# Professor Gayley — Poetry character guide

> Professor Gayley in Poetry by Ambrose Bierce.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** The Troubadour Professor Gayley

**First appearance:** 0000-poetry

## Who they are

The Troubadour Professor, a theatrical figure whose presence turns verse into performance and punctures pomposity wherever it struts.

## In the story

### [Religious Progress](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_se/chapters/religious-progress)

Addressed as 'Professor Howison' in the poem, representing the academic defense of religious evolution.

### [A Poet's Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_se/chapters/a-poet-s-father)

The poet's father, a learned professor and public instructor, portrayed as imperious and blind to his son's foolishness.

### [The Troubadour](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_se/chapters/the-troubadour)

Addressed as 'The Troubadour Professor Gayley'; praised for scholarship but criticized for poor poetry and political ranting.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_se/characters/professor_gayley
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_se/characters