One of English literature's most iconic titles almost never existed. When Jane Austen sat down to write her second novel in 1796, she called it First Impressions—a title that perfectly captured the story's central theme of hasty judgments and evolving perceptions.

The manuscript was completed in August 1797 when Austen was just 21 years old. Her father, Reverend George Austen, was so impressed that he sent it to London publisher Thomas Cadell offering to pay for publication. The publisher rejected it sight unseen, returning the manuscript without even reading it.

Fifteen Years in a Drawer

After that rejection, First Impressions sat unpublished for over a decade. During this time, Austen continued writing and eventually published Sense and Sensibility in 1811 under the anonymous byline "By a Lady." Its modest success gave her the opportunity to revisit her earlier work.

Between 1811 and 1812, Austen substantially revised the manuscript. She updated references to reflect the current era, refined the prose, and—crucially—changed the title to Pride and Prejudice. The new title came from a phrase in Fanny Burney's novel Cecilia, where characters discuss the "pride and prejudice" that cause misunderstandings.

Why the Change Mattered

The title shift was more than cosmetic. Another novel called First Impressions had been published in 1801 by Margaret Holford, making Austen's original title unavailable. But the new title proved superior anyway—it crystallized the dual character flaws that drive the entire plot.

Pride and Prejudice was published on January 28, 1813, and became an immediate success. The first edition sold out, and Austen earned £110 from the first year's sales alone (roughly £9,000 today). The novel has never been out of print since.

The Perfect Title After All

While First Impressions would have been accurate—the novel is fundamentally about Elizabeth and Darcy's initial misjudgments of each other—Pride and Prejudice captures something deeper. It identifies the specific character flaws that create those false first impressions: Darcy's pride and Elizabeth's prejudice.

Today, it's hard to imagine the novel by any other name. The phrase "pride and prejudice" has become synonymous with the story itself, spawning countless adaptations, spin-offs, and cultural references. Sometimes rejection leads to something better—even if it takes fifteen years to get there.

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