#les miserables analysis

[patron-minette]

Understanding the Patron-Minette affiliates through their names and aliases

This piece is the result of a hobbyist research project I've spent an unhealthy amount of time working on with the intention of bringing some context and historical significance to the names of all the Patron-Minette's affiliates!

From analysing nineteenth-century slang and investigating real criminal figures as well as their famous schemes, to exploring Hugo's potential literary inspirations, I am a strong believer that a lot of meaning can be discovered behind the names and aliases of these minor characters through close examination.

Below is a list of all 18 of the Patron-Minette affiliates (listed in the same order as Hugo introduces them in the novel), with each character's name accompanied by a short ramble about what their aliases may reference and/or allude to.

If you want to skip to the most *objectively* interesting character names, I would recommend visiting the entries for Laveuve, Homère Hogu, Kruideniers (alias Bizarro), and Mangedentelle first. But, I hope you enjoy reading the other entries too, as almost all of these names have wonderfully complex meanings and references hidden behind them!

**I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, I am not French— and therefore I have to rely on resources available to me online (and Julie Rose's English translations of these characters' names, even though I think she often interprets these names too literally) to analyse and translate the names of these characters. So, I sincerely apologise if I misspell or misinterpret any French in the sections below!**

Panchaud; alias Printanier, alias Bigrenaille

Translation in English: Hotwhack; Springlike, Golightly

There is not much to expand upon here thanks to Julie Rose's sufficient translation of Panchaud and his various aliases into English.

'Printanier' and 'Bigrenaille' suggest that the character was fairly spritely and fast. It also arguably implies he is a young and energetic criminal. The name 'Panchaud' is also a great indicator of this character's violent nature.

The fact that the character has three different names— one with a fairly dangerous undertone— seems to me to be a purposeful choice made by Hugo in order to emphasise the character's eagerness to become a notorious and famous criminal, which he does indeed become in the 1840s.

Brujon

Information provided in canon: Comes from a dynasty of Brujons

Unfortunately, I did not find any particularly exciting information or deeper meaning behind the name to speculate over.

To put it simply, 'Brujon' is a French family name that was common in France at the time of the publication of Les Misérables , and remains a prevalent surname today. Nevertheless, this small piece of knowledge is interesting enough to me as it indirectly relates to the concept of the Brujon ‘dynasty’ quite well!

Boulatruelle

Information provided in canon: An old road-mender, who we have met before in Montfermeil

'Truelle' means trowel, and 'boule'— which is very similar to 'boula'— is a slang term for 'head' [source]. When taking these elements together, this makes Boulatruelle's very name a nice reference to the character's obsession with digging for the "buried treasure" in Montfermeil's forests.

The trowel detail might also be a nod to Boulatruelle's occupation as a road mender, since it refers to a mason's tool specifially [source]. And, with 'boule' literally translating to 'ball', perhaps there is also an allusion in the name to ball-and-chain that might connect to Boulatruelle's previous conviction and prison sentence?

Laveuve

Translation in English: the Widow

This name was particularly interesting to research because it could allude to a whole variety of relevant concepts and hence allows for a lot of speculation.

On one hand, the name could just make reference to the fact that Laveuve is a widow, which interestingly would make Laveuve a female character!

Yet, ‘veuve’ (aka 'widow') is also a Temple slang term for ‘rope’. We know this thanks to Babet, who uses the phrase during the Patron-Minette's escape from La Force. This could therefore imply that the character is a criminal known for using ropes or nooses on victims.

More fascinating still, could Laveuve actually be someone pretending to be a vulnerable, widowed woman? Surprisingly, this was a type of criminal scam sometimes famously used by certain criminals in the nineteenth-century. For example, in the 1830s there was a criminal named Jean-Francais Chardon who was a conman and female impersonator known as “la Tante” [source]. Could Laveuve have been a similar kind of criminal?

Finistère

The name appears to derive from the Latin ‘Finis Terræ’, which means ‘End of the world’. Finistère is also the name of a place in Brittany, France. As a result of these factors, I have always associated the character with dock / port work, but of course nothing can be proved of this.

