#emil bhaer

[joandfriedrich]

What do you think happened between Minna Bhaer and Franz's and Emil's father? I often think about it.

I have a headcanon that they worked in a newspaper in Berlin. She followed him and they traveled to America, but he left her and then she became ill and Fritz found her and the boys from the poor house.

That is the puzzle of the ages, at least in the Little Women fandom. In order to answer this properly, I had to dig a little deeper into what was historically happening at the time when Minna would have met and went to America with her husband. Going by your timeline, which I trust completely, Franz was born in 1859 and Emil 1861, so his parents would have had to have met during the 1850s.

All that we know of Minna’s husband/Mr. Hoffmann is that he is American, and is not in the picture by the time Friedrich comes over to America. Things that I inferred from the text is that Mr. Hoffmann isn’t a sore spot for Friedrich or the boys (could be possible for the boys to not remember much of their father), but I personally think that the Hoffmann’s were just a simple family that had fallen on hard times and tragedy struck the parents down. I don’t believe that Friedrich, being the family man that he is, would allow his sister to go and marry some man that he hasn’t met or felt he could trust, given their history of their own father abandoning them. But before I go into that, let’s take a look at the history that was surrounding Germany and America at this time.

Germany during the 1850s had political issues, religious turmoil, and economic struggles, and according to the research I did, it was during this time that a huge number of Germans had travelled over to America, as mainly due to there was hardly any place that would welcome German immigrants. Between 1845-1855 alone, more than a million Germans came to America, and in 1854, it was recorded that 215,000 Germans came over. America took advantage of this influx of immigrants and hired them to work in some of the most labor-intensive jobs, like building canals and railroads.

You suggest that perhaps they were journalists in Berlin and possibly in America. For anyone that is wondering, there was indeed a German language magazine in New York City, known as “New Yorker Staats-Zeitung” founded in the 1830s. It was established by German-American business men, and it was incredibly popular and profitable all the way into the 1960s. While I think it is intriguing to think that they became journalists in America, there is something that throws doubt in my mind.

Friedrich was a highly thought of and brilliant professor in Germany, with qualifications that would be ideal for any university, and yet, he was unable to get that kind of job, and was stuck being a tutor in the Kirke boarding house. The sad reality of this time is that, regardless of what skills and education you may have had in your homeland, it was hardly appreciated in America. While Germans had established their own communities and were a respected immigrant group, they too faced prejudice in the work force, especially by the American born citizens who disliked immigrants taking jobs away from them. It took Friedrich years and the luck of his wife inheriting a large house turned school, to become a teacher, and in much later in life a president of a school, so I can’t imagine that finding a high profile and paying job like that would have come easy.

Also, I think it is highly unlikely that Minna would have been a journalist in Berlin, because during the 1850s, it was against the law for women to be a part of political events, or be associated with anything that deals with politics, and newspapers/magazines did such that. She wouldn’t have had the experience to be able to do that and transfer that knowledge to America, and women’s rights would have become common in Germany in the 1870s, long after she had moved to America and had passed away. As much as it is an interesting background, I don’t feel confident that she would have worked for a newspaper company.

There is something interesting to note about the name Hoffmann, something that could give a clue into Mr. Hoffmann’s background. It is of German origin, but it is also a common name for anyone of Jewish origin. During the 1850s, there were many German Jews living at this time, just as much as there were German Christians, and I wonder if there may be a possibility of Mr. Hoffmann being Jewish. We know the Bhaers are Christian, but as we see with Friedrich, are not prejudice towards them. This unlocks a new avenue of possibilities that could be explored and explain more about the mysterious Mr. Hoffmann.

If we do believe him to be of Jewish origin, it can answer a question that I had for the longest time. Why didn’t Minna ask any of Mr. Hoffmann’s family to raise her boys after she died if she was dedicated to having them raised in America? Most likely because they were unhappy at their son, a Jewish man, married to a Christian woman and disowned him. With no American in-laws to help, who else can Minna turned to, other than her only living relative and one she trusts utterly, her own brother.

Here is my personal headcanon of the mysterious Mr. Hoffmann and his relationship with Minna:

Mr. Hoffmann’s parents came to America to avoid the discriminatory and heavy laws that were put against Jews during that time in Germany. Along with some other Jewish families, the Hoffmann’s helped to establish a bank in New York City, allowing them to earn money to raise their family in a middle class setting. He was raised with care, went to good schools, wore fine clothes, and was given opportunities to have interests, one he deeply loved was music, but still faced prejudice due to his Jewish background. While his parents were progressive in thoughts of women’s rights, abolition, and sex education, they are old fashioned when it comes to one thing, religion; people ought to marry within their own religion, and after everything they had gone through, they had a great distrust in Christians.

Because they encouraged him to be interested in social and political matters, Mr. Hoffmann attends meetings and reads newspapers that not only express ideals he was brought up in, but helps to broaden his knowledge of things his parents wouldn’t normally talk about, and has friends from all different kinds of backgrounds. To him, America is the melting pot of cultures and the hope for a more unified world, which is something his parents disagree, thinking each culture ought to stay with their own, especially as an effort to preserve it. He got the best education he was afforded, and was expected to have a place in his father’s bank, but wanting to do something on his own merit, he used his money to buy a little music store and has managed it with great success. His parents see this as a hobby, which saddens him that they don’t seem to understand that he likes managing the store, but he lets it go for the time.

Once he became a young man, he decided to travel back to Germany to see what his parents’ homeland was like, wondering if things had changed then, and that was how he managed to meet Minna. He got lost and was trying to find his old home, when he asked a young lady to help him, and they hit it off wonderfully. Minna Bhaer is a kind and bright young woman, and shows him around the city, answering his questions, and when he commends her for how bright she is, she blushes and says that credit goes to her brother who is a great teacher. Inviting him to dinner, she introduces him to Friedrich, who was very welcoming to the young man, and they listened to the tales of America, just as they shared how Germany has become the country it is now since his parents left. They talk about music, philosophy, religion, and progressive ideas, which Mr. Hoffmann is grateful to meet like minded people as him.

Mr. Hoffmann had planned to stay only for at most a month, but he found that the warmth of the Bhaer home was too wonderful to leave so soon, especially of the company of the young Minna. One month turned to two, two to four, and it was very clear to Friedrich that a romance is blossoming between the two. While he has no objections against his religion or taking her to America, he does grill him in how Mr. Hoffmann will take care of his bride, not only financially, but emotionally. Minna had told Mr. Hoffmann about how their father walked out of the family, and while she was too young to remember him and care that much, she shares that Friedrich still carries that wound, and he understands Friedrich’s concern of a possibility of Minna being abandoned by both a father and husband.

Mr. Hoffmann knew that there was a good chance that they would not accept her, may even disown him, but he loved Minna very much and explained that he had a store of his own that was doing well and would provide for them both, and whatever children they will have. Friedrich, satisfied that Minna would be taken care of, gives his blessings to the pair, and they marry in a civil ceremony in Germany before travelling back to America.

