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thenovelbook's review against another edition
3.0
It's a good thing Charlotte Bronte got to publish Jane Eyre first.
She meant this to be her first novel, but it was rejected by publishers and only printed posthumously. It's a valuable work, as it shows her developing skill, and it certainly has some intriguing storytelling, but it also has noticeable flaws.
In this story, William Crimsworth has to make his way in the world due to a lack of harmony between him and various family members who might otherwise have helped him. He starts out in trade, working for his brother, who makes it very clear that he has no family feeling and no compassion at all. When this situation becomes untenable, Crimsworth ends up in Belgium and finds a position as an English professor at a boys' school.
The school next door is for girls, and eventually Crimsworth is hired to teach some classes for them as well. Not having been around very many females in his life, he is initally a little overcome, but he masters himself and finds pride in being a stern, no-nonsense teacher.
He is initially captivated by the directress of the school, a Mademoiselle Reuters. Later he is drawn to a young, quiet sewing instructor named Frances Henri.
The characters are very interesting and the story well told for the first half (or perhaps more) of the book. I found Charlotte Bronte's storytelling quite compelling; there is a power in it, but it also seems unexpectedly revealing of her personality. Once one has read a few Charlotte Bronte novels (of course, there are only about four in total!) one gets an idea of what she must have been like.
For one thing, I would argue that her main characters never really begin with any immaturity or uncertainty that they must age out of. They are all very self-aware, complacent about their own abilities, fairly proud, and decided in their opinions. Did Charlotte Bronte view herself as having a similar mental or moral superiority to her contemporaries? I suspect she did.
I enjoyed this book right up until the denouement finished, when. After that, the rest of the novel is one really long summing-up. Bronte takes us through the next ten years of his life, doing a lot of telling and not a lot of showing, and the plot is gone. I don't mind a flashing forward in time that takes up a page or two at the end. But I really think that plot should still be happening up until that point.
Also,
All things considered, I'm much more on board with Charlotte Bronte's novels that are told from a female perspective. One wonders what she herself thought of The Professor.
She meant this to be her first novel, but it was rejected by publishers and only printed posthumously. It's a valuable work, as it shows her developing skill, and it certainly has some intriguing storytelling, but it also has noticeable flaws.
In this story, William Crimsworth has to make his way in the world due to a lack of harmony between him and various family members who might otherwise have helped him. He starts out in trade, working for his brother, who makes it very clear that he has no family feeling and no compassion at all. When this situation becomes untenable, Crimsworth ends up in Belgium and finds a position as an English professor at a boys' school.
The school next door is for girls, and eventually Crimsworth is hired to teach some classes for them as well. Not having been around very many females in his life, he is initally a little overcome, but he masters himself and finds pride in being a stern, no-nonsense teacher.
He is initially captivated by the directress of the school, a Mademoiselle Reuters. Later he is drawn to a young, quiet sewing instructor named Frances Henri.
The characters are very interesting and the story well told for the first half (or perhaps more) of the book. I found Charlotte Bronte's storytelling quite compelling; there is a power in it, but it also seems unexpectedly revealing of her personality. Once one has read a few Charlotte Bronte novels (of course, there are only about four in total!) one gets an idea of what she must have been like.
For one thing, I would argue that her main characters never really begin with any immaturity or uncertainty that they must age out of. They are all very self-aware, complacent about their own abilities, fairly proud, and decided in their opinions. Did Charlotte Bronte view herself as having a similar mental or moral superiority to her contemporaries? I suspect she did.
I enjoyed this book right up until the denouement finished, when
Spoiler
Crimsworth gets marriedAlso,
Spoiler
Frances Henri, who becomes Crimsworth's wife, could have been an interesting character--and she was, until they got engaged. She was a bit mysterious, with unplumbed depths of talent and imagination. After the engagement, though, she is described in terms rather too like a doll or a possession for a modern reader to be entirely comfortable with her. Bronte tries to give her still a certain independence, but it doesn't quite work for some reason. Perhaps it's because the story is being told from a man's point of view, and he comes off as rather patronizing. We know Charlotte Bronte can sustain interesting females--after all, Jane Eyre always retains a certain spirit and fight no matter what the state of her relationship with Rochester.All things considered, I'm much more on board with Charlotte Bronte's novels that are told from a female perspective. One wonders what she herself thought of The Professor.
amyingomar's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lagaialettrice's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
hrmsnowy's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I read Jane Eyre relatively recently and wanted to see what else Charlotte Brontë wrote, so picked this one up at random. Since it's not one of the most famous books by the Brontës, I wasn't expecting it to be perfect, but I enjoyed it to a surprising degree; the characters were entertaining (especially Mr Hunsden, whose appearances were often quite amusing) and the plot was compelling. My primary complaints would be that the main character was a little one dimensional at times, and the entire final chapter was unnecessary and only seemed to dampen the effect of the conclusion - Brontë did the same in Jane Eyre, but it worked better there. These weren't huge drawbacks, however; I greatly liked it overall and would recommend it as a read, especially if you like other works by the Brontës.
momoj8's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.75
zemroner's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
starsfrommars's review against another edition
3.0
I agree with a lot of the other reviews here. This novel was far from perfect, but it was a wonderful starting point for Charlotte Brontë to grow from, and we can see that in her later works especially. We see comparisons to herself in the main character, but also his pupil. We see hints of how she became obsessed with her teacher (who was married) in William, but also how she wished he saw her as a student in Frances. What I find odd is her blend of feminist ideals and the theme of obedient women. The strong willed, intelligent character of Frances feels disjoint with how she takes comfort in being obedient to William once they marry. The detail of her crying before their wedding is also interesting to me. Is she satisfied? Is she forcing herself to accept losing her independence? I truly feel there is much more to Frances' character than what William reports. Charlotte Brontë has always kind of had a... *thing* for power dynamics in her writing, so it could also be a result of this. All in all, this feels like a much more realistic telling of a romance than the likes of Jane Eyre. To me, this felt like a story of morally correct decisions, or what Jane and Mr. Rochester chose not to do in Jane Eyre, almost like an alternate reality. A great first novel for Charlotte.
qu1nny's review against another edition
5.0
I loved it. Need to read every single thing a Brontë sister wrote ever now.
“I enjoyed, undisturbed, the treble pleasure of having her near me, hearing the sound of her voice - a sound sweet and satisfying in my ear”
like come on…
“I enjoyed, undisturbed, the treble pleasure of having her near me, hearing the sound of her voice - a sound sweet and satisfying in my ear”
like come on…