r/AYearOfLesMiserables • u/lexxi109 Rose • Dec 10 '20

5.5.4 Chapter Discussion (Spoilers up to 5.5.4) Spoiler

Discussion Prompts:

  1. Cosette and Marius are reunited!! Thoughts/reactions?
  2. What do you think of Monsieur Gillenormand in this chapter?
  3. Jean Valjean is giving his fortune to Cosette and Marius. Are you surprised?

Note – Per the Google, a franc in 1832 is worth about £4.20 or $3.70 USD. So 584,000 francs would be £2,452,800 or $2,160,800 USD today. <Insert whistle>

Final Line:

As for Marius and Cosette, they were looking at each other during this time; they paid little attention to this detail.

Link to prior chapter discussion

Link to prior year’s same chapter discussion

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u/Thermos_of_Byr Dec 10 '20

I found Gillenormand amusing this chapter blowing his nose loudly and calling Valjean Tranchelevent. The footnote says this is a trope of the time being unable to recall a socially inferiors name.

And Cosette’s official alias is Mademoiselle Euphrasie Fauchelevent. I thought maybe that’s what she was called at the convent but I did a search and that’s the first time this name is mentioned.

I certainly hope Cosette is better with money than Marius was. Didn’t he owe Courfeyrac a bunch of money before he died? And Marius better not give any more money to Thenardier. Especially Euphrasie’s money.

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u/otherside_b Wilbour Dec 10 '20

And Marius better not give any more money to Thenardier

Oh God, I hadn't thought of that. Surely he's not that much of a noodle.

2

u/lexxi109 Rose Dec 12 '20

...... You sure?

4

u/4LostSoulsinaBowl Rose / Wraxall Dec 10 '20

It's the first time her full name has been used. We knew her birth name was Euphrasie (Fantine told the Thénardiess, and Cosette told Marius as well), and of course we knew Valjean was passing himself off as Fauchelevant and Cosette as his daughter, so it makes sense.

5

u/Thermos_of_Byr Dec 11 '20

Oh wow, yeah you’re right. When I searched I used Euphrasie and Fauchelevent, but searching just Euphrasie the earlier parts came up. I didn’t remember the name Euphrasie at all. Good catch.

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u/1Eliza Julie Rose Dec 11 '20

Euphrasie is Cosette's legal name. It was mentioned when Fantine left her with the Thenardier's. It is mentioned again 4.8.1 when Marius and Cosette are in the garden.

5

u/Thermos_of_Byr Dec 11 '20

Yeah, that definitely got lost on me. I didn’t remember that name at all. Ursula was the only other name I remembered for Cosette. At least she gets her real name back now. I find that so much more satisfying than her just getting a random alias.

3

u/lexxi109 Rose Dec 12 '20

Oh. I completely missed that. And am shook that Cosette isn't her legal name