#madame thénardier

[dolphin1812]

Cosette is finally free!

The characterization in this chapter is honestly incredible. Unlike her husband, Mme Thénardier has some scruples; while they may be twisted (preferring to marry Louis XVIII over doing something truly awful sounds like a fair comparison until it’s revealed that she means having Cosette around), and while she may still be horrible, she’s not as sneaky as her husband and thus feels uncomfortable with some of his demands because she doesn’t see them the same way he does. She finds it challenging to demand such a large sum from Valjean, for instance, because of his dress. She’s noticed the discrepancy between his appearance and his money as well, but she still fears that he won’t be able to pay. This isn’t really a moral position - she’s still awful - but she does feel awkward because part of her worries that this is too much for him to pay and she doesn’t know what she’ll do if it is. Her husband has picked up on all of this, too, but he also has suspicions about why he’d have to pay.

Thénardier likely suspects Valjean is a criminal. His reasoning on why he can’t be Cosette’s relative is in the text, but his other thoughts are mostly revealed through his questions and attitude. We know Thénardier has associated with convicts before, as he wasn’t afraid to be seen with Boulatruelle when trying to get information out of him. He may have picked up on the similarities between their demeanors: constant caution, subservience to authority beyond what’s expected, a lack of confidence, social isolation, and so on. The gap between this man’s appearance and the amount of money he has is also suspicious, and it may lead him to believe that he looks like this because he didn’t acquire the money through ‘legitimate’ means. This suspicion gives him confidence. A man running from the law can’t be picky about money (we’ve seen this with Valjean accepting lower wages without much of a fight, but overcharging would have worked the same way; complaints would draw legal attention that current criminals and ex-convicts would want to avoid). Therefore, while his wife is nervous about asking for that much money, he knows that this man can’t complain too strongly about the price. When discussing Cosette, he maintains a friendly tone so as not to arouse suspicion, but he does ask Valjean for identifying information, including for a passport (and as we know from Digne, passports were a tricky business). Valjean’s refusal to provide any of those likely solidified his hunch that he’s running from the law.

With Valjean, we see him move from his state of constant anxiety to a form of confidence. When he asks Mme Thénardier about Cosette, his voice trembles; he’s afraid of making any demands, like we’ve seen in all the chapters since he escaped prison again (and in the preceding chapters as well, honestly). Once he’s dealing with M Thénardier, however, his voice is firm. He definitely speaks less and chooses his words and actions carefully. Valjean may have the strength of an action hero, but he’s not just going to burst out of the inn carrying Cosette because he knows that’ll attract too much attention. He knows he has to negotiate with Thénardier in the most discreet way possible. Still, he stands up for himself, refusing to offer him any identification because none of it is necessary. In doing so, he also reveals an understanding of what Cosette’s been through - he’s keeping her abusers from finding her - and implicitly accuses Thénardier of abuse by insisting that she’ll never see him again and referring to him as something that “binds her foot” (he says “thread,” but the image resembles a prison chain). He doesn’t flinch when asked, either, demonstrating that he’s more confident here than before. It’s always been easier for Valjean to demand better treatment for others than for himself, and this is a continuation of that. He likely wouldn’t have stood up for himself at all if this weren’t a way of helping Cosette. Still, this does raise the possibility of some healing for him through Cosette, which is always nice to see.

Cosette is also so cute, I love how she immediately gains a lot of courage from Valjean’s presence (no longer fearing her abusers) and is so happy to leave. The image of her looking up at him in awe from time to time as they walk is so adorable.

[rated-r-for-grantaire]

Hades and Persephone from Hadestown are Monsieur and Madame Thénardier from Les Mis but in a different font

[tr0ubl3d-tr4n53nd3r]

"Praying to the Lord on Sundays, and wishing for the gifts he's got"

Ha lol looser you became miis in Tomadachi life.

Now they're Monsieur and Madame Thénardier of Les Miis

Idk if they're gonna believe in me or Mary Sue Pleasant, but I'm assuming they'll believe in TroubledTransenderism. Mainly because if they're a pleasant then they have to wear a blue cone which will remove their wedding wigs.