Homère Hogu

Information provided in canon: A black man (Julie Rose translates the phrase as such, but Victor Hugo uses a derogatory term when describing Homère Hogu in the original publication. I have replaced all mentions of the word with ‘n—’ where necessary below)

I found a captivating research paper about the onomastics of Les Misérables which touches on Homère Hogu being a purposeful variant of Victor Hugo’s own name:

Hugo ne s'y trompait pas lorsqu'il confia son “épopée définitive” de la “conscience humaine” (I, VII, 3; OC XI, 201) à un frère anagrammatique: ce bandit, le “n—” Homère-Hogu (III, VII, 4; OC XI, 536), est le hors-la-loi noir parmi les blancs; mais misérable “n—”, il est également par la grâce de la polysémie, celui qui est chargé par un écrivain célèbre d'écrire à sa place un roman, Les Misérables. Un nom étant un moi selon Jean Valjean, on reconnaîtra l'insaisissable poète des misérables dans ce double caché au cœur du roman. Hugo-Hogu.

[Roughly translated into English: Hugo was not mistaken when he entrusted his “definitive epic” of the “human conscience” (I, VII, 3; OC XI, 201) to a brother anagrammatical: this bandit, the “n—” Homère-Hogu (III, VII, 4; OC XI, 536), is the black outlaw among the whites; but miserable “n—”, he is also, by the grace of polysemy, the one who is commissioned by a famous writer to write a novel in his place, Les Miserables. A name being a self according to Jean Valjean, we will recognize the elusive poet of the wretched in this hidden double at the heart of the novel. Hugo-Hogu.]

I really recommend reading the full paper if this kind of topic interests you (click here to access the article). I have a limited understanding of the piece since it is written in French, but the parts that I could comprehend were absolutely fascinating!

Mardisoir

Translation in English: Tuesday Night

I don't have much to say on this name despite undertaking lots of research. It seems to mean nothing more than Tuesday evening / night. Perhaps the name alludes to an activity or event that commonly occurred on Tuesday nights, but I haven't been able to discover any information related to this idea thus far. The only *potential* research avenues that I discovered were:

'Mardi' is slang for beating up someone in Romanian [source], but no such slang seems to apply to the French language.

'Mardi s'il fait chaud' was once a popular proverb that was used in the same way as the English expression 'only when pigs fly' [source]. However, there is no likely connection between this phrase and Mardisoir's name since the phrases share nothing aside from the term 'Mardi'.

Dépêche

Translation in English: Dispatch

Whilst Julie Rose translates the name only to ‘Dispatch’, dépêche is a term that specifically refers to the dispatch of a message or information.

In addition, my own research has evidenced that in thieves' slang, ‘dépêche’ has a slightly different definition— meaning to ‘ease oneself by evacuation’, rather than simply dispatching a message [source].

Therefore there are two potential avenues for the criminal "subspecies" that Dépêche represents. Either the character is a messenger for the group, or perhaps is instead a criminal known for deserting others when things get tough.

Fauntleroy; alias Bouquetière

Translation in English: Flowergirl*

First off, let me debunk any suggestions that this character's name could in any way be linked to the famous story Little Lord Fauntleroy. It would have been impossible, since Little Lord Fauntleroy was published over 23 years after Les Misérables.

The name Fauntleroy is a real surname derived from the phrase 'le enfant le roy', which translates to 'child of the king' [source].

Fauntleroy's alias 'Bouquetière' translates to Flowergirl, likely referring to the character's occupation. Interestingly enough, at this point in history there was a common association between "Flowergirls" and prostitutes (I have previously written about this before), and I think Hugo takes advantage of this connection to coyly indicate to readers that Fauntleroy is a prostitute. Julie Rose even goes so far as to label the character as a "prostitute" in her translation, even though it is never explicitly stated by Victor Hugo.

Glorieux

Translation in English: Glorious

Information provided in canon: A freed convict

I haven't much to add here about the name apart from the related meanings of 'glorieux' that suggest this character might have once being a glorious and renowned criminal.

