Charlotte Brontë (1856)
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3.57/ 5(18,982 reviews)
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13 min
Book Length
350 min
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Penniless and proud, William Crimsworth navigates the currents of ambition and unrequited love in a Belgian boarding school, finding his voice and an unexpected intellectual kinship.
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William Crimsworth, an orphan raised by his clergyman uncle, tells about his early life. He refuses to enter the church, disappointing his uncle. After school, he tries to find work with his two older brothers, the rich and arrogant Edward, and the more helpful but ultimately ineffective Matthew. Edward, a mill owner, reluctantly offers William a clerkship but treats him with disrespect and cruelty, always reminding him he depends on him. William puts up with the harsh conditions and his brother's control for a time, watching the industrial world around him. He decides he cannot stand Edward's oppressive nature and resolves to seek his fortune elsewhere, even though he has no connections or prospects.
Wanting independence and having a recommendation from a former schoolmate, Mr. Hunsden, William decides to leave England for Brussels. Hunsden, a practical man, helps William get a job as an English and Latin teacher at a boys' school run by Monsieur Pelet. William finds the school and Belgian culture very different from England. He watches Monsieur Pelet, a man of superficial charm and a focus on profit, and learns about teaching and managing students. At first, William feels alone and struggles with the new language and customs. He is determined to succeed and prove himself.
While teaching at Pelet's school, William is also offered a job teaching English at a nearby girls' school, the Pensionnat de Demoiselles, run by Mademoiselle Zoraïde Reuter. William quickly sees that Monsieur Pelet and Mademoiselle Reuter, despite being polite, have a romantic relationship driven by ambition and money. Pelet hopes to merge their schools. William observes Reuter's manipulative nature and her calculated charm. He gets involved in their professional and personal rivalry, all while staying detached and observant. His sharp perception lets him see through their pretenses, especially Reuter's.
Mademoiselle Reuter, impressed by William's intelligence and honesty, starts to pay him special attention, trying to charm him. She invites him to social events and talks to him alone, suggesting deeper interest. William, however, is not easily swayed. He sees her superficiality and underlying ambition, recognizing her attempts to get him as a husband for money and social gain. His observations confirm his first impression of her as a calculating and insincere woman. He rejects her advances, which makes her less friendly towards him and makes her resent him, especially when she realizes he is not easily manipulated.
A new teacher, Frances Henri, arrives at Mademoiselle Reuter's school to teach lace-mending and plain needlework. Frances is a quiet, reserved Anglo-Swiss girl, at first ignored by Reuter and the other staff. William, however, notices her diligent work, intelligence, and thoughtful manner. He is particularly struck by her earnestness and her struggles, seeing in her a similar spirit who, like him, wants independence and respect. He starts to watch her more closely, finding her genuine character a contrast to the superficiality of Reuter and her group. A quiet admiration begins as he sees her quiet dignity and talent.
Mademoiselle Reuter, feeling more and more offended by William's rejection and perhaps jealous of his growing interest in Frances, finds an excuse to fire Frances from the school. Frances is very sad about losing her job and her uncertain financial situation. William, seeing her distress and knowing her dismissal is unfair, feels he must help. He offers her advice and assistance, helping her find new work as a lace-mender and a private English tutor. This kindness strengthens their connection and allows them to spend more time together, talking about their struggles and hopes, and deepening William's respect and affection for her.
William's relationship with Monsieur Pelet gets worse as Pelet becomes suspicious of William's influence and his perceived competition for Mademoiselle Reuter's affection, even though William clearly is not interested in her. The work environment becomes unbearable, and William decides to leave Pelet's school. At the same time, Mademoiselle Reuter's English teacher quits, and William is offered the job. He accepts, wanting the higher salary and a chance to prove himself independently. This move also puts him closer to Frances, whom he continues to secretly guide and support in her own efforts, further cementing his feelings for her.
Despite William's help, Frances continues to have financial difficulties and the challenges of being an independent woman in Brussels. She works hard, often alone, to make enough money and improve her skills. William, acting as her mentor and confidant, continues to encourage her, give practical advice, and sometimes even financial help when needed, though she is proud and prefers to earn her own way. He sees her resilience, quiet determination, and intellectual curiosity directly. Their bond strengthens through shared experiences of professional struggle and mutual respect for hard work and honesty, a sharp contrast to the superficiality around them.
