#panchaud

Appearances and facts

Whilst we do not know much about Panchaud’s physical attributes, we receive some very interesting details that hint at his character despite his limited appearances in the text. We do not know his age, although he seems to be a quite a young man - more on this later. This appears to be common amongst the other Patron-Minette affiliates who feature in this novel too (with the exception of Boulatruelle, who is an old man).

My favourite thing about Panchaud is that he has two other alternative aliases, even though they are barely used in the text! For reference, his other aliases are Printanier or Bigrenaille (which Hugo plays for comedy, always listing off both of these aliases when mentioning Panchaud). The Julie Rose translation lists the literal meanings of each alias too, and interprets his names as ‘Hotwhack’ [Panchaud], ‘Springlike’ [Printanier], ‘Golightly’ [Bigrenaille].

Ironically though, despite all his aliases he is only really known by the name Panchaud, and seems to be building up a bit of a reputation with that name in 1832. What is particularly interesting to me is that Courfeyrac is described as having recognised Panchaud once before, and understood him to be a dangerous criminal, which certainly means he must have some level of reputation. I think this also acts as a great indicator of the general reputation of the Patron-Minette gang, because if Panchaud, who is merely an associate of the group, has a reputation, then clearly the four heads of the group would have (perhaps even larger) reputations also amongst locals.

Ahead of the Gorbeau ambush, Marius recognises Thénardier (who Marius still only knows as Jonderette at this stage in the text) talking to Panchaud 

Yet, whatever his painful preoccupation, (Marius) could not help remarking to himself that the barrière prowler Jonderette was talking to looked very like a certain Panchaud, alias Printanier, alias Bigrenaille, whom Courfeyrac had once pointed out to him and who passed in the quartier for a pretty dangerous night rambler

I am fascinated that Thénardier speaks to Panchaud first about his plans for the ambush at Gorbeau house, rather than discussing it with any one of the four Patron-Minette leaders. In general this short sequence of plotting the Gorbeau ambush is so interesting to me because we only see the Patron-Minette affiliates (Panchaud, Brujon, and Demi-liard) discuss the heist ahead of time, rather than the gang’s leaders. Obviously, the plans for the Gorbeau ambush must have reached Gueulemer, Babet, Claquesous, and Montparnasse, but I am completely enthralled by the idea that one of the associates (likely Panchaud, as he was the first to find out about Thénardier’s plan) would have had to pass the news onto them.

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Interlude: Panchaud as a flâneur?

Panchaud is described as a ‘barrière prowler’ in the Rose translation, and a ‘prowler of the barriers’ in the Hapgood translation. It has since occurred to me that perhaps this is alluding to the fact that he is a bit of a flâneur or a badaud (albiet it a significantly more sinister, criminal version of the figure).

The flâneur transgresses boundaries in the literal sense, with his strolls across the city, and also on a metaphorical level, as he is able to observe society whilst existing beyond its barriers [source]. Of course, we also see figures similar to flâneurs already feature in the novel (particularly at 3.1.5). These individuals are labelled as ‘thinkers’ who enjoy ‘wandering around musing’, and, most importantly in relation to Panchaud, are also described through the near-identical phrase ‘prowler of the barrières of Paris’. Further evidence to support the assertion that Panchaud exhibits some of the traits of a flâneur is the fact that he is explicitly labelled as a ‘night rambler’, which makes much more of an explicit, historical connection to origins of the flâneur figure (see Charles Baudelaire’s defining pieces on the figure in the early nineteenth century for more information).

Perhaps this also explains why it is Courfeyrac specifically who recognises Panchaud, since Courfeyrac too inhibits some of the traits of the flâneur, being too a bit of a ‘tom cat’ and likely to mix in similar evening escapades.

However, this is the only allusion we get to the idea that Panchaud might resemble the flâneur figure, so I shall not delve any further into the subject on this post. Nevertheless, I really do find it absolutely fascinating that these very brief details can give us more of an idea about Panchaud’s character, and perhaps even his age (as flâneurs were generally depicted as young men).

Anyway, let us get back to the rest of Panchaud’s appearances in the text!

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The next time we see Panchaud, it is at the Gorbeau ambush. However, being only a Patron-Minette associate, he is not heavily involved in the scene. He arrives with Brujon, Demi-liard and Boulatruelle, and leans against the wall whilst the others sit on the bed (unfortunately there is no unique description of him here, I can only work out that it is Panchaud leaning against the wall by process of elimination - as the three other listed associates sitting on the bed are given recognisable, identifiable traits). He then wields ‘a sort of club consisting of an iron bar with a knob of lead at each end bludgeon made of two balls of lead’ against Valjean when he tries to escape, but is stopped from attacking him by Thénardier. He is later asked in the scene to untie Valjean’s hand, so that the letter can be written. Panchaud seems confident in his abilities to tie Valjean down, stating that ‘he won’t be going anywhere. Take my word for it. I’m the one who trussed up his paw for him’.

