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Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 44
Not only are these posts still going, there is now (more) original research going on in them deciphering and translating letters in archives that apparently no one has bothered to look at before?? (Which has now conclusively exonerated Fritz's valet/chamberlain Fredersdorf from the charge that he was dismissed because of financial irregularities and died shortly thereafter "ashamed of his lost honor," as Wikipedia would have it. I'M JUST SAYING.)
Re: 18th Century Letters from non celebrities on Salon relevant matters
Oh noooooo! WHY must history not conform to my expectations of tidy happy endings :PP
and he quotes from Lessing's heartbroken letter to Luise, and they both agree that this is the worst fate.
THIS IS TERRIBLE
Alas this happens when Boje first visits Copenhagen and comes across mad King Christian in the royal park which we're told but don't get to read he describes to Luise in detail.
This is extremely annoying in a completely different way!
and as much as I was infuriated by a lot in them, I couldn't stop reading. It's undoubtedly written by him, at least I don't know anyone who could imitate his style so perfectly.
LOL, the first sentence is evidence of the second!
May God save every man from having such a friend and companion.
I mean, most of us think that! Except... I guess.. for Voltaire and Fritz.
young Fritz was only thus because he was seduced by "französische Witzlinge" says something about Fritz' succesful image crafting and is of course a dig at Voltaire himself.
lolololol of course it is! (Me: Who are these French buffoons he talks about? Selena: Voltaire! Me: OH!)
Re: 18th Century Letters from non celebrities on Salon relevant matters
This is extremely annoying in a completely different way!
LOL, what I thought. I can just see the 1960s editor going "who cares about what Boje thought of King Christian?", to which the obvious reply is "Salon cares!"
LOL, the first sentence is evidence of the second!
Indeed!
May God save every man from having such a friend and companion.
I mean, most of us think that! Except... I guess.. for Voltaire and Fritz.
Quite. I mean, it would have been incredibly stressful to be friends with either of them (let alone both at the same time), BUT on the bright side, as has been pointed out by his biographer and you, Voltaire's vices are directly connected to his virtues, i.e. he's a truly good friend to have when being in a tight spot. He will fight for you. Chances are that he might after decades still carry a grudge about an old slight from you, and his trash talking you is all but guaranteed, but if you're in distress, and he cares, he will be there with terrier like tenacity.
I think the reasons why you have fare more contemporaries going "poor Fritz, for having such a bad friend" while far more present day writer folk are going "poor Voltaire, ditto" are
a) 18th century pre revolution people give Fritz a bonus for being a King alone. He's doing something to Voltaire by condescending to have a relationship in the first place, and Voltaire, who isn't even a noble by birth, behaves like this is nothing. Present day people tend to see this as part of a "man of power vs man of intellect" struggle and are prone to sympathize with the intellectual instead.
b) Much of what Fritz did to Voltaire, like the forging of a poem so Voltaire would get another arrest warrent and be forced to flee to Prussia, wasn't known in the 18th century. Of course the big Frankfurt arrest was (Voltaire made sure no one would ever forget it), but I can see 18th century people concluding Voltaire had it coming for taking Fritz' poetry with him in the first place. Ditto for the public burning of the "Doktor Akakia" pamphlet, which to us (and sure as hell to Voltaire) is Fritz breaking one of his own principles in favour of resorting of an old school anti enlightened barbaric punishment, plus the burning of books has even worse overtones now than it had then. Wheraes to many 18th century people, it would be an okay punishment after Voltaire had been warned, promised not to trash talk anyone and doubled down on the trash talking thereafter.
b
I'm also remembering how Andrew Mitchell when reporting how Fritz on the one hand trash talks Voltaire but on the other is addicted to answering his letters and is ever so happy when the next one arrives is afraid that cunning Voltaire will use this to spy for the French and elicit military secrets out of poor, poor Fritz. I mean. Leaving aside Voltaire failed at spying even when he was actually in Prussia, this shows you how a contemporary who isn't naive still is prone to see Fritz was the wronged party in his conflict with Voltaire. (Mind you, this is early in the 7 Years War, when Mitchell is definitely hero worshipping Fritz (and suspects of Heinrich of being ready to sell out Prussia to the French behind everyone's back because he's an evil scheming Prince, not knowing that Fritz used both Wilhelmine and Heinrich to sound out the French for conditions for a separate peace without telling the Brits anything, and of course Mitchell would do a 180% in his Heinrich opinion once he got to know him).
Me: Who are these French buffoons he talks about? Selena: Voltaire! Me: OH!
Well, it sure as hell wasn't Duhan the old teacher. :) Of course, FW suspected Fritz of being seduced by generic French types back in the day, but Boje can't have read FW's letters.
Re: 18th Century Letters from non celebrities on Salon relevant matters
Yeah, I mean... and one of the parties here was VERY PUBLIC about alllll the dirt he was writing and trash-talking he was doing, I totally understand the sentiment of "oh geez, it's Voltaire, what do you expect?" :)