Book: The Pilgrim’s Progress
John Bunyan
Lifespan: b. 1547 (England), d. 1688
First Published: 1678-1684, by N. Ponder
Alternative Title: The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come
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“One of the most popular works ever written in the English language John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress continues to be published in new editions, remain on bestseller list, and retain an enduring relevance today. Much of this appeal lies in its combination of unadorned piety with narrative simplicity, a combination that meant for centuries it was read in conjunction with the Bible as the primary work of Christian devotion and reflection. Bunyan was, however, a more controversial figure that the conservative reputation of The Pilgrim’s Progress suggests. His own spiritual struggles are documented in his Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666) and be probably wrote part of The Pilgrim’s Progress in prison for religious dissent. If one avoids the anodyne modern spelling versions, one can still find in the protagonist Christian’s journey a powerful sense of seventeenth-century religious conviction (the first part of modern editions was published in 1678, the second part followed in 1684).
The first part follows Christian as he journeys to the Celestial City, on the way encountering memorable characters such as Talkative, Faithful, Evangelist, and Hopeful, and passing through temptation and torment in the City of Destruction, Castle Doubt, and Vanity Fair. The second part traces the same journey undertaken by Christian’s wife Christiana and his children, and takes on quite a different character. Regardless of a reader’s personal religious convictions, these allegorical journeys become emblematic of the spiritual and moral struggle of the individual in the world. The Vanity Fair episode, in which the protagonists are assailed by temptation, apathy, self-love, and consumerist excess, seems as relevant to twenty-first century life as it was to seventeenth-century England.”(MD)
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