When Mr. Hoffmann tells his parents of his marriage, they are enraged that he would marry a Christian, when it’s his duty to marry a good Jewish woman. Because Jews go by the lineage of their mothers, not their fathers, they are upset that their children will not be “real Jews”, no matter what Minna tries to say or do to make it the whole thing fair to everyone. They cut him off, explain that he is dead to them and he never hears from them again. While he is upset his parents aren’t accepting of his choice, he doesn’t regret loving Minna, and they work hard the next year to make their store a success, and find that they are expecting.

First came Franz in 1859, named after their favorite composer Franz Shubert, then in 1961 Emil, a name shared by both of their grandfathers. Mr. Hoffmann sent letters telling his parents of each son’s birth, but received no reply and expected no visit, which did hurt him though it wasn’t unexpected. Despite his parent’s rejection, and Friedrich being on a different continent (that doesn’t stop him from sending gifts to the boys on their birthdays), the Hoffmann family was happy and proved that their love was stronger than everyone’s prejudice. After discussing how to raise the boys, Mr. Hoffmann insisted that they were raised Christian, as he felt it would make their life easier, but Minna assured that she would not let the boys forget that their father was Jewish, and if that they are free to make the choice as they grow up which they would rather be.

The nation becomes divided until ultimately a civil war breaks out, and because he finds the idea of slavery abhorrent and unable to stand by and watch injustice happen before his eyes, he joins the Union army. While Minna is scared to death he’ll die, she knows she has to be strong and admires him for his conviction. He’ll serve in the war for three years before he is killed in battle, and the news devastates Minna, who is now all alone. If it wasn’t bad enough that she lost husband, she was unable to say goodbye to him as he was buried with the other fallen soldiers in a hurry, and, because of a stipulation in the deed, it means the store and their apartment above now belonged to his parents, which meant they turned Minna and her boys out in the cold without a second thought.

Minna takes her boys to a small and broken down apartment, which was all she could afford, finds a job that pays very little, just enough to take care of her boys, sacrificing her own wellbeing to make sure they stay healthy. This comes back to bit her as she feels greatly ill, making her write to Friedrich, telling him of everything that has happened and expresses her wish that should she die, her boys should be raised by him in America, like their father died. Friedrich hurried over to America, and is with her for a month trying to take care of her before she passes away. Now, with two young boys in his charge and new to America, Friedrich must do what he can to raise them well, and finds luck in the Kirke’s boarding house, where not only does he find lodging that is significantly better than where his sister was living at previously, but they offered him a job as a tutor to help take care of them.

I'll admit, I wasn't expecting this outcome, but the more of the deep dive I did of history, this backstory just came to me naturally. What do you guys think?

[rosecgregory-author]

Do you ever wish your favourite novel had a different ending? That’s what my friend wanted. She wanted Jo March and Laurie Laurence to end up together.

For her birthday, I wrote her a fanfic. People poo-poo on fanfics, but I love them. I love writing them most of all! When I write them, I’m doing them for other people too. Not just my own personal gratification.

Should Jo and Laurie have ended up together?

If Little Women was the only book, I would unequivocally say “Absolutely!”

But then there were other books that followed that built a world that was just as wonderful. Little Men and Jo’s boys were enchanting for me, and Professor Bhaer played an important role in their little school.

As a writer, I understand Louisa May Alcott’s position. She was ahead of her time. She did not believe that marriage was the end all and be all for a woman, ergo, her independent heroine. “I won’t marry Jo to Laurie to please anyone,” she had written to a friend.

Where fanfics are to please one’s readers to some degree (fulfill some sort of fantasy), a novel is, truly, to please one’s self in order to be the author’s real voice. I suppose there’s more commercially-minded writers out there, but they still try to maintain control of their story. They want it, end of the day, to be THEIR story. Not anybody else’s. I suppose, the more people asked, the more Louisa dug her heels to the ground.

For that, I respect her.

But nonetheless, I wrote that fanfic where Laurie and Jo end up together.

…

Jo wrapped her cloak around her to ward off the chill of the late September air. She was rejected yet again by another publisher, but she decided to push herself to do another round with another story. As she trudged through the muddy streets of New York City, she thought about Professor Bhaer and wondered how he was doing. She had seen him, once, after Beth had passed. Her heartache over the loss of her dear sister kept her heart closed to whatever Professor Bhaer’s sad eyes and yearning looks were offering.

He is better off out West. Frank and Emil will keep him company, she reassured herself. Though time has made her realize that whatever feelings she had for the professor were not based on a solid foundation, she still felt pangs of melancholy thinking about the prospect of her life as a spinster.

Beth was gone. Meg had John. Amy was engaged to Laurie. Jo was destined to be alone. Alone and unsuccessful.

After Beth’s demise, Jo returned to the city and found another boarding house to stay in. Though this was near Mrs. Kirke’s own boarding house, Jo could no longer return to her old position; she had stayed too long in Massachusetts. Her new home was owned by a kind lady named Mrs. Needham. Unlike her previous situation, Jo no longer had a governess job to rely on. She needed to make her writing career work. Very soon, she would have to resume writing her romance stories, if only to pay for her expenses.

“Were you successful today, dearie?” Mrs. Needham looked up from her embroidery; her corpulent figure sat in comfort in an armchair by the foyer.

“Unfortunately not. ‘The Adventures of Captain Apollo’ will need to wait another day,” Jo reported regretfully. “I have other stories that are more promising; I can submit them to publishers I had some success with previously. You will get your rent.”

“Oh, I’m not worried,” Mrs. Needham assured her. “You are a very talented young writer. Someone is bound to notice that sooner or later!”

“I hope so,” Jo sighed. She settled herself beside Mrs. Needham and looked at her ink-stained fingers. “I mean to write a letter to Marmee tonight. I was hoping to give her some good news.”

At those words, Mrs. Needham suddenly put down her embroidery and collected an envelope from the table beside her. “I almost forgot. Here’s a letter from Massachusetts.”

Jo greedily took the letter and excused herself. “You know how I look forward to getting news from home!”

Mrs. Needham waved her away with an understanding look. “Go ahead, dear.”

Ensconced in the privacy of her bedroom, she made quick work of opening the letter. She sat on her bed facing the window, grateful that there was still some light left for her to fully appreciate each and every word. She recognized Meg’s flowing scrawl.

Dear Jo,

I hope you are feeding yourself properly there! We are all well. Marmee has taken on a project at the town hall — of course. She is not our Marmee if she has not made herself busy and useful somehow.

As I write this, little Daisy is beside me insisting that I tell you she loves you and that she has a pretty pink ribbon. Demi is here as well and wants to ensure you know that he knows his ABC’s. Please ensure you congratulate them both properly in your next letter home.

