#money in les mis

[cliozaur]

Regarding Money in Les Misérables or the Weight of Valjean's Capital

Valjean’s capital, kept in banknotes and hidden in a chest in the forest, was actually the most practical way for him to store it. He could have withdrawn it in coins—more secure and enduring silver or gold—but 630,000 francs in silver would have weighed over three tons, and around 211 kg in gold. Even a man as strong as Valjean couldn’t carry that from Paris to Montfermeil! Instead, he had 630 1,000-franc banknotes: a stack about the size of a large novel, which fit neatly into the chest.

However, keeping wealth in paper money was a risky endeavour. The French were deeply suspicious of banknotes, having suffered from hyperinflation during the Revolutionary period. (Revolutionary assignats were only good as souvenirs: Fauchelevent pinned a counter-revolutionary note to his hut wall, and Grantaire kept a revolutionary one in his desk drawer.) When Valjean withdrew a 1,000-franc banknote from the lining of his yellow coat, his portress grew highly suspicious—not least because he didn’t look like a lawful millionaire. She gossiped about it, and this rumour reached the police, drawing Javert’s attention to Valjean.

It was miraculous that no inflation occurred over the 10 years Valjean’s money was stashed in the forest, allowing Hugo to jest that it was, in fact, the safest way to keep your money.

[stars278]

This man!!! He is lurking 👀 (Also spot the friendship bracelet on the left which I think says “The Drunk One” and it’s in R’s green colour scheme !!) 💚

[notebookmusical]

please, i've been on my knees, change the prophecy.

[shitpostingfromthebarricade]

Locations of Les Mis - Jean Valjean's Journey

Okay, so JVJ starts his life in Faverolles, Brie (modern Aisne — thanks @vapaus-ystavyys-tasaarvo).

Then he was put in chains in Bicêtre (in Paris)

and continued on his way to Toulon, where he was in prison for 19 years.

The day after his release, he was underpaid for his labor in Grasse (was told 30 sous but, after showing his papers, was only paid 15 sous)

and several days later was in Brignolles, Digne where he was denied food and shelter but met the Bishop (inspired by the historical Bishop of Digne).

He was supposed to be going to Pontarlier next to work in the dairy farms

but instead went on to Montreuil-sur-Mer (Fantine's hometown and where she'd later return after Tholomyès left), arriving "just at nightfall, on a December evening" in 1815. What I suspect happened in the interim is that JVJ went to Paris before setting out for this town that he heard was good for cottage industries (and away from Faverolles, where he knew he would be searched for) (and anyway, last he heard his sister and niblings had moved to Paris as well) (OH SHIT was his first instinct to seek them out in Paris???). (Map updated, thank you to @baloo394 for the correction!)

In early March 1823 when Champmathieu was on trial in Arras, JVJ went through great lengths to travel from Montrieul-sur-Mer to there, leaving at 5AM and arriving at "nearly eight o'clock in the evening" despite all of the hindrances.

He then returns to Montrieul-sur-Mer to see Fantine die and be re-arrested. He escapes for three or four days, allowing him time to bury his money in the woods near Montfermeil (which Boulatruelle sees and is haunted by for the rest of his days) — Montfermeil also being where Fantine stopped on her way from Paris to Montrieul-sur-Mer and deposited Cosette with the Thénardiers —

after which he was found in Paris "at the very moment when he was entering one of those little vehicles which run between the capital and the village of Montfermeil (Seine-et-Oise)" (2.2.1). (What was the PLAN JVJ??? You went to Montfermeil, then on to Paris, and then ... what, were gonna backtrack back to Montfermeil? Did they report inaccurately and you'd just arrived in Paris? What did you go on to Paris to do?????)

He then next appears at the Court of Assizes of the Var (see the green in the bottom right-hand corner?) not long before 25 July 1823. I assume this is because he robbed Petit-Gervais while in that region.

After this, he was returned to Toulon.

Orion entered Toulon's port late October 1823, and JVJ made his unlikely escape 17 November 1823.

24 December 1823, we know that JVJ finally arrives in Montfermeil to retrieve Cosette,

after which they escape to Paris where they remain more or less the rest of the book (besides JVJ's periodic Monfermeil excursions).

[secretmellowblog]

Woah some Les Mis genius just made a tiktok diving into the canonical parallels between Jean Valjean and St Nicholas:

Or watch on tiktok to boost this excellent person in the algorithm! They are clearly trying very hard to produce quality analysis about extremely important Les mis things like “Jean Valjean breaking into people’s houses to secretly give them money,” but do not have a lot of followers yet! :

[pumpkinspice-prouvaire]

Les Miserables- Victor Hugo// The Mirror, March 2023//The Guardian, October 2022//Les Miserables- Victor Hugo

I'm a few days late but I have some Thoughts about 2.2.3

[0-solshroom-0]

enjolras would HATE mrbeast

[brooklynredstar]

Little Marijolras story I just came up with🔥🔥

So in the brick, when Marius moves out of Courfeyracs place and moves into his own apartment, Victor Hugo talks a bit about his lack of clothes. So what if, and hear me out, Enjolras sends him anonymous packages of new clothes every now and then cuz he's rich . yall im gonna write about this trust

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

This is unhinged and has a likely target audience of 2 but In-ho is Javert-coded and Gi-hun is Valjean-coded, send post

[despazito]

this website is anticapitalist until a corporation is at risk of shuttering or a mopie shows signs of doing badly at the box office then we must all rally together and vote with our wallets to save da modern world

[manderleyfire]

"I was ready." The words come out angry and bewildered and accusing. "I was ready, and you made me afraid to die." She reaches for his free hand. He links their fingers together.

And he raises the flag.

[fiction-podcast-lover]

My job sometimes makes me want to pull a Javert

[thefrenchbrick24601]

okay guys imagine. Les Mis adaptation with Micheal Sheen as Jean Valjean and David Tennent as Javert

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

I just found butch of articles, reviews and press notes about Cats Warsaw that I haven't seen before. There's some fun stuff there, and if anyone was wondering why Warsaw is a non rep:

The heads of the Roma Theatre announced that they were producing the most expensive show in the history of this stage. The specific amount has not been announced, but one thing is certain - they cannot afford to pay 6 million pounds for a replica of the famous musical with 20 years of history, and that is why we have a domestic version of CATS with its own costumes, decorations and some scenes.

It's 6 million pounds in 2003 money, about 10.6 million adjusted for inflation

Cats Warsaw reportedly costed in total about 2.3 million PLN, about 4.6 million PLN adjusted for inflation, which is about 900k pounds now

And that 2.3 million I believe was for the whole thing, new tech, costumes, everything, so I think that included the licence too? Either way, it was a lot for a Polish theatre back then

All the numbers are either from articles or me doing math so take them with a grain of salt

[jellicle-chants]

i’m so sorry if i have any wicked movie fans following me but i cannot for the LIFE of me figure out why the first half of this thing needs to be as long as the whole stage show

[secretmellowblog]

I love how book!Eponine is often portrayed as a horrifying supernatural creature haunting the other characters. She’s compared to a ghoul, to a devil, to an apparition or specter or spirit or phantom; Mabeuf believes she is angel, and then he becomes convinced she may be a goblin. People look at her and see an uncanny valley nightmare— they see someone who is already dead.

And the tragedy is that she really is just an ordinary child, underneath it all. She is not an apparition, she is not already dead— she is a living child in need of help and compassion, but no one is willing or able to give it to her.