I thought I would compile a handy reference sheet of all the locations we see the Patron-Minette and their affiliates (both formal and informal) at different points of the novel. The 1832 map that I used can be found at this website— the site was really accessible and has a handy tool that lets you compare this old map directly to a modern-day map of Paris by overlaying.
Anyway, without further ado, here is the map featuring all geographic information relating to the Patron-Minette. Please expand this post to see the corresponding list of location names and find out what happens at each location. At the end of this post, you can also find a “short note” where I dissect and speculate some of the movements during the sections of the novel that centre around La Force specifically.
Click for higher quality and ability to zoom in on each numbered point. Sorry that I can’t make the image any clearer!
MEETING POINT
1. The ‘wasteland’ that adjoins La Salpêtrière; The location where the Patron-Minette assemble at nightfall and plan their heists.
•
GORBEAU AMBUSH
2. Gorbeau Hovel [estimated location]; Within this building exists the Thénardier (Jondrette) family lodgings— the location where the Gorbeau ambush takes place.
3. Rue de la Barrière des Gobelins; Here Marius spots Thénardier talking to Panchaud ahead of the Gorbeau ambush on the evening on February 3rd 1832.
4. Rue de Petit-Banquier; Behind a very low wall in the middle of this street Marius spots Brujon and Demi-Liard discussing the Gorbeau ambush, just five hours before it goes ahead.
•
PRISONS
5. La Force; The jail where Babet, Gueulemer, Brujon, Panchaud, Demi-Liard, Boulatruelle, and Thénardier are imprisoned after the failed Gorbeau ambush.
6. La Salpêtrière; A prison and ‘hospital’ where Babet’s mistress is locked up during the Spring of 1832. The location housed both “insane”, “hysterical” women and prostitutes behind its walls.
7. Les Madelonnettes; Formerly a convent, this facility was turned into a prison during the French Revolution. In 1832, Azelma and Éponine Thénardier are locked up here after the failed Gorbeau ambush.
8. La Conciergerie; A courthouse with an adjoining jail. In early April 1832, Babet was transported to this facility from La Force, but he managed to escape from the police en route.
•
RUE PLUMET
9. Rue Plumet [estimated location]; Located in the old Faubourg Saint-Germain district, this is the site where Valjean and Cosette live. It is here that Éponine faces off against the Patron-Minette on 3rd June 1832.
•
INFORMAL AFFILIATES: GAVROCHE, THE MÔMES, AND MAGNON
10. The Bastille Elephant; Gavroche’s ‘house’.
11. Quai des Célestins; The street where Magnon used to live.
12. Rue Clocheperce; After obtaining the two youngest Thénardier boys, Magnon moved to this street as a means of changing her identity. The comedic closeness of Magnon’s two lodgings is certainly not lost on Hugo and he explains as such: ‘In Paris, the identity which binds an individual to himself is broken between one street and another’ (Hapgood translation)
13. Rue des Ballets; On this street corner Gavroche and the mômes encounter Montparnasse the evening before the Patron-Minette’s escape from La Force.
15. Square du Temple; According to Thénardier, Babet, amongst his other trades, had been an old-clothes broker at the Temple.
16. Barricade between Rue de la Chanvrerie and Rue Mondétour; The location where Le Cabuc/Claquesous shoots a porter and is executed by Enjolras. After being killed, his body is flung over the small barricade on Rue Mondétour.
17. Austerlitz village; It is in this general location where Gavroche witnesses Montparnasse’s attempt to attack Valjean in early April.
18. Gaîté theatre; Brujon and Demi-Liard watch a melodrama at this location on 2nd February 1832, the evening before the Gorbeau ambush.