Aside from its direct translation to 'glorious', 'glorieux' can also mean 'self-satisfied', 'illustrious' and 'distinguished' [source]. This perhaps implies that the character had a particularly successful criminal career in the past.

Yet, I also want to point out the brilliantly ironic and sarcastic element to Glorieux's name! How can this criminal be so 'glorious' if he managed to get imprisoned in jail, and served his whole sentence (note he is a freed convict, which means he served his time in prison and did not escape in any illustrious escape!). I bet Hugo's juxtaposition of alias against the accompanying information that he was a 'freed convict' was intended to give readers a little laugh!

Barrecarrosse; alias Monsieur Dupont

Translation in English: Coachrod

Barrecarrosse’s name is almost certainly making reference to some famous nineteenth-century criminal plots involving horse-drawn carriages being ambushed and robbed by highwaymen and/or padfoots. Note that ‘barre’ means iron rod specifically, and perhaps it specifies the kind of weapon that this criminal might have carried.

Interestingly, Barrecarrosse’s alias, ‘Dupont’, is a common French surname that translates to ‘from the bridge’.

When taken together, both of Barrecarrosse’s names invoke an image in my mind of a shady criminal who hangs around on bridges that are used by carriages to transport goods and people into Paris, waiting to encounter passing carriages and attacking them in order to steal valuables. We are even told later in the novel that this character prowls the Grenelle area, which indeed was located just on the outskirts of the city’s nineteenth-century borders, right next to the Seine.

Lesplanade-du-Sud

Translation in English: South-Esplanade

This alias has me stumped. Esplande means 'precincts' in English [source], and I am assuming the name refers to some location or place— but I have not been able to decipher any further meaning to the name thus far.

If anyone has any insights or suggestions for possible meanings behind this name I would love to hear from you!

Poussagrive

Translation in English: Pushathrush

'Grive' appears to be used in a number of French slang phrases of the nineteenth-century to describe giving out warning calls. This might imply that Poussagrive could have taken on the role of a look-out for the gang, acting like a thrush songbird and calling out when spotting danger.

The multiple meanings of the French word 'poussa' help to support this idea: it has a lot of alternative definitions other than 'push', most of which relate more-so to speech: it can be defined as 'pushed, uttered, prompted, drove, let out, urged, heaved, led him, shoved, thrust, breathed, spurred' [source]

I think it is interesting to additionally note here that 'grive' was also slang in the nineteenth-century for 'army; military patrol ; warder' [source]. So, Poussagrive could also refer to a calling used to alert or command the Patron-Minette in a ‘military’ fashion, ordering them about as if they were some kind of ‘patrol’!

Carmagnolet

The name shares similarities with the famous revolutionary song ‘La Carmagnole’, wherein a carmagnole is the name of a short jacket worn by working-class revolutionary militants [source].

So, perhaps Carmagnolet is a character interested in revolution (which would open up fascinating possibilities for this character in terms of potential connections to Les Amis). Or, might it just mean that this criminal has a rebellious, wildly anarchistic personality. Or, maybe Carmagnolet is simply known by this name because he wears a Carmagnole jacket?

*As I’ve said before I don’t speak French, and therefore don’t know how the added ‘t’ at the end of the name changes its meaning— and would really appreciate it if anybody could share some insight into this!*

Kruideniers; alias Bizarro

Kruideniers is a name with multiple interpretations, yet none seem to give away much of an idea about the character. I've simply compiled all of the unconnected pieces of research I stumbled across below. Curiously, most of the information I sourced points back to the Netherlands rather than to France:

A denier is a type of silver Frankish coin [source]. Interestingly, three deniers make a liard (lots of fun opportunities to speculate over the monetary links and any corresponding connections between the characters of 'Kruideniers' and 'Demi-Liard' here).

'krui' is Dutch slang for 'push or carry forward' [source].

Oddly enough, ‘Kruideniers’ is Dutch for grocer.

