2025 Pride And Prejudice: From Pulpits To Protest, The Surprising History Of The Phrase ‘pride And Prejudice’

Abstract

The phrase “pride and prejudice,” is mostly known as the title of Jane Austen's most popular novel. However, the phrase which has religious origins, appeared in hundreds of works before Austen was born. UMBC's Margie Burns, lecturer of English, explores this in her new book, “Jane Austen, Abolitionist: The Loaded History of the Phrase ‘Pride and Prejudice.’” She explains how the phrase traveled from Britain it to America, and from religious tomes it expanded to secular works. It even became a hallmark of abolitionist writing.