So, some years ago, I was very entertained by Dickensian, a tv miniseries that smashes various Charles Dickens canons into each other on a general prequel basis, i.e. lets their backstories take place simultanously and in connection to each other, with the death of Jacob Marley (which is a murder to be solved) as the narrative read thread holding the different stories together, by and large.

I was wondering whether this was possible with a 19th century French novelist as well, but got immediately sidetracked by thinking not of a fusion of canons from the same novelist but two of the best known novels of the two romantic titans, to wit: a Les Miserables/Count of Monte Christo crossover. I mean, Javert's bound to have done some police work in the time jump between Valjean and Cosette entering the nunnery and leaving it again, or even after but pre ending that's unrelated to Valjean and/or the 1832 uprising, and there are the various murders among the Villefort family to be solved, to pick the most obvious possible intersection. Valjean would disapprove of the Count's grand revenge scheme even before there's lethal collateral damage, of course, but otoh they could relate about lengthy prison sentences and kindly clergymen who change your life. Edmond/the Count would not understand why Valjean doesn't solve his Javert and Thenadier problems by a complicated scheme during which one is set against the other. Albert de Morcerf and Franz d'Epinay could hang out with Marius and compete in well meaning cluelessness. And maybe what Eponine needs to distract her from unrequited love to Marius is a flirt with Eugenie Danglars when the later catches her stealing?