As for the character's alias, Bizarro... my research took me down a bit of a rabbit-hole and led me to the fascinating tale of Francesco Moscato, alias Vizzarru. Moscato was an Italian brigand, mass murderer, and seducer. I won't waste time recounting the entire story but if you're interested in reading about Moscato you can do so here.

Whilst the name Vizzarru is not quite Bizarro, what is important to note is that Sir Walter Scott wrote a story about Moscato in 1832 entitled Bizarro (although it was never published at the time!). And, who was known to be a good friend and admirer of Walter Scott? None other than Victor Hugo!

Of course, I cannot prove anything about Hugo taking the name Bizarro from Scott, but its fun to speculate that perhaps there had been a conversation between these two authors! Furthermore, Alexandre Dumas, another friend and rival of Victor Hugo, had taken inspiration from Vizzarru and written about the figure too! Perhaps Hugo and Dumas could have discussed Moscato / Vizzarru / Bizarro at the Club des Hashischins, and Hugo had retained the name in his head?

Mangedentelle

Translation in English: Eatlace

This one was particularly interesting to research, and in this name there is a piece of translation that I disagree with Julie Rose over.

Personally, I think Rose ended up translating this character's name too literally when referring to it in English as 'eatlace'.

Whilst Rose is objectively correct to translate 'dentelle' to lace, my own research has suggested that 'dentelle' is thieves’ argot for 'bank notes, "rags, flimsies, screenes, or longtailed ones"' [source].

To me, this definition of 'dentelle' makes more sense in the context of the name of a Patron-Minette affiliate. It seems significantly more probable that this character's name would have referred to bank notes rather than lace fabric.

However, I am still stumped as to what the 'mange' / 'eat' part of the name is meant to imply or represent. The closest, most logical thing I can think of is that 'mange' in this context translates to 'hunger' or 'appetite', as it meant originally in Old French [source].

If we are to be convinced enough by this research, it would mean Mangedentelle theoretically translates to 'appetite for money'. To me, that makes much more sense than translating the name as 'eatlace'.

Les-pieds-en-l'air

Translation in English: Feet-in-the-air

This is a simple one to explain. The character’s name alludes to a bawdy sex position, and clearly implies that Les-pieds-en-l’air is a prostitute.

Demi-liard; alias Deux-milliards

Translation in English: Half-a-liard; Two Billion

Another relatively easy name to decipher— a demi-liard is a low value term of coinage.

The conjunction between this character's two aliases is wonderfully comedic. With the 'Demi-Liard' alias, this character is described as being extremely poor (if a liard was at one point the smallest coin in France in terms of its monetary value, then a demi-liard would have been even more pitiful!). Yet, the other alias, ‘Deux-milliards’ would suggest that the character is extremely wealthy!

[pureanonofficial]

What you come to understand about Les Miserables as you learn more about Victor Hugo is that it is all about Léopoldine, it is nothing but Léopoldine, Léopoldine is the heart and soul of it, every word and chapter is full of Léopoldine, Léopoldine, Léopoldine.

It is a book immutably shaped by the pain of losing a child.

[euphraisette]

Just realized the “castle on a cloud” melody is repeated after the attack on rue plumet….. “three men i saw beyond the wall/three men in shadow moving fast”

ITS COSETTES MAKING SHIT UP MELODY

[ruedesfillesducalvaire]

I'm feeling a little insane about Javert recognising Éponine at the barricade, whereas the people who should actually know and care about her repeatedly fail to recognise her!!!

here's her own father, Thénardier, not recognising her (4.8.4):

At the same moment, he perceived a pale girl standing before him. The man underwent that shock which the unexpected always brings. He bristled up in hideous wise; nothing is so formidable to behold as ferocious beasts who are uneasy; their terrified air evokes terror. He recoiled and stammered:— “What jade is this?” “Your daughter.” It was, in fact, Éponine, who had addressed Thénardier.

and here's Marius not recognising her (4.14.6):

The fire-pot allowed him to distinguish a blouse, torn trousers of coarse velvet, bare feet, and something which resembled a pool of blood. Marius indistinctly made out a pale head which was lifted towards him and which was saying to him:— “You do not recognize me?” “No.” “Éponine.”

but Javert, who knows her only as a juvenile delinquent he's arrested before—Javert recognises her, even after she's dead.

