Victorians! discussion

Welcome to our October/November discussion, of The Professor, by Charlotte Bronte!

This was the first novel that Charlotte wrote and submitted to publishers, but it was rejected. It was finally published after her death, thanks to her husband Arthur Bell Nichols. Because this had not been published when she submitted it, Charlotte did later use elements from it in her novel Villette.

For me, this is the only novel by the Bronte sisters that I have never read, so I am really looking forward to it! It will be interesting to look for the similarities to Villette, although I do expect it to be different, as her husband, in his addendum to her Preface, states "these two stories are in most respects unlike".

As it is a relatively short work, I will divide it into four threads, and we will see how quickly or slowly we progress through it.

Please join us, and enjoy the discussion!

Can't wait!

I read it a few years back... looking forward to what everyone's got to say :)

This will be my first group read! I'm excited to get started. :)

It is also for me the only Brontee sisters novel I haven't read; so I sincerely hope to joyin in as soon as possible!!!

This will be the 1st book I have read in my private time where others are involved and there are open discussions...so excited! Just got the ebook today!

I have read this years ago, so time for a re-reading of this novel. I am currently reading some other books as well, but I hope to join and catch up as soon as possible.

Jane Eyre is the only work by any of the Bronte sisters that I've read (I know, *gasp*), so I'm excited. This is also my first time joining a Goodreads book club, so thanks for being so welcoming, Victorians. :)

So I was looking at the good reads Bronte page. I've always thought her works wereJane Eyre, Villette, Shirley and the Professor; but now I found many others written in her youth. Any thoughts?

Lisa wrote: "So I was looking at the good reads Bronte page. I've always thought her works wereJane Eyre, Villette, Shirley and the Professor; but now I found many others written in her youth. Any thoughts?"

I've always known that the Bronte siblings did a lot of writing together when they were young, set in a number of imaginary lands, but I've never read any of that work. I see that some of the books listed are collections of those writings, and from the descriptions of some of the individual titles, they all appear to be from the same publisher and apparently individual stories taken from the juvenilia. I think it would be interesting to get around to reading them someday!

In addition, I noticed Emma (not to be confused with the Austen novel!), which was an unfinished novel and the last that Charlotte was writing when she died. I have Emma Brown, which was eventually completed by Clare Boylan, on my TBR shelf. I don't know if the one shown on the Charlotte Bronte page is the same, or finished by a different author (the description and cover only say "Another Lady").

What's interesting about "The Professor" is that CB is writing from a male first person perspective, so already the reader has a contrast to "Villette".

For me "TP" does not come close to rivaling "Villette" but I still enjoyed it and recommend it. My edition also features the fragmentary Emma tagged on at the end - great shame CB didn't get to complete this, as it looked very promising.

RE her early works: "Juvenilia" is interesting at times though pales compared to her adult masterpieces.

Stories featured in "Tales of Angria" were written a little later on and this collection is an improvement yet still doesn't touch on the genius works to come.

Points to remember are that CB was still developing her style, and she was writing for fun, not for publication.

Phil, do you think her voice is believably male here, many of us have had our doubts.
Denise and Phil, I was excited to see that there were more books that I could read. Obviously her voice will be younger but I've gotta check these out!

I think, Lisa, that at times her voice is not believably male, though on the whole I think CB does a good job as first person male narrator. She's certainly better when she's in "female mode" though.

Yes, certainly check out her earlier works, but be prepared for something very different!

I just finished Shirley, and would love to read another of Charlotte Bronte's lesser known books.

Susibharathi wrote: "I just finished Shirley, and would love to read another of Charlotte Bronte's lesser known books."

That's great! Grab a copy and join us!

Yes, 'Shirley' is a good read.