Literary notes about prior (AI summary)
The term “prior” in literature functions both as a temporal marker and a formal title. Authors often employ it to indicate that something occurs before a specific point or event, as seen when an author notes an individual's deference to an earlier tradition or state, for instance, in contexts where deification or historical revisionism is discussed ([1], [2], [3]). Concurrently, “prior” also designates a rank within religious life, lending an air of established authority and tradition to characters in medieval or ecclesiastical settings ([4], [5], [6]). Its dual usage enriches narratives by establishing both a chronological framework and a hierarchical nuance, thereby deepening the interplay between time, duty, and institutional identity.
- Krishna is of the Indu line of Budha, whom he worshipped prior to his own deification.
— from Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, v. 1 of 3 by James Tod - Prior to this, I had become, if not insensible to my lot, at least partly so.
— from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass - And if prior to them, then prior also to the perceptions of the senses which recall them, and therefore either given before birth or at birth.
— from Phaedo by Plato - “What profane mummery is this?” said the Prior.
— from Ivanhoe: A Romance by Walter Scott - y le preguntó con su desenfado habitual: 25 —¿Queréis decirle al Padre Prior que deseo hablarle de parte del Rey?
— from Novelas Cortas by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón - In the same inn there was a Benedictine prior who bought the horse for a cheap price.
— from Candide by Voltaire
