Menelaus

Overview

A red-haired man at the races at Vienna in August 1873, whom Marie nicknames «Menelaus der gute», with a pun on German Laus (louse), probably an echo of Offenbach's La Belle Hélène, seen in German at the Theater an der Wien (footnote at 008.0148, interpretation hedged).

Relevance to Marie

Stub replaced. The man is a nickname only; not in any Mon Journal index (t.1–2 checked for «Ménélas»). Source of La Belle Hélène link: footnote 008.0148.1, based on 007.0352.

Identity uncertain

We are not sure who this is. Marie gives only a nickname, «Menelaus der gute», for a red-haired man with opera glasses at the Vienna races (008.0148); who he was, and what «man von Victoria» refers to, is unknown, and the Mon Journal indexes do not name him. One possible lead, unproven: Marie writes in October 1874 that the Sapogenikoff children nicknamed a M. Laloff of Geneva «Ménélas» (his wife was «Hélène», 024.0414); a Geneva acquaintance of 1873 might have been in Vienna that August, but nothing in the diary connects the two. If you can identify him, we would be glad to hear from you.

References in Diary

On 24 August 1873: «Le Menelaus der gute … était là, un binocle par dessus l'épaule et tout rouge. Je l'aime assez, il est le deuxième homme roux sympathique» (008.0148). She adds that she is glad not to blush at his name. The phrase «man von Victoria» is unexplained.