Charlotte Brontë’s debut novel, “The Professor,” ventures into the perspective of a male protagonist, William Crimsworth. Like Jane Eyre, he is an orphan, and like Lucy Snowe in “Villette,” he leaves England behind to start a new life in Brussels. As a male character, William enjoys greater freedom, allowing Brontë to delve into themes of authority and sexual desire. His first-person narrative reveals his fascination with the assertive headmistress of the girls’ school where he teaches, an attraction set against the school’s ‘secret garden.’ Contrasting this is his more subdued relationship with one of his students, Frances Henri, highlighting a dynamic of dominance and submission. Although “The Professor” was only published posthumously, it provides an intriguing glimpse into Brontë’s early literary brilliance and thematic exploration.