William realizes how much he feels for Frances, admiring her intelligence, integrity, and quiet strength. He proposes marriage to her, and she accepts, having felt the same way about him for a long time. Their engagement is based not on passion or social status, but on deep mutual respect, shared values, and a common understanding of their struggles. They discuss their future plans, which include starting their own school, a venture that fits their ambitions for independence and intellectual fulfillment. Their marriage shows substance winning over superficiality.
William and Frances marry. With their combined savings and William's inheritance from his deceased uncle, they start their own boys' boarding school. They work hard together, with Frances being a valuable partner in both teaching and managing the institution. Their school does well because of their dedication, new teaching methods, and the genuine care they show their students. They become financially stable and get professional recognition. The story ends with William thinking about their successful life, their deep marital happiness, and their children, especially their son, Victor. He looks forward to Victor's future, hoping he will return to England and have a successful career there.
The Protagonist
From an oppressed clerk in England, William transforms into a successful and respected professor and school owner in Brussels, finding personal fulfillment and love.
The Love Interest / Supporting Protagonist
Frances evolves from a struggling, dismissed teacher to William's respected and indispensable partner in their successful school, finding stability and love.
The Antagonist / Supporting
Reuter's initial success and manipulative schemes are ultimately thwarted by William's integrity, leading to her failure to secure an advantageous marriage with him.
The Supporting / Antagonist
Pelet remains largely unchanged, characterized by his superficiality and ambition, ultimately losing William's valuable services.
The Antagonist / Supporting
Edward remains a static character, representing the oppressive forces William must escape, with no personal growth.
The Supporting
Hunsden's role is primarily to facilitate William's journey, remaining a consistent, if minor, source of practical advice.
The Mentioned
Matthew's character is not developed, serving primarily to emphasize William's lack of family support.
The Mentioned
Victor's character is static, representing the future and the culmination of William's efforts.
The novel emphasizes independence, especially for William Crimsworth. From refusing his uncle's church path to enduring his brother's control and leaving England, William always wants to be self-sufficient. He refuses to depend on others, preferring to earn his way through hard work and honesty. Frances Henri's struggles as an orphaned teacher, who also wants to be independent, mirror this theme. Their decision to start their own school together is the ultimate success of this theme. They create a life and career entirely on their own terms, free from manipulation and superficiality.
“I had made up my mind to be a tradesman, and to work my way up from the bottom; and I meant to do it. It might be hard, but it should be done.”
A main contrast in 'The Professor' is between true honesty and outward appearances. William Crimsworth, with his quiet observation and strong moral sense, consistently sees through the pretenses of characters like Mademoiselle Reuter and Monsieur Pelet. Reuter's charm and ambition are shown to be manipulative and selfish, while Pelet's friendliness hides a mercenary nature. In contrast, Frances Henri, though modest and at first overlooked, shows true worth through her hard work, intelligence, and sincerity. The novel values inner character and honest work over social posing and material gain, rewarding William and Frances's true virtues.
“I was not a man to be dazzled by any amount of superficial brilliancy; I could see the gold under the tinsel, and the base metal under the gilding.”
Education and intellect are important for personal growth and social advancement in the novel. William's intelligence and dedication to learning, especially his language skills, allow him to escape his oppressive English background and start a new career in Brussels. He is not just a teacher but a sharp observer and analyst of people. Frances Henri's intellectual ability, her desire to improve herself through study, and her skills as an educator are equally important to her survival and eventual success. Their shared commitment to academic excellence and their new teaching approach lead to their school's prosperity, showing education's power to change lives.
“To be a good master, I saw, it was necessary to be a better scholar.”
The novel explores social class and different kinds of ambition. William, from a respectable family, faces his wealthy brother Edward's scorn because he lacks his own money. His ambition is not for high status but for financial independence and professional respect earned through merit. Mademoiselle Reuter, on the other hand, shows a more common, money-driven ambition, wanting to marry for wealth and social advancement. The story criticizes the superficiality of class differences and the damaging effect of ambition when it lacks honesty. It ultimately affirms William's quiet, merit-based rise over Reuter's calculating social climbing.
“I determined that, if I could not be a gentleman in the world's eye, I would at least be one in my own.”
While William is the main male character, the novel also addresses gender roles and female action through characters like Frances Henri and Mademoiselle Reuter. Reuter, though manipulative, is a woman who acts strongly in her professional and personal life, though often for selfish reasons. Frances, however, represents a more admirable form of female action. As an orphaned woman, she faces huge social and financial challenges but tries to be self-reliant through her own work and mind. Her desire for independence and her partnership with William, where she is his intellectual and professional equal, challenges the usual limits placed on women at the time.
