interesting!
Katte, why so ambiguous?? Twenty-first century readers need to know!
It's entirely possible Katte was more quickly into Fritz than Fritz was into him, though that's the reverse of how all the fictionalisations I'm aware of play it. :)
Right? But given that Fritz is CROWN PRINCE, and Katte is someone Fritz took an immediate dislike to and had to be won around, I could see it playing out so that Katte falls first.
Roes: Yeah, my impression is that he's super side-eyeing all the crazy 18th century stuff he sees/gets involved in, like duels and hazing rituals (like riding horses into people's salons), and, like, it's entirely possible that Katte was totally into all this. :P We know (or at least strongly deduce) that Katte was reluctant to join the escape attempt, given the evidence that Fritz had to lie to him, but...maybe that's a case of, "You know your escape plan is poorly thought out when even Lieutenant Hans Hermann 'My middle name is Impulsive' von Katte thinks it's a bad idea," rather than "Katte's fate in life is to always find himself playing the role of Only Sane Man."
(I'm now imagining a scenario where Katte *does* make an impulse trip all the way to Madrid, only he hasn't bothered to find out that 1) Rottembourg isn't ambassador any more, 2) the Spanish court is in Andalusia, and thus Katte's very surprised when he arrives. Speaking of which,
Re: Katte
Date: 2022-09-06 08:03 am (UTC)Kloosterhuis says Spaen was cashiered, imprisoned 3 years in in Spandau (starting November 7, 1730), and then went into Dutch service.
I can see why you would want Fritz to acknowledge you made a sacrifice!
Peter Keith: Join the club.
Doris Ritter: MEN.
Duhan: He acknowledged me! With the same text as Algarotti, no less!
Right? But given that Fritz is CROWN PRINCE, and Katte is someone Fritz took an immediate dislike to and had to be won around, I could see it playing out so that Katte falls first.
Trying to think of it: is there a (pro)fictional version which even includes Fritz originally being distant? Let alone Katte falling for him first (even in a platonic version)? I can't think of one. (In Roes, he's sorry for Fritz the moment he sees him, but the later emotional and then physical intimacy is all initialized by Fritz. And let's not even mention the Katte/Wilhelmine shipping musical in this context.) Despite, as you say, it making sense.
HOWEVER, and speaking of
maybe that's a case of, "You know your escape plan is poorly thought out when even Lieutenant Hans Hermann 'My middle name is Impulsive' von Katte thinks it's a bad idea," rather than "Katte's fate in life is to always find himself playing the role of Only Sane Man."
*nods* And that's why in an AU where Fritz successfully escapes, and Katte as well, you'd have to change the plan, methinks.
Re: Katte
Date: 2022-09-09 05:02 am (UTC)Doris Ritter: MEN.
Duhan: He acknowledged me! With the same text as Algarotti, no less!
Hee, but also :(
And let's not even mention the Katte/Wilhelmine shipping musical in this context.
Lolololol!
her stories about Katte and Fritz, especially the last one, are the only ones I can think of where Katte has that cheerful energy which salon has decided he must have had
Aw man, there's only one in English! Right, I'll have to read that one.
Re: Katte
Date: 2022-09-18 08:43 pm (UTC)He called you his true father! He visited your deathbed and wrote nice things about himself in the third person for doing so! (iirc)
I'm not sure why you're never listed among the "The only person Fritz ever REALLY loved was" statements that biographers love making.
Trying to think of it: is there a (pro)fictional version which even includes Fritz originally being distant?
I mean, I'm not the (pro)fictional expert here, but nothing is coming to mind. And this is the guy who the trial records said initially took a dislike to Katte!
HOWEVER, and speaking of [personal profile] prinzsorgenfrei: her stories about Katte and Fritz, especially the last one, are the only ones I can think of where Katte has that cheerful energy which salon has decided he must have had
Gaah, I am so behind on fanfic! But that is good to know. And good for her!
(like Keyslerlingk and Algarotti, evidently something Fritz was attracted to)
Based on things Fritz wrote, I think he was attracted to it because he had depressive tendencies/PTSD, and being around cheerful people had a tonic effect on him. <3 I think Peter lost out because he *didn't* have this going for him.
Re: Katte
Date: 2022-09-09 04:59 am (UTC)Kloosterhuis says Spaen was cashiered, imprisoned 3 years in in Spandau (starting November 7, 1730), and then went into Dutch service.
I can see why you would want Fritz to acknowledge you made a sacrifice!
THERAPY FOR EVERYONE
:(
maybe that's a case of, "You know your escape plan is poorly thought out when even Lieutenant Hans Hermann 'My middle name is Impulsive' von Katte thinks it's a bad idea,"
Heh. Aw.
It does remind me of the story with him and Quantz -- I feel like sometimes people who are impulsive can also think quickly in a crisis because they're sort of used to thinking (sometimes too) quickly. Which I think you said to me maybe when writing the Katte fic? when you were cautioning me against making him too thoughtful.