• 198c. Friedrich Schlegel to Auguste Böhmer in Jena: Berlin, March/April 1798 [*]
[Berlin, March/April 1798]
|628| Dearest Auguste, let me thank you very much for your short letter and let me also request more. Tell me as much as possible especially about Hardenberg, and also as much as possible about everyone else. Give my regards to your friend Cäcilie as well as, if she does not make too unfriendly a face, to your mother. [1]
Your Friedrich
Since I had to write Wilhelm so much today and have so much to do, surely you will forgive me for writing you only this short note. [2]
Notes
[*] Source: Schmidt (1913), 1:628 (letter no. 14); Waitz (1871), 1:363; reprinted in KFSA 24:119. No supplementary material from Otto Braun, “Friedrich Schlegel an Auguste Böhmer,” Das literarische Echo 19 (August 1917), 1371–77.
Dating according to KFSA 24:383n60.1, which adduces the presence of Friedrich von Hardenberg, who visited Jena in late March 1798 (though see below).
Concerning the textual history of Friedrich Schlegel’s letters to Auguste Böhmer, see supplementary appendix 181d.1. Back.
[1] Concerning Friedrich’s half-jest here, see the following extracts from Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki’s humorous series of period caricatures from the Goettinger Taschen Calendar vom Jahr 1790 (Inhaltsverzeichnis deutscher Almanache, Theodor Springmann Stiftung):
Concerning Luise and Cäcilie Gotter’s visit in Jena, see Caroline’s letter to Luise Gotter on 11 February 1798 (letter 195) with note 2; Cäcilie seems to have returned to Gotha sometime in April (see Caroline’s undated letter to Luise Gotter in April 1798 [letter 199]).
Concerning the tension between Friedrich and Caroline during this period, see esp. Friedrich’s letters to Wilhelm Schlegel on 6 and 25 March 1798 (letters 198, 198b). Back.
[2] Friedrich’s reference to having had to write so much to Wilhelm might suggest this letter was posted the same day as his lengthy letter to Wilhelm on 25 March 1798 (KFSA 24:106–15; excerpts in letter 198b). Back.
Translation © 2012 Doug Stott