Javert gazed askance at this body, and, profoundly calm, said in a low tone: “It strikes me that I know that girl.”

I would also venture to say that the fact he brings it up at all, especially at such a critical moment (he's literally about to be shot as far as he knows), illustrates that he is actually bothered by this on some level.

(this train of thought was prompted by @secretmellowblog's excellent post about Javert + Éponine parallels)

[whorejolras]

[polyjoly]

We don't talk enough about Grantaire's choice to die from Enjolras' point of view.

I think it meant so so much to Enjolras. Think about it, everything Enjolras believed in just failed. He watched all his friends die in a fight he led them in. The people did not rise. He must have been thinking he was wrong, wondering if there was ever any point in anything he did.

Then Grantaire shows up. The man who disagreed with him, the skeptic who didn't believe in anything, shows up and says he does believe in the revolution and is willing to die for it.

Grantaire is proof that everything Enjolras did was not in vain. He made a believer out of the faithless. The people of Paris might not have risen to their cause, but this one single person did raise up, and someday, others will to.

The revolution didn't happen then, but it would happen eventually. Grantaire is evidence of that.

[fruity-pontmercy]

Les Mis adaptations and apolitical appropriation

I think it's no secret on this blog that I love the original Les Mis 1980 concept album in French, and that I also love comparing different versions of the stage musical. I've noticed that Les Mis seems to get progressively more vaguely apolitical as time goes on, not only in the way it's viewed in our culture, but in the actual text as well.

It's natural for specifics to be lost in adaptation. It's easier to get people to care about 'the people vs. the king' in a relatively short musical rather than actually facing the audience with the absolute mess that were 19th century french politics (monarchist orleanists vs monarchist legitimists vs imperialist vs bonapartist democrats vs every flavour of republican imaginable). Still, I feel that as time goes on, as more revivals and adaptations of the stage musical come out, the more watered down its politics become. Like, Les Mis at it's core is just meant to be a fancily written, drawn out political essay, right?

In a way I feel that the 1980 concept album almost tried to modernise it with its symbols of progress. Yes, through Enjolras' infamous disco segment (and other similar allusions to the ideals of social change), but perhaps most interestingly to me, through one short line that threw me off when I first heard it, because it seems so insignificant, but might actually be the most explicitly leftist line of all of Les Mis.

"Son coeur vibrait à gauche et il le proclama" (roughly "His heart beat to the left and he proclaimed it" i.e: he was a leftist) Feuilly says, while speaking of the now dead général Lamarque in Les Amis de L'ABC.

What's that? An actual mention of leftism??? in MY vaguely progressive yet apolitical musical??? More seriously, this mention of leftism, clashing with the rest of the musical due to it's seeming anachronism, is interesting not because it's actually more political than anything else in Les Mis, rather, because it's not scared to explicitly name what it's trying to do.

But we've come a long way from the Concept Album days, it's been 43 years, and Les Misérables is now one of the most famous and beloved musicals in the entire world. It's been revived and reimagined and adapted in a million ways, in different mediums, in different languages and countries, and it's clear that it's changed along with it's audience.

On top of pointing out a cool line in my favourite version of the musical, I wanted to write this post to reflect on the perception of the political message of this work. We as a Les Mis fandom on Tumblr are very political, I don't need to tell you that, however, I feel that because this very left leaning space has sprung out of a work we all love so much, we oftentimes forget to revisit it from a more objective point of view.

Les Misérables has a history of being misrepresented, this has been true since it's publication, since american confederate soldiers became entranced with their censored translation Lee's Miserables. However, with it's musical adaptation, this misinterpretation has been made not only more accessible but also easier. As much as I love musical theatre and I think it is at it's best an incredible art form able to communicate complex themes visulally by the masses for the masses, I think it'd be idealistic to ignore the fact that the people who can afford to go see musicals regularly are, usually, not the common folk. Broadway and the West End are industries which, like most, need money to keep them afloat, and are loved people of all political backgrounds (and unfortunately, often older conservatives) not just communists on tumblr. We've seen the way Les Miz UK's social media team constantly misses the mark regarding different social issues, and the way Cameron Makintosh has used the musical to propagate his transphobia, and most of us can agree that these actions are in complete antithesis with the message of Les Misérables as a novel.