19. Panthèon; Kruideniers is said to patrol and live in this general area.
20. Val-de-Grâce; Glorieux is said to patrol and live in this general area.
21. Barrière de Grenelle; Barrecarrosse is said to patrol and live in this general area.
•
A short note: Mapping La Force
THE ILLOGICAL TRANSFER OF BRUJON’S CORRESPONDENCE ABOUT “RUE P” (blue)
1. La Force prison (Brujon gives note to Babet).
2. La Salpêtriere (Note is delivered to Babet’s mistress).
3. Rue Clocheperce (Note is delivered to Magnon).
4. Les Madelonnettes (Note is given to Éponine by Magnon once she is released).
Frankly, the way that Brujon’s secret correspondence about the Rue Plumet job is handed around before being delivered to Éponine is hilarious. Why did Babet bother to send the note all the way to his mistress in La Selpêtriere when Magnon near enough lives on the doorstep of La Force? Surely there could have been a much easier and more logical way for the note to be delivered to Magnon directly, rather than it crossing over the Seine and going to another prison before being smuggled back out to Magnon again.
And, let’s not forget that the same thing happens in reverse after Éponine has scouted out the house on rue Plumet and delivered a biscuit to Magnon. The whole process seems extremely long-winded and perhaps even riskier than Babet and Brujon trying to get the message delivered to Magnon directly!
•
MONTPARNASSE’S INSANE RUNNING SPEED (red)
Red arrow to red flag: the route taken by Montparnasse to fetch Gavroche and bring him to La Force in order to help Thénardier down from the roof.
Well, by tracking the length of time it takes to complete this route, I have come to the conclusion that Montparnasse has very long legs and is an insanely fast runner.
According to Google Maps taking the quickest route from La Force to the location of the Bastille elephant one way would take over ten minutes to walk. Which sure, maybe that could be run in five minutes if you set a good pace. But, Hugo states that in ‘seven to eight minutes’ Montparnasse had run the complete route twice over (as he had to bring Gavroche back with him to La Force) wearing what I can only image would be rather heavy and uncomfortable garments, considering that his clothes would be soaked with rain at this point of the scene. And, we must account for the time that Montparnasse had to stand outside the Bastille Elephant and call for Gavroche + wait for him to come down and follow him.
It seems like a fairly impressive feat to me that he was able to do all that in seven to eight minutes— I guess he wasn’t referred to as Thénardier’s almost son-in-law in vain then, he certainly seems keen to get the innkeeper down from the roof!
•
HOW DID BABET ESCAPE? (green)
Green star: La Conciergerie, where Babet was being transferred from La Force when he made his escape. The green line is a rough indication of the route he might have been transported along.
Looking at all of the possible routes that Babet could have been transported along whilst being taken from La Force to La Conciergerie has me intrigued. Of course, I can only speculate about which point he might have escaped (if he even escaped en route? Montparnasse is rather vague when telling Gavroche how Babet escaped... but he does mention a police station— so perhaps Babet had fled before his transportation to La Conciergerie had even begun).
I think it is interesting to note that Magnon’s house is located fairly near La Force and La Conciergerie. And, we know that Magnon is at least acquaintances with Babet’s mistress thanks to the route of delivery of Brujon’s “Rue P” note... so perhaps she granted him a place to hide from the police.
Gueulemer’s hideout in the Arche-Marion sewer is also located very close to La Conciergerie. Again, this would have provided a nice hiding spot for Babet after he made his escape— and we know that Victor Hugo loves a good sewer story.
General overview here is that this town was really tiny, cramped, surrounded by mountains and rivers and pretty much the only flat part of the town proper was the main street (the big straight one.) The cathedral (the white cross) is on top of a small hill.
Idk why the dome of the bell tower seems to be made out of wire.
The white dot (now 47 Rue De L'Hubac) is where the real life Bishop, Bienvenu de Miollis, used to live. (He was Hugo’s inspiration for Myriel.) This isn’t necessarily the place Hugo meant for Myriel’s residence though. It could also have been somewhere around the blue dot which seems to be where the Place de l’Évêché was? I think? (At least that’s what it’s called now. [link to google street view])
Also the real life house of Miollis doesn’t actually look like what Hugo described (for one thing there are way too many floors)
[Here] is a link to a google street view of the place.
