Author Study: Charlotte Brontë Curated by Pearl Au-Yeung '17
Introduction to The Professor
Genre: Romance, Fiction with gothic elements (suicide, death), buildingsroman (shows William Crimsworth grow in confidence).
Story line: William Crimsworth was raised by his extended family after his parents died and recieved upper class English male education. He then goes to work for his estranged brother, who becomes jealous of William's education background and tries to make William's life miserable. William is advised by a man named Hunsden Yorke Hunsden to quit his job, and doing so, he moves to Belgium to pursue a career as a teacher. He first works at the all-boys school, then is hired to teacher English courses at the all-girls school next door. He develops a short lived romance with the headmistress, only to learn that she is engaged to the headmaster of the boys school. He falls in love with a Swiss-English student by the name of Frances, but the headmistress sends Frances away in jealousy. William finds Frances again and the two marry and open a school.
The story is also written in prose, in a style that is much like spoken language in style.
The Professor Criticisms
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The Emotion of Charlotte BrontëThis review focuses on the anger of Charlotte Bronteë that is evident in her novels. The Professor was rejected by publishing houses all throughout Brontë's lifetime, and perhaps because of it's unapologetic rage against Victorian society. The review also explores Charlotte Brontë's style and her usage of other languages in order to carry emotion.
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Male to FemaleRebecca Rodolff studies Brontë's masculine character, Crimsworth, from The Professor, versus the feminine character Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre.
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The Unsuccessful Male CharacterCatherine Malone's critique of The Professor follows that Brontë's male protagonist was not male enough, for he understood the sufferings of women too well and took an un-Victorian standpoint on many feminist topics.
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Material InteriorityThis criticism explores the social context of the book, analyzing Brontë's masculine voice, story arch and points of focuses.
The Romantic
Charlotte Brontë worked as a teacher outside of the UK. There, she fell in love with her coworker, who was conveniently married.
But Brontë was obsessed. She pursued him even after she moved back to England, writing and sending letters to him everyday, professing her love. He didn't write back.
Eventually, the man's wife wrote to Brontë, telling Brontë to stop.
Brontë ignored this and continued on everyday without fail.
Finally, the man's wife came up with a set of terms and conditions, telling Bronteë that she may write once every six months.
I believe Charlotte Brontë lived her love life vicariously through her characters.
- Last Updated: Dec 28, 2020 2:52 PM
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