But I must ask, how does Les Mis ,as a West End musical in it's current form, actually drive a leftist message, and how are we as a community helping if every time someone relating to the musical messes up if we just claim they "don't get it"?

I'm thinking in particular of incidents like last october, where Just Stop Oil crashed Les Mis at the West End. Whether you think it's good activism or not is not the question I think, this instance is interesting particularly because it shows that, outside of Les Misérables analysis circles and fandom spaces, it is not recognised as an inherently leftist, political or activist work, and instead of just saying they completely missed the point of the musical, I think it'd be interesting to take a step back and look at what the musical as it stands actually represents in our culture today.

I don't pretend to have all the answers, so I won't try to give one, but I do hope we can reflect on this a bit.

[homeboundmonsters]

More Jumbled Thoughts on the Psychology of Inspector Javert

Building on the mention of Prison Mother and Law Father:

Javert exits his mother's womb into another symbolic womb: the prison, a place where transformation happens, where men are turned into beasts. Like a womb the prison entraps, monitors, maintains and sustains the life of its prisoner, but also can kill him. Because of her ethnicity and estrangement from society, Javert divorces himself from his biological mother and, in this way, the prison system holds the symbolic role of the mother in Javert's life. Because Javert is born without a father there is a symbolic void, an absence which he fills with The Law. In the philosophy of Carl Jung the Father archetype represents authority and responsibility; he is the protector and provider. Javert requires this figure to form a family triad, every child requires stability and that stability is found in parental figures- whether biological or otherwise. It is in prison where Javert adopts his affinity with observing: observing is safe, observing is a guilt-free activity because it is amoral: the observer does not partake in, and thus approve of, or disapprove of the activity he observes. In addition, observation is a passive activity. Prison and the Law teach Javert to be passive, because to be passive is to be safe from unwelcome observation, it is to be small and unseen. We see this in how Javert behaves at the barricade, like Valjean he turns into himself returning to the state of dissociation that gave him comfort in childhood. 

By the time Javert leaves the womb he is already a man and so he is trapped in a sort of psychological infancy. He cannot develop beyond the idea of black and white right or wrong. He cannot move, like a man does, away from the overbearing and domineering psychological influence of his parents. He seeks to please them and when he feels he has failed he suffers mental and emotional distress and anguish. He prefers straightforward tasks, requires reassurance and praise, and seeks out the attention and approval of his parents in all things. He has been taught to be obedient and passive from birth and has not had the experience of a life outside of ‘the family’ with which he might compare his way of living. As he divorced his biological mother, Javert divorces his symbolic mother by abandoning the prison system and moving to the Law pure to work as a police officer. This is because, as a man, he seeks to identify with the masculine identity in himself as if represented by his Father. But also because the approval of his father is the ultimate form of safety because in reality, Javert’s Father figure is the Dark Father: he is critical, often cruel, emotionally distant, he is the father who consumes their own child. For what does the Law give Javert? Not social status, not family, not community, not love, not an appeasement of hunger or the safety of a good solid income.  

Like the son who never flies the nest, he forms few to no other social or sexual relationships. How can he when all of his psychological and emotional energy is going into fulfilling his parents' perceived needs? This is part of the danger of Jean Valjean. He disrupts, he invites in Javert sentiments and psychological excitements which draw him away from his primary focus of satisfying his parents. He entices with an alternate way of life in which a man might live by his own values, independent and seeking only his own approval. And he introduces physical desire into Javert's life also, forcing him through a sort of psychological puberty from sexless child to confused and frustrated yearning adult. What emotions he should have had years to understand he is forced to process in short and destabilising bursts. He does not even have the language to express to himself what he desires, beyond the framework of service and pleasing a superior figure or destroying and harming the cause of the destabilisation.