[oldbooksandnewmusic]

The worse couple ever 💕💕💕

[symphony-in-a]

Requested by @angelofmusic1296

[la-pheacienne]

Me going through Les Miserables fandom for 15 minutes on Tumblr and Goodreads:

@phytine @rhaenyragendereuphoria thank you for that truly unparalleled experience

[ask-lemaire]

Hi I have a field of nettles and I don’t know what to do with them, any advice?

talk to them the more you talk the more they grow

[ilikestuff69]

Les Misérables Fancast

Jean Valjean played by Joshua Henry

Javert played by Brian Stokes Mitchell

Fantine played by Emmy Rossum

Cosette played by Rachel Zegler

Marius Pontmercy played by Andrew Barth Feldman

Eponine Thénardier played by Auli’i Cravalho

Enjolras played by Derek Klena

Thénardier played by Brad Oscar

Madame Thénardier played by Imelda Staunton

[peoplesing]

on this fine sunday i would just like to say that éponine has a below average singing voice and the only person who knows this is gavroche when she sings him lullabies

[lesmissocials-fuckedup]

Les Mis socials - official 2023 ranking

Here they are - The results of the "Worst post of 2023" competition and overall an archive for the worst posts the Les Mis social media teams have cursed us with this year.

1- "Who should Marius choose ?" - January 29

That one can be crowned "Worst post of the year" by far - The musical seems to once again have misunderstood three of its most important characters, reducing them to being mere love interests and defining Eponine and Cosette's relationship by a rivalry over Marius.

2 - Cosette at Thanksgiving - November 23

The US competitor also took a very strong stand here - not only because it shows a deep misunderstanding of what the character of Cosette fundamentaly stands for, but also because it can be seen as offensive by many. Putting an abused and starved french child in front of a Thanksgiving meal, really ?

3 - Mother's day - March 19

A picture of Madame Thénardier ? For Mother's day instead of Fantine ? It's more likely than you think. Although on this one the team gets extra credit for acknowledging that Madame Thénardier is not a good mother, which shows an unusual level of understanding when it comes to their own musical.

4 - The Wimbledon post - July 15

Also known as That One Post Where Everything Is Wrong - and for sure not their best use of this promotional picture. From the tennis racket to the editing of Cosette's arms to make her look muscular, it is the proof we never needed that there should not, in fact, be a Cosette for every occasion.Not to mention they somehow messed up the colors of the French flag... not a good look for them.

5 - Christmas Eve - December 24

Just a very disappointing post all around as an adequate way to wrap up this year. On the 200th anniversary of Valjean meeting Cosette in the woods, we got a quality pun and an edited picture that we could, at the very best, consider as inappropriate - would it only be because they added snowflakes to a barricade that was build in June.

Honorable mentions for this year go to :

The Fourth of July post - that surprisingly did not make it in top 5. The US team might win the battle for "Most incorrect use of this Cosette picture" with this one - and it is made even worse by the fact they did not post anything for July 14, the national french holiday.

The World cup one - similar to the Wimbledon post in that it just gets everything wrong overall, from the awful pun to putting Cosette in front of an english flag.

Easter Cosette - not surprising, but still extremely disappointing.

Christmas Cosette - in the same way, it is the exact same post as last year and never fails to disappoint.

Any time they felt the need to put sunglasses on Cosette - which, honestly, was a lot.

A very uncanny use of emojis in every single post, that never gets less disturbing.

Overall a very good year to archive their fuck ups - but they still did not manage to beat the record set last year by the Queen's Jubilee post ! Maybe they will do even better in 2024 ?

[ratmanrulerofrodents]

"you've got a beard like a man, mother, but i have claws of a woman." -Javert GUYS ITS CANON JAVERT WEARS ACRYLICS (he was talking to madame Thénardier btw rude)

[dolphin1812]

