The Professor

Summary

The Professor was Charlotte Brontë's first novel, written in 1846 but rejected by publishers and published only after her death, in 1857. It is narrated by William Crimsworth, an orphan educated at Eton by his aristocratic uncles, who refuses their offer of a church living and marriage to a cousin, and goes instead to work as a clerk for his cold, rich elder brother Edward, a mill owner in the north of England. Edward treats him harshly. Encouraged by the sardonic Yorke Hunsden, a radical manufacturer, William leaves and goes to Brussels, where he becomes an English teacher at a boys' school run by M. Pelet and then also at a neighboring girls' school directed by Mlle. Zoraïde Reuter. Mlle. Reuter flirts with William, and he is briefly attracted, but he overhears her and Pelet planning their own marriage and turns from her. Among his pupils is Frances Evans Henri, a poor Anglo-Swiss lace-mender and teacher of needlework who studies English to improve herself. Frances is earnest, intelligent and humble; William is drawn to her. Mlle. Reuter, jealous, dismisses Frances and hides her address. William searches for weeks and finds her at last in the Protestant cemetery mourning her aunt. Because Mlle. Reuter has now married Pelet and tries to seduce William, he resigns his post for the sake of conscience, though he has no other work. After a period of poverty and depression he finds a professorship at a college, and he and Frances marry. Frances insists on continuing to work, and she opens a school that succeeds. After ten years they have saved enough to return to England with their son Victor and live near Hunsden. The novel shows a man rising by his own effort, refusing dependence and keeping integrity, and many of its elements were later reworked in Villette. Its Protestant narrator makes harsh remarks about Catholics typical of the period, which teachers should address.

Top Lessons

• Earning one's bread

  William refuses patronage and works for his living.

• Integrity under temptation

  William resigns rather than stay near Mlle. Reuter.

• Partnership in marriage

  Frances insists on working alongside William.

Verified Quotes

Medical Lens

William describes a bout of hypochondria and depression after his engagement.

• Ch. 23

  William's attack of hypochondria.