I write today because I have some news — news that I am unsure you would hear of directly from the concerned parties. It seems that our dear Amy has broken off her engagement to Laurie! I do not know how Aunt March or Mr. Laurence had received the news of the broken engagement. Aunt March, I believe, would have been very disappointed. Amy wrote that she believed neither of them entered the engagement with the right intention — she was sad and he was eager to be useful and to show his grandfather how responsible he was. Regardless, it is now completely over, or so Amy says.

Laurie is quite bereft, apparently, and had taken a boat back to America. Mr. Laurence had thought it appropriate to assign him to another office where the source of his despondency can at least be farther away. Amy and Aunt March will stay in France a while longer.

What an unmitigated disaster! I wonder if this should change our relationship with Mr. Laurence, who has been the most excellent neighbor and benefactor.

I do not know if this news should distress you. You seemed happy enough and content enough when you learned of their engagement. Write back of your feelings since I wish to know if you received this news well.

We give you our love!

Meg

Jo dropped the letter on her bed and stared at the window dumbfounded. This was unexpected! She had been quite content to think of Amy and Teddy together in wedded bliss. In some ways, it was a very suitable match. Teddy needed someone who would be presentable and would know how to properly conduct themselves in his social sphere. Amy needed the security and comfort wealth provided, and she would have delighted in the status a marriage with Teddy would have given her.

Jo sighed. Perhaps it was just as well that Amy realized this; before it could have gotten any further.

She thought of poor Teddy. To be spurned by two March women! He did not deserve such treatment from them. She loved Teddy, but he was too much like a boy when he had expressed his desire to marry her. She had preferred someone more like Professor Bhaer — he had the gravitas that appealed to her.

She did miss him, however. There were nights she dreamt of his open boyish face as they raced together across a meadow, or when they threw snowballs at each other. He reminded her of a happier time — a time when Beth was still alive.

…

If you’re interested in reading the next parts, let me know!

[jomiddlemarch]

The exponent of breath

“Come now, Emil, thou must explain thyself,” Friedrich said, gesturing at the many spots daubed in flour, in place of an antimacassar on his favorite armchair, scattered on the worn Persian rug like a spoor, streaks on the dark curtains and Josephine’s equally dark skirt, the similarity of the fabric making him wonder if she’d actually cut up a dress to keep the sitting room from being in the public view. Franz himself was head-to-toe made ghostly with what was supposed to have been tomorrow’s loaf, his soft blue eyes perplexed and his chin set stubbornly. His golden curls were completely white. He had refused to make any confession, admission or allegation, citing the universal rule of childhood, to band together against adults, any adult, however kindly, even Onkel Friedrich. Jo had shrugged, her lovely grey eyes bemused; she seemed unaware there was a trace of the flour across her cheek, making her look like a young girl. The matching dusting in her chestnut curls was a vision of her future.

“I didn’t mean any harm,” Emil said stoutly.

“And yet there shall be no fresh bread at breakfast in the morning. The rug must be taken out and beaten, the curtains brushed. Tante Josephine’s dress will need to be laundered,” Friedrich said, watching his nephew’s narrow shoulders droop. He suspected it was the trouble to Tante Josephine and not the sparse breakfast that made Emil sorry and was glad that his nephew’s heart was bigger than any appetite.

“No need to fret about my dress, Emil. It’s been treated far worse by me, as Onkle Friedrich knows—I have a bad habit of standing before the fire still,” Jo interceded, giving their nephew a comradely grin. She found it very hard to be stern with the boys but they rarely needed much correction.

“I’m awfully sorry, Tante Josephine. I’ll help with the laundry and all the other mess. A good first mate will always swab the deck if he needs to! And I won’t take any popovers at Sunday dinner,” Emil said, biting his lip at the true sacrifice of that March delicacy, the golden popover.

“You’ll hurt Hannah’s feelings then. We’ll find another way for you to make amends,” Jo said.

“I still haven’t heard any explanation, Emil,” Friedrich said. They were good boys but they must still be disciplined, called to account for their faults, though they would never be beaten for any transgression. They feared his disappointment, not his belt or his hand, and that was as it should be.

“It was the assignment about bees, mein Onkel. It was talking about how they go from flower to flower, picking up pollen and leaving it behind…how one bee could only touch so many flowers by itself but if it touched other bees, well, it would be so many more flowers thou canst hardly believe it! And Franz didn’t believe it, so I told him to get some flour, for the pollen, and we’d see. Because that’s what the word in the book was about, experience, experential, and now he does see, don’t you, Franz?” Emil said.

“It meant numbers. Like the ones on a graph,” Franz retorted. “I said so but you didn’t believe me.”

“Exponential? That is the word, is it not?” Friedrich interrupted, only smiling a little at the confusion. There was a great deal of flour strewn about and the account books were so tightly managed, it was a feat to keep Jo in ink and himself in the cheapest pipe tobacco. And yet, he could not help his amusement.

“Amy was that way, when she was a girl. I think hardly fifty per cent of what she said was the correct word. Though in her case, she was always concerned with elegance, not science,” Jo laughed. Friedrich could easily imagine his graceful sister-in-law as a little girl most occupied with her little vanities; even now, he noticed how she carefully arranged the fringed ends of her silk sash or straightened her lace collar and cuffs upon entering a room. Her sisters had grown used to it and her husband beamed at her for the simple act of breathing. Friedrich was certain he was the only who observed and considered what it meant for a grown woman to act so.

“Emil, experiential means based on experience. Exponential is a term from mathematics, about an escalating growth that is greater than the arithmetic addition of one and another. We will review it at thy lesson tomorrow. Go now and fetch a dustpan and cloth so you may begin to clean the sitting room. Franz, thou must wash. Thoroughly,” Friedrich said. The boys trotted from the room briskly, both satisfied than the matter had been resolved without much more than Onkel’s gentle scolding. Friedrich walked over to Josephine, still smiling over the malapropism and the memories it had provoked. She was irresistible.

“Thou hast something, just here, liebling,” he said, brushing at her cheek.

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” she said, shaking her head slightly. He leaned in, put a hand at her slender waist, and kissed her, rather more ardently than the wasted flour might merit. Jo, however, merited the most ardent, most tender, most passionate of caresses and had begun to be shyly pleased by them, instead of brusquely dismissive. He hoped next for the shyness to disappear, leaving her desires unapologetic, confident. His to gratify.

“Perhaps I shan’t miss the fresh bread tomorrow, after all,” he said, smiling at her, not shy at all.

[brown-little-robin]

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott!

never heard of | never read | want to read | terrible | boring | okay | good | great | a favorite | nostalgic | a strong influence on everything I write

Little Men! O frabjous day!

I was very attached to Little Men as a child. I’m less attached to it now, because I have found books that are more in line with my interests (fantasy / superhero genres make brain go brr) but I still love it and feel its impact on all of my writing.

