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A review by booksbythewindow
The Professor by Charlotte Brontë
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
Read my full review here: https://booksbythewindow.wordpress.com/2023/04/26/the-professor/
Summary: The Professor follows William Crimsworth as he reaches a crossroads in his life and finds himself unsure which path to take as he thinks about his future career. An unexpected connection leads him to move to Brussels and take employment as a teacher both in a boys’ school and the neighbouring girls’ school. There he encounters Frances Henri, a young teacher at the school who starts to take his classes in order to learn English, and Zoraïde Reuter, the headmistress of the girls’ school who has a hidden agenda in hiring him.
Overall Thoughts: Although I love Charlotte Brontë’s writing, I have never liked the male characters in her novels: they rarely treat the female protagonists well and many of their shortcomings are glossed over in the narratives. The Professor is written from the perspective of one of these male characters meaning that, in addition to seeing how poorly Crimsworth speaks to the women in his life, the reader is also given an insight into how awful his thoughts are with regards to those around him. Crimsworth, although presented to the reader as a heroic figure, rescuing Frances from her position, is in no way a sympathetic protagonist and the more I read of the narrative, the more I disliked him.
It is not often that I write fully negative reviews, and I should be clear that a large part of my disappointment in The Professor is because of how much I love Charlotte Brontë’s other novels and writing. In my opinion there are only small glimpses here and there of the aspects of Brontë’s writing that will shine in her later novels. This would not be a novel that I recommend, although it has been helpful in gaining a fuller picture of Brontë’s development as a writer.
Summary: The Professor follows William Crimsworth as he reaches a crossroads in his life and finds himself unsure which path to take as he thinks about his future career. An unexpected connection leads him to move to Brussels and take employment as a teacher both in a boys’ school and the neighbouring girls’ school. There he encounters Frances Henri, a young teacher at the school who starts to take his classes in order to learn English, and Zoraïde Reuter, the headmistress of the girls’ school who has a hidden agenda in hiring him.
Overall Thoughts: Although I love Charlotte Brontë’s writing, I have never liked the male characters in her novels: they rarely treat the female protagonists well and many of their shortcomings are glossed over in the narratives. The Professor is written from the perspective of one of these male characters meaning that, in addition to seeing how poorly Crimsworth speaks to the women in his life, the reader is also given an insight into how awful his thoughts are with regards to those around him. Crimsworth, although presented to the reader as a heroic figure, rescuing Frances from her position, is in no way a sympathetic protagonist and the more I read of the narrative, the more I disliked him.
It is not often that I write fully negative reviews, and I should be clear that a large part of my disappointment in The Professor is because of how much I love Charlotte Brontë’s other novels and writing. In my opinion there are only small glimpses here and there of the aspects of Brontë’s writing that will shine in her later novels. This would not be a novel that I recommend, although it has been helpful in gaining a fuller picture of Brontë’s development as a writer.