Cosette chapters are always distressing, partly because Hugo writes them well (aside from the Thénardiers). He continues with the idea that Cosette is less than an animal, with drinkers saying things like, “One must needs be a cat to go about the streets without a lantern at this hour!” Instead of a cat, we see that Cosette, a human child, is the one sent out. Additionally, when arguing with a customer over his horse, Mme Thénardier refers to it as a “beast,” but Cosette is the “other beast,” also not given the status of a person. If anything, she’s below the horse, as she’s expected to take the risk of going out into the night and carrying a bucket bigger than she is just to make sure that the horse has water (which is important to the horse’s life, of course, and it’s nice to see a horse be cared for in a novel otherwise filled with horse death, but given that it’s so dark and that it’s a cold winter night, going outside is extremely dangerous to Cosette, a young child who’s probably malnourished and doesn’t have proper clothes). Cosette’s even addressed as “Mademoiselle Dog-lack-name,” further emphasizing her ties to animals over humans and how even within the group of animals, she’s seen as the lowest of them, not worthy of even a name. She’s then called “Mam’selle Toad,” an animal that’s typically looked down on. This dehumanization is horrific, made worse by the fact that she’s so young. However, it’s also very effective in establishing sympathy for Cosette, who we otherwise don’t really see. We haven’t spent that much time with her relative to the other characters (or relative to Napoleon), but we need to care about her, and getting this view of how cruel others are to her - as well as glimpses of her thoughts, which are not at all what a child should be worrying about - makes it very easy to feel pity for her.

Cosette’s thoughts also indicate how frequent these kinds of events are. Hugo says suffering has made her like an “old woman,” and while he’s referring to her appearance and demeanor, it’s evident from what she focuses on as well. Given that she’s eight, we’d expect that she’d think about playing. Instead, her mental energy is dedicated to calculating the amount of water present in the inn. It’s true that aspects of her approach are still child-like. Her anxiety, for instance, and her lies aren’t surprising coming from a child (although they wouldn’t necessarily be shocking from an adult, either). Still, the extent to which this abuse has stolen her childhood is clear. She’s stressed the full night (in addition to being busy, as she’s working even as she worries) over something that even the adults present are barely paying attention to, thinking only about the work she’s expected to do instead of things that might make her happy. 

[ineffable-gallimaufry]

came to a realization that this is just madame thénardier and gavroche

[its-to-the-death]

Villain Song Showdown Bracket E Round 2

Slipping (Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog) - Villain: Dr. Horrible

Master of the House (Les Miserables) - Villains: Monsieur Thénardier & Madame Thénardier

[cliozaur]

The one, in which Valjean observes the Thénardiers in their natural environment. Too much is going on, so I will select just a couple of aspects. Valjean, though perceptive himself, remains an enigma to the Thénardiers. They debate whether he's a beggar or a wealthy eccentric, convinced that the rich cannot be polite.

The description of emaciated, bruised, scared Cosette clad in rags is excruciating. Hugo’s and Valjean’s reaction to what they see is humane and natural: “The hollows in her neck were enough to make one weep,” but it’s not enough for the good people of Montfermeil. Cosette was “on the verge of becoming an idiot or a demon.” Luckily, she would escape this fate, but Éponine, trapped in this environment, would eventually label herself “a devil.”

Éponine is amusing, inventive, and lovely, explaining Azelma the rules of playing with a cat: “Gradually, you will perceive her whiskers, and that will surprise you. And then you will see her ears, and then you will see her tail and it will amaze you. And you will say to me, ‘Ah! Mon Dieu!’ and I will say to you: ‘Yes, Madame, it is my little girl. Little girls are made like that just at present.’” Hugo is so good at conveying children’s behaviour.

On the other hand, Cosette doesn’t quite know how to play. This is a skill one has to learn socially, and Cosette never had time for it. Valjean is paying for her time to play, then he buys her a fancy doll. And It’s heart-breaking to see how all she can do with a new doll is to admire it silently: ““Play, Cosette,” said the stranger. / “Oh! I am playing,” returned the child.”

Hugo is imposing gender norms of his time, preaching about girls and dolls, and women and babies. However, this was the mainstream opinion of the time, so Hugo is just a normal man of the nineteenth century.

The image of Jean Valjean wandering around the house at night, acting as St. Nicholas, rewarding good children with a coin, is precious!

[fiction-podcast-lover]

Since this blog started at being for fiction podcasts and then it ended in me endlessly yapping about les misérables, let's mix it together!

I'm assigning The Magnus Archives entities to Les Misérables characters

Javert - The Hunt (OBVIOUSLY)

Jean Valjean - The Eye

Cosette - The Lonely

Fontine - The Corruption

Eponine - The Lonely

Madame Thénardier - The Web

Monsieur Thénardier - The Hunt

Enjolras - The Slaughter

Grantaire - The Lonely

Gavrosh - The Dark

Marius - The Spiral

If ANYONE asks i WILL go into heavy details about my reasoning