Little Men can be a bit preachy, with its view of the Perfect School, but it’s cozy and dramatic enough to make up for it. Unlike Little Women (sorry to y’all Little Women fans—it’s just not my cup of tea), it has no romance. And homeschooling about a dozen boys and a spitfire girl while chasing two toddlers? Bound to have some fun incidents! And boy, does it ever.

Nat and Dan were my favorite characters; I was fascinated with their dynamic and especially Dan’s gradual painful path to becoming part of the family. Little Men spawned at least four daydream universes, including one particularly dramatic alternate universe where Dan was a were-red-panda and Mr. Bhaer found big ol’ tracks around the house for several weeks before Dan was reunited with the family. Nat was a vampire and his fiddle was hundreds of years old. Emil wanted to be a monster hunter. Ah, fond memories. And the tradition of adapting Little Men has continued—last year I was thinking of an X-Men AU, which slowly morphed into a whole separate thing involving angels and superpowers and a cast of over twelve original characters.

I think it’s becoming clear that I have a type—traumatized children slowly finding their way into a family, preferably with magic involved.

Thank you for the ask! It was fun reflecting on this, if uncomfortably revealing of my psyche.

[the-other-art-blog]

My thoughts on Little Men Part 1: Jo and Frizt

I started this book with a bit of discouragement because I knew Amy wasn’t going to be in it. May had asked her sister not to write about her because of all the mail that distracted her. I’m sure she had her fans, but also there must have been tons of stupid people blaming her splitting Jo and Laurie. So, I was sad about it. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this sequel. I loved it!

I won’t go chapter by chapter, but by theme/characters this time.

The Bhaers

The image of Jo walking while reading, with little Ted following her is so sweet. And Fritz is also very affectionate to his kids. And I love how Jo treats Franz and Emil as her own.

Also, I’m developing this in another post, but I just have to say that I like Jo this time much more. She’s grown!

And it’s great that she had sons. Poor Demi, without Ted, Rob, Franz and Emil, he would have been the only boy. So I guess that is a big thanks to Friedrich.

She also knows that liberty is not doing whatever you want not minding others. Liberty is an act of responsibility and Dan needs to learn that. I love how she identifies herself to Dan and Nan and decides to help them.

She’s really in her element here. Her dream is actually coming true. She has a school full of boys, which she always felt more comfortable with. She has a chance to educate them as best as she can. Plus, she built a beautiful family with Friedrich.

The marriage is a very happy one and I just love this quote for when Jo wanted to bring Nan to the school:

Now, if you make fun of my plan I'll give you bad coffee for a week, and then where are you, sir?" cried Mrs. Jo, tweaking him by the ear just as if he was one of the boys.

He was very sweet in getting the girls kites to make up for Daisy’s ball.

Also, I think it was great that even though Ted and Rob are their kids, they are treated with the equal firmness. And that makes them great parents. When Rob didn’t pick up the nuts in time, Fritz didn’t let him skip school. Ted is still very little, but Rob was made accountable for his laziness.

Little Ted killed with his cuteness so many times:

My Danny's tummin' soon.

Clapping his hands at the end, he made another double salutation, and then ran to hide his head in his mother's lap, quite overcome by the success of his "piece," for the applause was tremendous.

Plumfield

That school is amazing! We already knew the Marches reproved corporal punishment when Amy gets whipped by her teacher. In fact, Jo tells a story about how one day she ran away and Marmee whipped her. Her mother felt absolutely ashamed and never did it again.

She never whipped me but once, and then she begged my pardon, or I don't think I ever should have forgiven her, it hurt my feelings so much.

Why did she beg your pardon?–my father don't.

Because, when she had done it, I turned round and said, 'Well, you are mad yourself, and ought to be whipped as much as me.' She looked at me a minute, then her anger all died out, and she said, as if ashamed, 'You are right, Jo, I am angry; and why should I punish you for being in a passion when I set you such a bad example? Forgive me, dear, and let us try to help one another in a better way.'

Knowing this, it is understandable why she preferred to talk to Amy rather than doing something more drastic when she burned the book. She made Amy understand her wrong and tried to make peace between the sisters:

My dear, don’t let the sun go down upon your anger. Forgive each other, help each other, and begin again tomorrow.’

But back to this book, Plumfield is quite unique. The boys are there to learn about philosophy, math, science, literature, etc. All the things a regular school would teach. But Jo and Fritz go beyond that. The kids live there, so they are also responsible of teaching them about life. They have a garden, pets (one of which is called Christopher Columbus!!!!) and thanks to Laurie, a museum. Plus they can go into business! Which teaches them responsibility for their own money rightfully earned.

They’re firm but fair.

I absolutely love the idea of a weekly pillow-fight. The Bhaers invest a lot of time making sure moral lessons stick as much as the intellectual ones. And they have learned that kids should be kids and therefore they can’t just order them around. Part of educating a child is also letting them learn the limits and make decisions for themselves. 

The school must have a good reputation in town. Although the school accepts poor kids, they also have wealthy ones. Laurie and Amy already plan in sending Bess there too. I wonder if it transcended to other parts of Massachusetts, maybe Boston??? Nan’s father certainly liked it enough to sent her there, even though it only had a girl in it. The nineteenth century was opening to the idea of mixed schools, but it still something new and not everyone liked it. In 1862, Amy’s school was exclusive for girls. Boys need to learn to be kind to girls. And they all help each other be better people. More on the girls in another post.

They let each child develop its personality and help them transform their hobbies into things that can be useful for everyone.

[enragedbees]

someone’s gotta stop me from watching movies because this ALWAYS happens but anyway for your consideration:

Logan - Jo March

Roman - Meg

Patton - Beth

Virgil - Amy

Remus - Laurie

Deceit - John Brooke

Emile - Marmie

Remy - Friedrich Bhaer

[elcinelateleymickyandonie]

Rossano Brazzi.

Filmografía

Actor

- Fatal Frames (1996)

- Russicum - I giorni del diavolo (1988) .... Marini

- La collina del diavolo (1988) .... Mr. Panama

- Final Justice (1985) .... Don Lamanna

7, Hyden Park: la casa maledetta (1985) .... Dr. Sernich

- Ciudad del crimen (1984) .... Carmine

- Pabellones lejanos .... El Rana de Bhithor (3 episodios, 1984)

- Primera parte: Return to India

- Segunda parte: The Journey to Bhithor

- Tercera parte: Wally and Anjuli

- La voce (1982)

- Il paramedico (1982)

- Anche i ladri hanno un santo (1981)

- Omen III: The Final Conflict (El final de Damien, 1981) .... DeCarlo

- Champagne... e fagioli (1980) (no acreditado) .... Narrador

- Io e Caterina (1980) .... Arthur

- Mr. Too Little (1978) .... Zabo The Great

Caribia (1978)

- Il tempo degli assassini (1975) .... Padre Eugenio

- Gli angeli dalle mani bendate (1975)

Il cav. Costante Nicosia demoniaco, ovvero: Dracula in Brianza (1975) .... Dr. Paluzzi