“No man can live a life of perfect self-sacrifice; no woman can live a life of perfect self-abnegation; each must have some aim, some interest, some object of their own.”
Provides an intimate, analytical perspective on events and characters.
The entire novel is narrated from the first-person perspective of William Crimsworth. This device allows the reader direct access to William's thoughts, observations, and judgments, shaping the perception of all other characters and events through his highly analytical and often cynical lens. It emphasizes his role as a detached observer, particularly in the Belgian social scene, and highlights his integrity as he recounts his experiences with honesty and self-reflection. The reader experiences William's journey of self-discovery and his eventual understanding of genuine worth, making his eventual happiness feel earned and authentic.
Highlights William's virtues and integrity through contrast with other characters.
Several characters serve as foils to William Crimsworth, emphasizing his unique qualities. Edward Crimsworth's cruelty and arrogance highlight William's resilience and moral uprightness. Monsieur Pelet's superficiality and mercenary nature contrast with William's intellectual depth and integrity. Most notably, Mademoiselle Reuter's calculating charm and ambition serve to underscore Frances Henri's quiet sincerity and genuine worth, which William comes to value above all. These contrasts allow the reader to appreciate William's discerning nature and the honest values he upholds in a world often driven by less noble motives.
Traces the moral and intellectual development of the protagonist.
'The Professor' functions as a Bildungsroman, chronicling William Crimsworth's journey from a young, oppressed man in England to a mature, successful, and happily married professor in Brussels. The narrative focuses on his education, both formal and informal, as he learns about human nature, navigates social complexities, and develops his own moral code. His experiences, particularly his encounters with various types of ambition, deceit, and integrity, shape his character and lead him to a deeper understanding of himself and what truly constitutes a fulfilling life. His eventual success is a testament to his personal growth and resilience.
Represents both opportunity and a testing ground for William's character.
Brussels serves as a significant symbolic setting. For William, it is a foreign land that offers an escape from the oppressive social strictures of England and a chance for self-reinvention. It represents opportunity and a fresh start, a place where he can build a career based on merit rather than inherited status. However, it also acts as a testing ground, exposing him to different cultural norms, the superficiality of certain European social circles, and various forms of manipulation. His success in Brussels, culminating in the establishment of his own school, symbolizes his triumph over adversity and his ability to thrive independently in an unfamiliar environment.
“Mine be the privilege of teaching you. I am a stranger; I may be a friend. I am an alien; I may be a brother. I have no claim on you, but that of your dependence on me. Your dependence on me is absolute.”
— Mr. Hunsden speaking to William Crimsworth about his future.
“For my part, I like to look at an original; and I like to discover the original for myself.”
— William Crimsworth reflecting on his preference for genuine character over superficiality.
“I was not a man of many words, and I had no need to be. My actions spoke for me.”
— William Crimsworth describing his own character and approach to life.
“There are certain persons who are not naturally gregarious, and I am one of them.”
— William Crimsworth's self-assessment regarding his social nature.
“I had a native antipathy to fawning, and I could not bring myself to flatter.”
— William Crimsworth explaining his inability to engage in sycophancy.
“The feeling of being useful, of being needed, was a new and pleasant one to me.”
— William Crimsworth finding satisfaction in his role as a teacher.
“I had a will, and I meant to use it.”
— William Crimsworth's determination to succeed and make his own way.
“I could not be a tool; I must be a man.”
— William Crimsworth's refusal to be exploited by his brother or others.
“Poverty is a great educator. It teaches lessons that no university can impart.”
— William Crimsworth reflecting on the harsh but valuable lessons learned from his own struggles.
“I was not made for idleness; I was made for work.”
— William Crimsworth's strong work ethic and desire for productive activity.
“To be loved, to be cherished, to be understood, is, I believe, the great want of human nature.”
— William Crimsworth contemplating the fundamental human desire for connection and understanding.
“I had no taste for frivolous pleasures; my pleasures were of a more solid and substantial kind.”
— William Crimsworth describing his preference for meaningful pursuits over superficial entertainment.
“It is a grand thing to be independent; it is a grand thing to be one's own master.”
— William Crimsworth's strong belief in the importance of self-sufficiency and control over one's life.
“I found a peculiar pleasure in watching her work, in seeing her mind unfold.”
— William Crimsworth observing Frances Henri, appreciating her intelligence and diligence.
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Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature.
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