Seven Years' War

The Seven Years' War enters the book’s explanatory notes through a probable ironic allusion to Frederick the Great of Prussia and his response to the heavy losses at Kunersdorf. The note links the war to a declaration of national despair, while qualifying the connection as an interpretation rather than a certainty.

Historical Reference

The note recalls that, after suffering great losses in the Battle of Kunersdorf during the Seven Years' War, Frederick wrote, “I do not wish to survive the fall of my country. Farewell forever.” The war is therefore present here not as a narrated campaign but as the historical circumstance behind the quoted words.

Allusive Function

The note identifies the reference as probably ironic. Its cautious wording leaves the allusion open to interpretation: the historical example supplies a comparison to Frederick’s dramatic farewell, but the note does not establish the reference as definitive or explain it further.