- Giro girotondo... con il sesso è bello il mondo (1975)

- Detrás de esa puerta (1975) .... Embajador Lara

- Terror! Il castello delle donne maledette (1974) .... Conde Frankenstein

- Mister Kingstreet's War (1973)

- El gran vals (1972) .... Alemán

- Racconti proibiti... di niente vestiti (1972) .... Lorenzo del Cambio

- Il giorno del giudizio (1971) .... Comisario

- Morir por amar (1971)

- Vivi ragazza vivi! (1971)

- Trittico (1971) .... Andrea, el cirujano

- Intimità proibite di una giovane sposa (1970) .... Adolfo Rogano

- Los libertinos (1970) .... Barón de Coyne

- Vita segreta di una diciottenne (1969)

- Un trabajo en Italia (1969) .... Beckerman

- Al este de Java (1969) .... Giovanni

- Salvare la faccia (1969) .... Brigoli

- El gran robo (1968) .... Ross Simpson

- El rey de África (1968) .... Dr. Hamilton

- Il diario segreto di una minorenne (1968)

- The Bobo (1967) .... Carlos Matabosch

- Siete veces mujer (1967) .... Giorgio - episodio Amateur Night

- Per amore... per magia... (1967) .... El narrador.

- Gli altri, gli altri e noi (1967)

- Il Natale che quasi non fu (1966) .... Phineas T. Prune

- La ragazza del bersagliere (1966) .... Fernando

- Un amore (1965) .... Antonio Dorigo

- Escándalo en Villa Fiorita (1965) .... Lorenzo

La ragazza in prestito (1964) .... Mario

- La intriga (1964) .... Conde Paolo Barbarelli

- Pão de Açúcar (1964)

- Las cuatro verdades (1962) .... Leo

Die Rote (1962) .... Fabio

- Rome Adventure (1962) .... Roberto Orlandi

- Luz en la ciudad (1962) .... Signor Naccarelli

- Austerlitz (1960) .... Lucien Bonaparte

- La batalla de Siracusa (1960) .... Archimede

- Count Your Blessings (1959) .... Charles Edouard de Valhubert

- A Certain Smile (1958) .... Luc Ferrand

- South Pacific (1958) .... Emile De Becque

- Arenas de muerte (1957) .... Paul Bonnard

- Interludio de amor (1957) .... Tonio Fischer

- The Story of Esther Costello (1957) .... Carlo Landi

- No se case en Montecarlo (1956) .... Bertrand

- Summertime (1955) .... Renato de Rossi

- Gli ultimi cinque minuti (1955) .... Dino Moriani

- Faccia da mascalzone (1955)

- Il conte Aquila (1955)

- Angela (1954) .... Nino

- La condesa descalza (1954) .... Conde Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini

- La contessa di Castiglione (1954) .... Conde de Cavour

- La chair et le diable (1954) .... Giuseppe Guardini

- Creemos en el amor (1954) .... Georgio Bianchi

- La barriera della legge (1954) .... Teniente Mario Grandi

- Carne de horca (1953) .... Juan Pablo de Osuna

- La prigioniera della torre di fuoco (1953) .... Cesare Borgia

- C'era una volta Angelo Musco (1953) .... El relator

- L'ingiusta condanna (1952) .... Carlo Rocchi

- Il boia di Lilla (1952) .... Athos

- La donna che inventò l'amore (1952) .... Conte Grilli

- La leggenda di Genoveffa (1952) .... Sigfrido

- El hijo de Lagardere (1952) .... Philippe de Lagardere

- Eran trecento (1952)

- Hechizo trágico (1951) .... Pietro

- La corona negra (1951) .... Andrés

- La venganza de Águila Negra (1951) .... Vladimir Dubrovskij

- Romanzo d'amore (1950) .... Enrico Toselli

- Gli inesorabili (1950) .... Saro Costa

- Vulcano (1950) .... Donato

- Mujercitas (1949) .... Profesor Bhaer

- I contrabbandieri del mare (1948)

- El diablo blanco (1947) .... Príncipe Mdwani

- Il corriere del re (1947) .... Julien Sorel

- Il passatore (1947) .... Stefano Pelloni

- Furia (1947) .... Antonio

- La monaca di Monza (1947)

- Eleonora Duse (1947) .... Arrigo Boito.

Águila negra (1946) .... Vladimir Dubrowskij

- Malìa (1946) .... Cola

- Paese senza pace (1946) .... Tita Nane

- La grande aurora (1946) .... Renzo Gamba

- La casa senza tempo (1945) .... Capitán Paolo Sivera

- La resa di Titì (1945)

- I dieci comandamenti (1945) .... (segmento "Non commettere atti impuri")

- Silenzio, si gira! (1943) .... Andrea Corsi

- Il treno crociato (1943) .... El teniente Alberto Lauri

- El hogar perdido (1943) .... Pablo

- Maria Malibran (1943) .... Carlo de Beriot

- I due Foscari (1942) .... Jacopo Foscari

- La gorgona (1942) .... Lamberto Finquinaldo

- Los que vivimos (1942) .... Leo Kovalenski

- ¡Adiós, Kira! (1942) .... Leo Kovalenski

- Una signora dell'ovest (1942) .... William/Manuel

- Piazza San Sepolcro (1942)

- È caduta una donna (1941) .... Roberto Frassi

- El rey se divierte (1941) .... El rey Francesco I

- Il Bravo di Venezia (1941) .... Guido Fuser, su hijo

- Tosca (1941) .... Mario Cavaradossi

- La fuerza bruta (1941) .... Fred

- Ritorno (1940) .... Michele Donato, alias Mac Dynar

- Kean (1940) .... Edmund Kean

- El puente de cristal (1940) .... El comandante Mario Marchi

- Processo e morte di Socrate (1939) .... Simmia

- Piccolo hotel (1939)

- Il destino in tasca (1938)

Actor (televisión)

- Mort d'un zombie (1993) (TV)

- Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1 episodio, 1990)

- * Put on by Cunning (1990) Episodio de TV .... Sir Manuel Carmargue

- A Fine Romance (1 episodio, 1989)

Pilot (1989) Episodio de TV .... Castello

- Le tiroir secret (1986) Miniserie

- We the Living (1986) .... Leo Kovalenski

- La vallée des peupliers (1986) Series de TV .... Umberto de Lorenzi

- Cristóbal Colón (1985) TV mini-series .... - Diego Ortiz De Vilhegas

- L'elemento D (1984) (TV)

- Hart y Hart .... Inspector Pastori (1 episodio, 1983)

- Straight Through the Hart (1983) Episodio de TV

- Vacaciones en el mar (2 episodios, 1982)

- Primera parte: Venetian Love Song/The Arrangement/Arrividerci, Gopher/The Gigolo (1982) Episodio de TV

- Segunda parte: Venetian Love Song/The - Arrangement/Arrividerci, Gopher/The Gigolo (1982)

- La isla de la fantasía .... Anton Jagger (1 episodio.