Jean Valjean also entices because he is The Father. This can be seen in the development of his relationships: as a young man he is the father figure to his nieces and nephews, then he is Father Madeleine to M-Sur-M, then he is Cosette’s adopted father. Valjean represents what Javert has searched for since childhood, a figure to fill the symbolic void of the absent father. Unlike his cruel, judgemental Dark Father in the figure of The Law, Valjean is accepting, merciful, gentle, patient and forgiving. He offers praise, community, tenderness, but without the lack of any traditional masculine traits; he is strong, powerfully built, handsome, respectable, wise, intelligent, masterful, dominant, and holds social influence. To put it in a vulgar terminology: Javert has Daddy Issues. Valjean is the symbolic Father he has yearned for to treat the wounds of his agonised childhood. Now, this is not to say he wishes Valjean to be his father, that would be a naive interpretation. It is to say that he requires a figure to take that role in his emotional and psychological hierarchy. But it is also why he has such an internal conflict: to abandon the Law Father is to turn his back on a lifetime of programming, but worse: to accept that he is lovable and deserving of respect, mercy and tenderness without having to deprive himself and exhaust himself mentally and emotionally to earn those things. And worst of all, to face the belief that he has already proven through his acts that he is not worthy of this freely given love and approval that his potential Good Father offers him. The Dark Father is ingrained in Javert’s very psychology, even outside of his presence (as outside as he can ever be) he is ruled by the critical and cruel judgements and strict rules that his Dark Father has set for him. In a moment of agonised realisation, Javert comes to understand that he is worthy of Love and that he has made himself unworthy of it all at once: the perspectives of two warring Father symbols whose conflict ultimately tears apart Javert’s fragile psyche. 

[coralreeferband]

Denny

Fahnstock/MacAfee

[wolfiso]

There is an essay to be written comparing *Les Miserables" and "The Lord of the Rings." Something about the conflicts centering on the struggle between hope and despair. Something more about principal characters (JVJ and Frodo) triumphing but then being cut off from the promised land.

But I won't be writing it tonight. Too sleeeeepy

[justgayrevolutionnaries]

"They died holding hands" ok we talked about it now come back two seconds before that. R asked Enjolras permission to die by his side. He asked permission to make one last stand for something he never believed in. He asked permission to join the revolution, to stand up for a cause, to die as "one of them" even if he probably thought he didn't deserve it, since he didn't fight with them. He actually asked Enjolras his permission to be shot with him. And Enjolras, the leader, the only man he believed in, saw this incredible act of devotion, he saw the hope that people would rise eventually, he saw a new light for the future, and he granted him this permission. Meaning they both died happy, because Grantaire was finally accepted by Enjolras, while Enjolras actually saw what he always waited for : the people finally rising.

[patron-minette]

A Forgotten Figure from the Brujon Dynasty

“Brujon. (There was a whole dynasty of Brujons; we can't promise not to say more about this later.)”

Admittedly, Hugo’s introductory description of Brujon has always left me a little unsatisfied. While we do later learn a little about Brujon’s father— a convict who carved his name on the walls of La Force— readers never receive any further information about the rest of the supposed “dynasty” that Hugo alludes to.

Well… I came across a truly fascinating piece of information today that sheds new light on an altered character from Hugo’s draft manuscript who was seemingly from this family dynasty!

The following passage reveals the original name for ‘La Magnon’ in the earlier outline of Les Misérables [source]:

Thus, it appears that Hugo did indeed intend to provide his readers with more information about the Brujon dynasty— with the character of ‘La Magnon’ actually existing as ‘La Brujon’ at one point in time!

It can only be assumed that ‘La Brujon’ would’ve been related to Brujon, the “strapping young lad” whom we encounter in the novel— most likely as his biological mother.

This revelation therefore suggests the potential existence of a Brujon family unit within earlier versions of the story… even if Hugo never went into any detail about it. It also opens up a world of endless possibilities regarding the interlinked connections between Patron-Minette, the Thénardier family, and the Magnon/Brujon family(!)

