"If he is not to be animated by Cowper!": Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Jane Austen's Favorite Poet
- Delicia Johnson
- 14 minutes ago
- 5 min read
What does the 19th century English novelist Jane Austen and the 20th century Black American civil rights leader have in common? A shared admiration for the 18th century English poet William Cowper.
William Cowper (26 November 1731- 25 April 1800) was one of the most popular poets of his time. Over 100 editions of his poems was published in England and almost 50 in the United States. With a focus on writing about everyday life and scenes in the English countryside, Cowper became one of the forerunners of Romantic poetry. He was also known for his anti-slavery poems. His friendship with John Newton, a slave trader turned slavery abolitionist known for the hymn 'Amazing Grace', led to him being asked to write in support of the campaign.
William Cowper and Jane Austen
According to Jane Austen's brother, Henry, William Cowper was her favorite poet. In his Biographical Notice of The Author, printed in the first edition of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion (1817), Henry wrote that "her favourite moral writers were Johnson in Prose, and Cowper in verse." Cowper was mentioned in her letters and referenced in three of her novels (Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Emma) and her unfinished work Sanditon.
Marianne Dashwood and Mrs. Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility (1811)- Chapter 3
"Oh! mama, how spiritless, how tame was Edward's manner in reading to us last night! I felt for my sister most severely. Yet she bore it with so much composure, she seemed scarcely to notice it. I could hardly keep my seat. To hear those beautiful lines which have frequently almost driven me wild, pronounced with such impenetrable calmness, such dreadful indifference!" -
"He would certainly have done more justice to simple and elegant prose. I thought so at the time; but you would give him Cowper."
"Nay, mama, if he is not to be animated by Cowper!"
Note: We don't know which of Cowper's poems Edward Ferrars butchered in the novel. However in the 1995 film adaptation it's this stanza from Cowper's The Castaway:
No voice divine the storm allay'd,
No light propitious shone;
When, snatch'd from all effectual aid,
We perish'd, each alone:
But I beneath a rougher sea,
And whelm'd in deeper gulfs than he.
Fanny Price in Mansfield Park (1814)- Chapter 6
"Cut down an avenue! What a pity! Does not it make you think of Cowper. 'Ye fallen avenues, once more I mourn your fate unmerited.'"
Fanny is quoting a line from Cowper's The Task: Book I- The Sofa.
Mr. Knightley in Emma (1815)- Chapter 41
When he was again in their company, he could not help remembering what he had seen; nor could he avoid observations which, unless it were like Cowper and his fire at twilight,
"Myself creating what I saw."
brought him yet stronger suspicion of there being a something of private liking, of private understanding even, between Frank Churchill and Jane.
Mr. Knightley is quoting a line from Cowper's The Task: Book IV- The Winter Evening.
Mr. Parker in Sanditon (written in 1817; published in 1925)- Chapter 1
'You did not!- There my dear- ' (turning with exultation to his wife)- 'you see how it is. So much for the celebrity of Brinshore!- This gentleman did not know there was such a place in the world.- Why, in truth sir, I fancy we may apply to Brinshore, that line of the poet Cowper in his description of the religious cottager, as opposed to Voltaire- "She, never heard of half a mile from home".
Mr. Parker is quoting a line from Cowper's The Truth.
William Cowper, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and the American Civil Rights Movement
Austen would not be the last important figure to quote William Cowper. Dr Martin Luther King Jr- the civil rights activist, Baptist minister, and leader of the American Civil Rights Movement- cited Cowper's anti-slavery poems in his speeches.
Cowper's poem, The Negro's Complaint (1788), talked about slavery from the slave's perspective. It was frequently quoted by Martin Luther King Jr in his own speeches, particularly the stanza "Fleecy locks and black complexion/ Cannot forfeit nature's claim;/ Skins may differ, but affection/ Dwells in white and black the same".
The following in an excerpt from several speeches King gave throughout the mid-1950s, particularly in regards to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Two of those speeches are "The Montgomery Story" (1956) and "Facing the Challenge of a New Era"(1956).
"The Negro came to feel that he was somebody. His religion revealed to him that God loves all His Children and all men are made in His image- that the basic thing about man is not his specificity but his fundamentals, not the texture of his hair or the color of his skin but his eternal dignity and worth...and so the negro could not unconsciously cry out with the elegant poet, "fleecy locks and black complexion cannot forfeit natures claim-skin may differ but affection swells in black and with the same- Would I shall call as to reach the pole or to grasp the ocean at a span-I must be measured by my soul, the mind is the standard of the man."
Cowper's evocative language, idealism, introspection, and spirituality would bridge the late 18th century/early 19th century slavery abolitionist campaign in England with the 20th century Civil Rights Movement in the United States. His words would forever be cemented in Austen's novels and King's speeches, resonating throughout time and countries- much like Austen and King's own words. But indeed who cannot be animated by Cowper- well, besides Edward Ferrars of course!
The focus novel for next year's symposium is Pride and Prejudice. JASP 2026 will mark an exciting new chapter as the fun moves to Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. This year's program, titled “Pride, Prejudice, and the Pursuit of Happiness” invites participants to consider Jane Austen’s novels within the wider historical, cultural, and intellectual currents of her age. By situating Austen in the contexts of the Enlightenment and the broader revolutionary era on both sides of the Atlantic, we will explore how her fiction resonates with questions of liberty, independence, and human flourishing.
The 2026 program will feature both new attractions and beloved JASP traditions. Attendees will visit Fort Ligonier, a significant site in eighteenth-century global conflict, with opportunities to tour its museum and art gallery. At Seton Hill itself, participants will gather in the historic Cecilian Hall and elegant parlors for the hallmarks of JASP: stimulating discussions, community learning, and our much-anticipated Regency Ball.
We are also thrilled to welcome Juliette Wells, Anne Fertig, Maria Frawley, and Michael Kramp as our 2026 plenary speakers, who will bring fresh insights into Austen’s works and their connections to the American Revolution, and the new republic to which it gave birth. With its new historic setting in western Pennsylvania and rich thematic focus, JASP 2026 promises to be a vibrant celebration of Austen’s world and its enduring resonance in our own.