Biblio Library

The Professor was the first novel by Charlotte Brontë.

The book is the story of a young man, William Crimsworth, and is a first-person narrative from his perspective. It describes his maturation, his loves and his eventual career as a professor at an all-girls school. 

The novel is based upon Charlotte Brontë's experiences in Brussels, where she studied as a language student and was a teacher in 1842. Much of the subject matter of The Professor was later reworked, from the perspective of a female teacher, into Brontë's novel Villette, which received critical acclaim.

The Professor was originally written before Jane Eyre and rejected by many publishing houses, but was eventually published posthumously in 1857 by approval of Arthur Bell Nicholls, who accepted the task of reviewing and editing of the novel.

Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) was an English novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood, and whose novels have become classics of English literature.

Charlotte wrote her first novel, The Professor, which did not appear until after her death (it was first published in 1857), and began Jane Eyre, which, appearing in 1847, took the public by storm. It was followed by Shirley in 1849, and Villette in 1853.

The novels of Charlotte created a strong impression from start, their strength and originality have retained for them a high place in English fiction which is likely to prove permanent.

Charlotte became pregnant soon after her marriage in 1854 but her health declined rapidly. Charlotte died with her unborn child on 31 March 1855, aged 38.