Chapter 19: The author and his authority

 

The counselor

 

For years, Schiller hat fought against all the odds to make a decent living, sometimes just to stay alive. For many long years, he has sought to assert, months after months all his credentials to obtain the smallest permission, months after months, the cruel and insuperable demands of destiny have always kept him somehow away from his innermost conviction: he wanted to be a writer. And then suddenly, without even asking for it, the tides have turned to his advantages. Without even knowing what to ask, even without being aware to whom to ask, all sorts of good news were, finally, catapulting him at the top of the waves.

 

One after the other, the circumstances would change favorably for him: he did not even precisely know  whom he should be thankful to, as one after the other, privileges and marks of gratitude would flow to him. And all this he owes to just one announcement: that of his next wedding to Charlotte Lengefeld.

 

Who was responsible for this wink of destiny? The ever caring Charlotte Stein?  The influential Coadjutor Dalberg? The scheming Uncle Frederick? Who did unravel the tightly knotted web of his former destiny? Schiller could not believe that it was his marriage alone.

 

From everywhere, the couple would receive honors and presents, something to which Schiller was never used to, in his humble and solitary life. Duke Charles August of  Weimar-Saxony would allocate to the newly married couple the huge sum of 200 Talers, to celebrate the event. In 1781, back in Stuttgart, Schiller remembered that he was paid for his services as Doctor the ridiculous monthly salary of 3 Talers. This sum were allocated to them to begin their wedding under the most auspicious beginning.

 

The Duke of Meiningen would also appoint him as counselor and give him the corresponding yearly treatment, as a compensation for the loss of nobility privileges that Charlotte would automatically face with her marriage to a commoner.

 

Mrs. Lengefeld, Charlotte's mother, before the insistence of her daughter and bowing also certainly from the  pressure, which was unnoticed by the young couple, of her pairs, would finally give her consent to the wedding. She would even promise to give them an annual Pension of 150 Talers.

 

His good friend, the editor Goschen would promise to give him the incredible sum of 400 Talers for his finished manuscript of “The story of the 30 Year war”, an amount never heard before for Schiller.

 

Many other sums, although of smaller amounts, would be given them by their friends and  Schiller's colleagues as the news about their coming wedding was spreading.

 

Schiller, despite all these marks of sympathy did not feel totally at ease to hold the celebrations either in Jena or in Rudolstadt. Something was telling him not to fully trust the surrounding in those two cities. In fact, he dreaded some ominous event during his wedding. Was it the revenge of the abandoned Charlotte Kalb that he was fearing? Was it the hostile reaction of the Korners, and particularly of Minna who showed her total opposition with his plan to marry a noble woman? Schiller did not know exactly what to expect. He was, however, sure of one thing: he did not want to take any chance with  the celebration of his wedding. 

 

Something very strange for the good societies in Jena and Rudolstadt would then happen: the young couple would keep the date and place of their wedding to all their friends, families and colleagues, secret.

 

 

Reviews

[axinite]

A little too obvious as a self portrait. Need to have space between self and subject otherwise people will cringe. Try less summary and more illustrative through actual moments - receiving a phone call, or a rejection letter. Compound emotions in recipient - they might be pushed over the edge and go psycho, which is more interesting than just whining.