HONDURASQUEDATEENCASA

#ELCINELATELEYMICKYANDONIE

[castielsfeatheredballs]

I’m rereading some of my favourite bits from Good Wives. It’s always delightful and I’m falling in love with Jo and Professor Bhaer’s relationship all over again. They are so precious! 

I especially love the way Jo describes him. My go-to film adaptation for this novel is the 1994 one, which is fantastic in many ways and I love it, but Gabriel Byrne--though he does a smashing job--is... a little too hot to play Bhaer? It’s probably a necessary sacrifice due to the change in medium, but the narrative strength of this relationship IMHO is all in the contrast between Bhaer’s factual physical appearance and the way Jo sees him.  

She is just... so unashamedly THIRSTY for him asdfghjk. I mean, it’s Alcott so you won’t catch anything graphic but  it’s pretty clear how much Jo fixates on him physically--to a degree she never did with Laurie or anybody else. It’s funny and endearing because if you read the cold, hard facts, he’s a forty-something fat guy with wild hair and a bushy beard and dressed like he went dumpster diving. To Jo though, he is Jove. A GREEK GOD. That’s how she thinks of him.

Seriously, how does anybody NOT love this guy or his relationship with Jo? He is perfect for her, not in a romance novel kinda way but in a Ideal Life Partner way. He is first noticed to be extremely kind, absent-minded and a friend to all children. He has NO sense of style, mends his own socks and eats like a trash compactor, used to be way up high in academia in Berlin but left everything to become a penniless German teacher in America so he could take care of his nephews (an added bonus: seriously, tell me Jo was not born to be a stepmom figure to a kid like Emil). 

Fritz practices radical kindness and is outrageously silly but also so earnest! He lets six-year-old Tina ride on his back and plays at being an ‘Effelant’! Jo good-naturedly spies him while he teaches and he offers to teach her German! (Which also opens up all sorts of kinky scenarios. She calls him ‘Sir’. NEVER FORGET.) He travels to her city because he happened to read a poem of hers in the paper and she sounded sad! What sort of romantic shit is that?

Aaannd now I’m ranting. Look, if there’s a soul out there who loves Professor Bhaer as I do PLEASE come scream at me because I have been overcome by a sudden wave of adoration for my boy Fritz and I need to share the love.

[moretreasurewithinarchive]

Characters: Beth March & John Brooke

2/2 The Laurences, The Brookes, & The Bhaers

James Laurence- Michael Gambon

Theodore “Laurie” Laurence- Jonah Hauer-King

John Brooke- Julian Morris

Professor Bhaer- Mark Stanley

Daisy & Demi Brooke

Josie Brooke- Kirsten Dunst

Bess Laurence

Rob & Ted Bhaer

Franz & Emil Bhaer

[spokenrealms]

Little Men

Little Men  By Louisa May Alcott  Presented by The Online Stage  

Published in 1871, Little Men is a sequel to the novel, Little Women. It tells the continuing story of Jo March, who has married Professor Bhaer, with whom she now runs a small school.    

Cast 

Narrator: Lee Ann Howlett 

Ragged Boy/Nat/Uncle Teddy: Andy Harrington 

John/Emil/Comodore/Silas/Peter: Jeff Moon 

Servant…

[joandfriedrich]

Do you have any headcanons of their sons and nephews?

I have a few for the Modern AU, I don't know if that is what you wanted but I wanted to share them.

Felix (Franz) and Ezra (Emil)

Felix and Ezra had been wards to Friedrich ever since they were babies, Ezra being born only a week and Felix when he was shy of turning two. Their parents die a week between each other, and they had no memories of their parents, and even had mistakenly called Friedrich “dad”, while Friedrich does everything he can to keep the memory of their parents alive in any way he can.

Celebrating Father’s day and Mother’s day the same way, with Friedrich sharing stories, pictures and even home videos of their parents and going to their graves to pay respect. But, both Felix and Ezra make sure to let Friedrich know how much they love and appreciate him as a surrogate father and Friedrich is always touched.

Felix is more quiet and nerdy compared to the goofy and outgoing Ezra, but they are both bright and mature boys, always ready to help their cousins, Kitty and Minnie, and they look up to Friedrich thinking he is one of the best men they have ever known. 

They call him Uncle Fritz, a nickname that only Minna had called him, and he was happy to hear them call him that, as if it was like hearing his sister again. He also taught them German in order to remain close to their roots, and it was always helpful whenever they wanted to talk in front of people without anyone knowing. 

He never tries to force the boys into anything they are not interested and allowed them to play with “girl” toys and dresses. Felix and Ezra played with baby dolls but only Ezra wore the dresses, which prompted many parents go up to Friedrich to say what he was doing is wrong. He’s always quip back that kids should be allowed to wear and play with whatever makes them happy.

Ezra had been questioning himself, feeling uncertain what he feels about his identity/sexuality, and feeling pressure from others to either conform or to figure what he is. Felix and Friedrich are his biggest supporters, to the point where Felix even got into a fight with another kid who was bullying him, and Friedrich, who’s not really confrontational, defended his nephew with all his might, which was the only time the boys had ever seen him be angry, but they were also incredibly impressed.

Once Jo came around, Felix is 15, shy of 16, and Ezra is 14, and they know instantly that something is happening between them, and they do what they can to help them along, suggesting they go to this play, or check out this café. No one is more happy to hear them getting engaged and have no problem calling her Aunt Jo.

The boys found a stray puppy, a German Shepherd, and took him home to try and clean him up. When Jo and Friedrich come home, they are surprised and uncertain if they wanted to add a puppy to their family, but the boys were so insistent and the puppy was too cute, they couldn’t resist. He was named Teddy, after her friend and due to his teddy bear looks, and was the best pet they ever had.

Robert and William (Theodore)

In my modern au, their youngest son is called William because the name was sort of ruined for me when I read a fanfic of Jo calling him Theodore because Laurie was the real father, and Friedrich kind of knowing and being sad but happy? It was weird, sad and totally out of character for everyone. That fic haunts me to this day and I wish I could have unread it.

Rob gets his name from his maternal grandfather, Robert March, and Will is named after his paternal grandfather, Wilhelm, who died when Friedrich was a boy. Details of Wilhelm can be found in the post “Modern Friedrich Timeline”. Which knowing their personalities, it makes total sense.

Rob is more like his father and Aunt Beth, gentle and thoughtful, but has a mischievous streak. Will gets his father’s sunny temperament and his mother’s lively spirit, laughing out loud at three months old, often compared to a young Jo. There are times that Jo looks at them together and thinks how they remind her of Beth and she when they were young.

Friedrich had experience with raising boys, and knows the ins and outs, while Jo, who had only been around girls, was worried she’d have a harder time, but with time, she felt herself becoming at ease with being surrounded by boys. People ask her if she ever regretted not having a girl or would try again for one, but Jo is more than happy with her pair and never regrets being the lone girl among boys.

