Notre-Dame de Paris · Character
Paquette la Chantefleurie
Once the laughing, pretty Chantefleurie of Reims, Paquette now lives walled in the Rat-Hole, mourning a daughter stolen from her years ago.
supporting
Also known as Paquette, la Chantefleurie, Chantefleurie, the recluse
First appearance: ii the rat hole
As a supporting figure in Notre-Dame de Paris, Paquette la Chantefleurie is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
The tragic central figure of the story, a fallen woman whose infant daughter was stolen by gypsies.
Paquette was a poor embroiderer's daughter whose beauty and ready laugh earned her a nickname and then a ruinous fall through a succession of lovers, each less noble than the last. Now a recluse in a stone cell, she survives on the charity of passersby and the memory of the little girl taken from her, her grief sharpened by every child she sees. Her vigil in the Rat-Hole makes her the human cost behind the story's questions about motherhood, loss, and the cruelty of a city that forgets its poor.
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Character Web
20 connectionsA slice of how Paquette la Chantefleurie sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Rat Hole recluses
- Court of Miracles denizens
+15 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of a mother’s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingIn the story
Paquette la Chantefleurie appears across 2 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
Chapter companion notes
Spoil-light check-ins for Paquette la Chantefleurie unlock in the free preview.
See Paquette la Chantefleurie in ii the rat hole