Before the cops arrive, Panchaud is shown to be arguing with Thénardier about who gets to flee the scene, grabbing him ‘roughly by the collar’ and declaring: ‘Oh, no you don’t, you old joker! Us first!’. When Javert does arrive at the Thénardier family’s lodgings, Panchaud reveals that he had a pistol on him the whole time (‘kept hidden in his smock’), handing it to Thénardier stating ‘I don’t dare shoot at that man. Do you?’. He really does seem terrified of Javert here, and he is also the first character to voluntary hand himself over to the cops - in exchange for some luxuries in prison, of course.

Javert calmly went on: ‘That's it, that's good, as I was saying, we can be nice.’

‘There's just one thing I'd like to ask for,’ Bigrenaille went on, ‘and that is that I'm allowed tobacco when I'm inside in solitary.’

‘Granted,’ said Javert.

However, this is not the end of Panchaud’s story. In 5.5.8, Panchaud makes his final (brief) appearance, and it is revealed to us that he was one of only two of the Patron-Minette characters to have been sentenced for his crimes during Gorbeau.

The affair had been left up in the air. The bench of the circuit court had had to make do with two underlings, Panchaud, alias Printanier, alias Bigrenaille, and Demi-liard, alias Deux-milliards, who had been sentenced in the presence of the parties involved to ten years in the galleys

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Whilst this ten year sentence might look like the end for Panchaud, Hugo actually does give us some absolutely fascinating facts and information about this criminal’s life that extends beyond the narrative of  Les Misérables. Specifically, Hugo suggests that at the time of his writing up of this story, some thirty years after the (fictional) events occurred, Panchaud had since become a ‘celebrity crook’.

This Panchaud, alias Printanier, alias Bigrenaille, later featured in several criminal proceedings and has since become a celebrity crook. At the time he was still only a notorious crook. Today he is a part of the tradition among gangsters and murderers. He had a real following toward the close of the last reign. And in the evening, at nightfall, at the hour when groups huddle together and speak in hushed voices, they used to talk about him in the exercise yard called the Lions’ Den at La Force. At that fabled prison, at the exact spot under the covered way where the sewer runs that was used in the incredible breakout in broad daylight of thirty detainees in 1843, you could even read, above the flagstones over the toilers, his name, PANCHAUD, boldly carved by the man himself on the parapet wall in one of his attempts at escape. In 1832, the police already had him under surveillance, but he had not yet seriously made his début

Clearly over the years, Panchaud had become a criminal of legend - growing far beyond his humble roots as a simple affiliate of the Patron-Minette!

I guess we also now know that Panchaud escaped prison after being sentenced to ten years for the Gorbeau ambush. Although, the maths doesn’t quite add up (probably a case of “Hugo maths” at play here), as Panchaud would have been very close to serving his full sentence anyway by 1843 and getting out, so I am not sure why he would stage a breakout then (unless of course there were previous escape attempts or further charges against him that we are none-the-wiser to, earning him extra time in La Force).

Also, the fact that he wrote his name on La Force’s wall as he escaped is a particularly lovely detail that makes me think back to the Brujon dynasty, where the notable Brujon of 1811 (aka ‘the father of the Brujon of 1832′ that we see affiliated with the Patron-Minette) also famously carved his name into the prison’s walls. Ah - I am just in love with the idea of La Force’s walls being carved out with all of the Patron-Minette leaders and associates over the years as they get arrested and subsequently try to escape.

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A (brief) analysis of his character...

Panchaud is a good example of the theatrics and dramatics of crime that we see applied across the Patron-Minette as a group (I have previously written a separate post on this topic, you can read it here if you are interested!), since he transcends from a mere man in 1832 to a myth whose legendary talents are spoken of by criminals in La Force after the events of the narrative. He too arguably is a figure that reflects society’s fascination with crime and criminal figures, as evidenced in the existing “Penny Dreadfuls” and other literatures of the time that specifically were created to tell stories of thrilling criminals and their acts of evil. He is even explicitly labelled as becoming a ‘celebrity crook’!

The reputation that Panchaud has already acquired by 1832 also is particularly helpful to as readers as it enables us to better understand how the Patron-Minette might have generally been perceived by the other characters in Les Misérables. I have always been a little upset that Hugo says the group ‘ruled the dregs of Paris from 1830 to 1835′, yet we don’t often actually see the reputation that the Patron-Minette had in-action (e.g. Valjean never comments that it is the seemingly renowned Patron-Minette who are present during the Gorbeau ambush!). Yet, small, fleeting moments such as this - with Courfeyrac recognising Panchaud, a mere Patron-Minette affiliate, as such a dangerous character - really helps highlight the true notoriety of the gang.

Maybe I am overanalysing things (I almost certainly am), but Panchaud is also so interesting to me because he kind of reminds me of Montparnasse in terms of building up a criminal reputation as a prowler of the night. Perhaps it also the similarities between Montparnasse’s dandyism and Panchaud’s potential flâneur-like description given by Courfeyrac to Marius that intrigues me. Again, I am more than likely reading too much into this, but Montparnasse and Panchaud also share similarities in terms of their youthful, spring-like descriptions. Printanier literally translates to ‘Springlike’, and Montparnasse likewise has ‘the brightness of spring in his eyes’, so again I feel some nice (although limited) comparisons can be drawn between the two.