An Extra-European Reader’s Rereading of The Professor

Abstract

Nineteenth century English novel and the British colonial history share a very special relationship. Though mostly the novels of this period played an important role in constructing the ideology that helped the process of imperialism start and retain, the interaction among different agencies regarding colonial project in any particular novel is very complicated. The paper seeks to re-read the first written but posthumously published novel by Charlotte Bronte, The Professor. Though on the surface The Professor seems to be an innocent love story, a contrapuntal reading unveils the apparent or latent references to colonialism in it. Though in this novel imperial power Belgium plays a great role, direct or indirect references to British colonies are also there. In fact the exploration of Belgian Colonial power seems to be an oblique mode of dealing with British Empire. Rereading The Professor with an awareness of colonial history can be helpful in the understanding of the subtle hegemonic working of the neo-colonisation of the present time.