Just as he did with his nephews, Friedrich would teach his sons to speak German, and Will would really cause mischief by saying some naughty things in front of people, making his family blush and suppress a laugh, with a talking afterwards alone, only to be caught by someone who knows German and his face would get so red you’d think he’d turn into a tomato.

Felix and Ezra are so hands on with the boys that Rob and Will see them as their older brothers and were very disappointed when they found out they were cousins. Even though they live in New York City, the boys always react seeing their cousins who still live in Concord as if they were meeting lifelong friends. 

Will came up with the nickname of “Professor Rob” due to him being practically a mini version of their father, which trickled down to everyone else in the family. “Wild Will” was given to him by pretty much everyone since he has such a wild energy about him, but everyone agrees that though he is wild, he uses his energy for good.

Rob is that kid who read like 150 books during one school year and gets an award for it, while Will is that kid who dominates sports, and continues on through earning scholarships. Rob would grow up to either being a professor, like his father, or a journalist. Will would enter the sports world, I imagine him doing well in hockey and even getting into the NHL. But no matter how different they are, they are each others best friend.

Hope these were something you wanted or at least somewhat. This was fun and I am sorry it took me a long time to get to this, but personal stuff got in the way and I just want to say thank you for your patience.

[caddyxjellyby]

LW 2017

I can’t believe Elsie from Gosford Park is old enough to play Marmee.

I wish they had done it as four hours and then Amy/Laurie wouldn’t have felt so rushed. And cast a kid as young Amy. I didn’t like the way Kathryn Newton played her. She shouldn’t be rolling around on the bed while talking; she ought to be sitting straight with her ankles crossed.

Angela Lansbury was brilliant of course. I liked that she got to show Aunt March’s softer side.

Jonah Hauer-King was an A+ Laurie. Just as good as Christian Bale, yeah I said it come fight me.

The war montage with the singing was brilliant.

I was so absorbed in the story I forgot about Franz and Emil and seeing Fritz play with them nearly made me cry with joy.

Jo’s New York suit was awesome. I also loved Kate Vaughn’s dress and Meg’s purple dress, and the fact that it starts out as her best dress and gets relegated to everyday.

Doing Camp Laurence was nice but I wish they had shown more of it.

THEY DID THE FINAL SCENE HOORAY but IT’S NOT THE BHAER ACADEMY IT’S PLUMFIELD YOU FOOLS.

I really enjoyed the little details from the book: Amy’s plaster foot, dyeing her boots, Jo’s big hat.

I”m 99% sure I recognize the song from Meg’s wedding what is it.

Fritz asking Jo out was so cute and them discussing philosophy killed me. Totally missed the mark on the umbrella scene, though.

I noticed Jo writing Transcendental Wild Oats!

The Amy/Laurie proposal was cute but I would have preferred the actual rowboat.

I didn’t notice the Walden Pond sign but I saw other posts mention it. Nice touch.

Willa Fitzgerald played Meg perfectly, excellent casting there.

[david-durand-blog]

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[littlewomenpodcast]

The Photo Album (My New Jo/Fritz FanFic)

I started this one around Christmas, so there are some holiday vibes to it. A little snippet I wrote about the time when Jo and Friedrich are engaged. This takes place around the New Year. Jo is visiting Friedrich and the boys in Boston. Fritz tells Jo more about his family.

[joandfriedrich]

Store Worker: Could Professor Friedrich Bhaer please report to the front reception?

Friedrich, arriving at the desk: Hello, is there a problem?

Store Worker [points at Franz and Emil who are sitting next to the desk pouting]: I believe they belong to you?

Emil: We got lost :(

Laszlo: I didn't even bring you here with me-

[joandfriedrich]

I love your in-depth take on this. I just recently read from a Finnish doctor who moved to America about 20 years ago, none of her credentials were recognised, and she basically had to start over, so I can see the truth behind that. Hoffman passing in the Civil War is not that far-fetched idea either. I am not an expert on this, but I would imagine during those times, all the men of age were called to fight. Yes, I remember reading that Hoffman is a Jewish last name, I like that you weaved a whole backstory around that.

What do you think happened between Minna Bhaer and Franz's and Emil's father? I often think about it.

I have a headcanon that they worked in a newspaper in Berlin. She followed him and they traveled to America, but he left her and then she became ill and Fritz found her and the boys from the poor house.

That is the puzzle of the ages, at least in the Little Women fandom. In order to answer this properly, I had to dig a little deeper into what was historically happening at the time when Minna would have met and went to America with her husband. Going by your timeline, which I trust completely, Franz was born in 1859 and Emil 1861, so his parents would have had to have met during the 1850s.

All that we know of Minna’s husband/Mr. Hoffmann is that he is American, and is not in the picture by the time Friedrich comes over to America. Things that I inferred from the text is that Mr. Hoffmann isn’t a sore spot for Friedrich or the boys (could be possible for the boys to not remember much of their father), but I personally think that the Hoffmann’s were just a simple family that had fallen on hard times and tragedy struck the parents down. I don’t believe that Friedrich, being the family man that he is, would allow his sister to go and marry some man that he hasn’t met or felt he could trust, given their history of their own father abandoning them. But before I go into that, let’s take a look at the history that was surrounding Germany and America at this time.

Germany during the 1850s had political issues, religious turmoil, and economic struggles, and according to the research I did, it was during this time that a huge number of Germans had travelled over to America, as mainly due to there was hardly any place that would welcome German immigrants. Between 1845-1855 alone, more than a million Germans came to America, and in 1854, it was recorded that 215,000 Germans came over. America took advantage of this influx of immigrants and hired them to work in some of the most labor-intensive jobs, like building canals and railroads.

You suggest that perhaps they were journalists in Berlin and possibly in America. For anyone that is wondering, there was indeed a German language magazine in New York City, known as “New Yorker Staats-Zeitung” founded in the 1830s. It was established by German-American business men, and it was incredibly popular and profitable all the way into the 1960s. While I think it is intriguing to think that they became journalists in America, there is something that throws doubt in my mind.

Friedrich was a highly thought of and brilliant professor in Germany, with qualifications that would be ideal for any university, and yet, he was unable to get that kind of job, and was stuck being a tutor in the Kirke boarding house. The sad reality of this time is that, regardless of what skills and education you may have had in your homeland, it was hardly appreciated in America. While Germans had established their own communities and were a respected immigrant group, they too faced prejudice in the work force, especially by the American born citizens who disliked immigrants taking jobs away from them. It took Friedrich years and the luck of his wife inheriting a large house turned school, to become a teacher, and in much later in life a president of a school, so I can’t imagine that finding a high profile and paying job like that would have come easy.