Frankly, my head is spinning and I am too overwhelmed to comprehend this knowledge. While it may be a minor detail, for a Patron-Minette enthusiast like myself, this discovery opens up countless new avenues for exploration!

[lenievi]

ok so what I kind of alluded to in this post the other day

like choices were made with bbc!Javert that's for sure but also he is not unrecognizable

from the beginning, they decided that Javert would have power. He was not just helping in Toulon, he was the guy there. He had no one to answer to, he had no superiors there. He followed the law and the rules of Toulon, cruelly and coldheartedly.

And so they established his character to be like this. Then he became a policeman and got promoted to an inspector and assigned to Montreuil. We were supposed to see him working under Madeleine, but they decided that bbc!Javert would recognize him immediately - there was zero doubt in his mind.

"Good God! it is very easy to be kind; the difficulty lies in being just. Come! if you had been what I thought you, I should not have been kind to you, not I! You would have seen!" (Hapgood)

(the translation I'm reading is using "good" (because the French is using "bon") and not "kind", but I think it doesn't matter much)

So bbc!Javert had no reason to act extremely respectfully and deferentially (in some way, he acted as Javert in the book before Madeleine became the mayor, but bbc!Javert was more forward and open about it. We only got very little from that period in the book; and the most we got was him provoking Madeleine during the cart scene).

And because bbc!Javert always knew, his character needed to be kept consistent and so his characterization would be mainly taken from Fantine's arrest and Valjean's arrest.

Javert doesn't listen to people he deems to be criminals. He doesn't care. Any protestation will make him angry, he will raise his voice. Javert enjoys power and hates when his authority is mocked and threatened.

During Valjean's arrest, Javert is petty, he literally stomps his foot, he even grasps Valjean's coat, cravat and shirt. He is elated, cruel, and uncaring.

“I tell you that there is no Monsieur Madeleine and that there is no Monsieur le Maire. There is a thief, a brigand, a convict named Jean Valjean! And I have him in my grasp! That’s what there is!” (Hapgood)

During the Montreuil era, bbc!Javert is a version of book!Javert that excluded the presence of a superior Javert would respect, i.e. Madeleine, imho. There was only a thief and a criminal present for bbc!Javert, and so he behaved accordingly.

[euphraisette]

fantines “i dreamed a dream” motif being repeated for marius and cosette in “one day more” because fantines dream of true love is finally being reALIZED THROUGH HER DAUGHTER EVERYBODY SHUT THE FUCK UP

[ruedesfillesducalvaire]

@secretmellowblog got me thinking again with their recent post about javert being a terrible liar!!

this made me think about the juxtaposition of javert and sister simplice, two people incapable of telling a lie. both of them end up breaking their lifetime honesty streak one time, and in each case, it's to save valjean.

first we have sister simplice:

Never to have lied, never to have said, for any interest whatever, even in indifference, any single thing which was not the truth, the sacred truth, was Sister Simplice’s distinctive trait; it was the accent of her virtue.

(and that's just a short excerpt; hugo continues on in this way for A While, as he is wont to do.)

then, the moment she tells her one and only lie (to javert himself, no less):

This was Sister Simplice, who had never told a lie in her life. Javert knew it, and held her in special veneration in consequence. “Sister,” said he, “are you alone in this room?” A terrible moment ensued, during which the poor portress felt as though she should faint. The sister raised her eyes and answered:— “Yes.”

she does this, of course, to save valjean from being re-arrested (he is hiding behind the door).

then we have javert:

Javert [...] raised his head with the intrepid serenity of the man who has never lied.

and his one lie:

He added with a strange expression, and as though he were exerting an effort in speaking in this manner: “I will wait for you here.”

again to save valjean! (from being arrested) (by himself)

i don't really have a point, but it's interesting. also makes me even happier they got the chance to team up in my fic (in chapter 4); they seem like they would get each other...

[whorejolras]

rip Fantine you would have loved the decriminalisation of sex work