Also, I think it is highly unlikely that Minna would have been a journalist in Berlin, because during the 1850s, it was against the law for women to be a part of political events, or be associated with anything that deals with politics, and newspapers/magazines did such that. She wouldn’t have had the experience to be able to do that and transfer that knowledge to America, and women’s rights would have become common in Germany in the 1870s, long after she had moved to America and had passed away. As much as it is an interesting background, I don’t feel confident that she would have worked for a newspaper company.

There is something interesting to note about the name Hoffmann, something that could give a clue into Mr. Hoffmann’s background. It is of German origin, but it is also a common name for anyone of Jewish origin. During the 1850s, there were many German Jews living at this time, just as much as there were German Christians, and I wonder if there may be a possibility of Mr. Hoffmann being Jewish. We know the Bhaers are Christian, but as we see with Friedrich, are not prejudice towards them. This unlocks a new avenue of possibilities that could be explored and explain more about the mysterious Mr. Hoffmann.

If we do believe him to be of Jewish origin, it can answer a question that I had for the longest time. Why didn’t Minna ask any of Mr. Hoffmann’s family to raise her boys after she died if she was dedicated to having them raised in America? Most likely because they were unhappy at their son, a Jewish man, married to a Christian woman and disowned him. With no American in-laws to help, who else can Minna turned to, other than her only living relative and one she trusts utterly, her own brother.

Here is my personal headcanon of the mysterious Mr. Hoffmann and his relationship with Minna:

Mr. Hoffmann’s parents came to America to avoid the discriminatory and heavy laws that were put against Jews during that time in Germany. Along with some other Jewish families, the Hoffmann’s helped to establish a bank in New York City, allowing them to earn money to raise their family in a middle class setting. He was raised with care, went to good schools, wore fine clothes, and was given opportunities to have interests, one he deeply loved was music, but still faced prejudice due to his Jewish background. While his parents were progressive in thoughts of women’s rights, abolition, and sex education, they are old fashioned when it comes to one thing, religion; people ought to marry within their own religion, and after everything they had gone through, they had a great distrust in Christians.

Because they encouraged him to be interested in social and political matters, Mr. Hoffmann attends meetings and reads newspapers that not only express ideals he was brought up in, but helps to broaden his knowledge of things his parents wouldn’t normally talk about, and has friends from all different kinds of backgrounds. To him, America is the melting pot of cultures and the hope for a more unified world, which is something his parents disagree, thinking each culture ought to stay with their own, especially as an effort to preserve it. He got the best education he was afforded, and was expected to have a place in his father’s bank, but wanting to do something on his own merit, he used his money to buy a little music store and has managed it with great success. His parents see this as a hobby, which saddens him that they don’t seem to understand that he likes managing the store, but he lets it go for the time.

Once he became a young man, he decided to travel back to Germany to see what his parents’ homeland was like, wondering if things had changed then, and that was how he managed to meet Minna. He got lost and was trying to find his old home, when he asked a young lady to help him, and they hit it off wonderfully. Minna Bhaer is a kind and bright young woman, and shows him around the city, answering his questions, and when he commends her for how bright she is, she blushes and says that credit goes to her brother who is a great teacher. Inviting him to dinner, she introduces him to Friedrich, who was very welcoming to the young man, and they listened to the tales of America, just as they shared how Germany has become the country it is now since his parents left. They talk about music, philosophy, religion, and progressive ideas, which Mr. Hoffmann is grateful to meet like minded people as him.

Mr. Hoffmann had planned to stay only for at most a month, but he found that the warmth of the Bhaer home was too wonderful to leave so soon, especially of the company of the young Minna. One month turned to two, two to four, and it was very clear to Friedrich that a romance is blossoming between the two. While he has no objections against his religion or taking her to America, he does grill him in how Mr. Hoffmann will take care of his bride, not only financially, but emotionally. Minna had told Mr. Hoffmann about how their father walked out of the family, and while she was too young to remember him and care that much, she shares that Friedrich still carries that wound, and he understands Friedrich’s concern of a possibility of Minna being abandoned by both a father and husband.

Mr. Hoffmann knew that there was a good chance that they would not accept her, may even disown him, but he loved Minna very much and explained that he had a store of his own that was doing well and would provide for them both, and whatever children they will have. Friedrich, satisfied that Minna would be taken care of, gives his blessings to the pair, and they marry in a civil ceremony in Germany before travelling back to America.

When Mr. Hoffmann tells his parents of his marriage, they are enraged that he would marry a Christian, when it’s his duty to marry a good Jewish woman. Because Jews go by the lineage of their mothers, not their fathers, they are upset that their children will not be “real Jews”, no matter what Minna tries to say or do to make it the whole thing fair to everyone. They cut him off, explain that he is dead to them and he never hears from them again. While he is upset his parents aren’t accepting of his choice, he doesn’t regret loving Minna, and they work hard the next year to make their store a success, and find that they are expecting.

First came Franz in 1859, named after their favorite composer Franz Shubert, then in 1961 Emil, a name shared by both of their grandfathers. Mr. Hoffmann sent letters telling his parents of each son’s birth, but received no reply and expected no visit, which did hurt him though it wasn’t unexpected. Despite his parent’s rejection, and Friedrich being on a different continent (that doesn’t stop him from sending gifts to the boys on their birthdays), the Hoffmann family was happy and proved that their love was stronger than everyone’s prejudice. After discussing how to raise the boys, Mr. Hoffmann insisted that they were raised Christian, as he felt it would make their life easier, but Minna assured that she would not let the boys forget that their father was Jewish, and if that they are free to make the choice as they grow up which they would rather be.

The nation becomes divided until ultimately a civil war breaks out, and because he finds the idea of slavery abhorrent and unable to stand by and watch injustice happen before his eyes, he joins the Union army. While Minna is scared to death he’ll die, she knows she has to be strong and admires him for his conviction. He’ll serve in the war for three years before he is killed in battle, and the news devastates Minna, who is now all alone. If it wasn’t bad enough that she lost husband, she was unable to say goodbye to him as he was buried with the other fallen soldiers in a hurry, and, because of a stipulation in the deed, it means the store and their apartment above now belonged to his parents, which meant they turned Minna and her boys out in the cold without a second thought.

Minna takes her boys to a small and broken down apartment, which was all she could afford, finds a job that pays very little, just enough to take care of her boys, sacrificing her own wellbeing to make sure they stay healthy. This comes back to bit her as she feels greatly ill, making her write to Friedrich, telling him of everything that has happened and expresses her wish that should she die, her boys should be raised by him in America, like their father died. Friedrich hurried over to America, and is with her for a month trying to take care of her before she passes away. Now, with two young boys in his charge and new to America, Friedrich must do what he can to raise them well, and finds luck in the Kirke’s boarding house, where not only does he find lodging that is significantly better than where his sister was living at previously, but they offered him a job as a tutor to help take care of them.

I'll admit, I wasn't expecting this outcome, but the more of the deep dive I did of history, this backstory just came to me naturally. What do you guys think?