The Pilgrim's Progress in Never too Late to Read Classics

Oct 14, 2022 Shirley (stampartiste) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: challenge-bingo-2022, read-classics, published-1899-and-earlier

It took me a while to read thoughtfully through The Pilgrim's Progress (both Parts One and Two), as it was written as an allegory in 17th century English; but it was well worth the time it took for me to journey through John Bunyan’s allegorical world of faith.

Part One of The Pilgrim's Progress (published in 1678) tells the story of Christian, a man burdened with the knowledge of his sins and the understanding that he cannot continue to live as he has. He undertakes a life’s journey (a pilgrimag It took me a while to read thoughtfully through The Pilgrim's Progress (both Parts One and Two), as it was written as an allegory in 17th century English; but it was well worth the time it took for me to journey through John Bunyan’s allegorical world of faith.

Part One of The Pilgrim's Progress (published in 1678) tells the story of Christian, a man burdened with the knowledge of his sins and the understanding that he cannot continue to live as he has. He undertakes a life’s journey (a pilgrimage) to understand what he must do to be saved. The Pilgrim’s Progress is the story of this pilgrimage, of the people Christian meets (both friend and foe), of the dangers and obstacles that he must face, of fierce battles, of the lessons he learns, and of his eventual success in reaching the everlasting Celestial City.

Part Two of The Pilgrim's Progress (published in 1684) tells the story of Christian’s wife Christiana and their four sons (Matthew, Joseph, Samuel and James) as they undertake their own pilgrimage, along with Christiana’s neighbor Mercy. Where Christian faces many epic bloody battles, Christiana and her fellow travelers are helped along the way by a celestial guide, Mr. Great-Heart. So although there are valuable lessons taught in Part Two, there are not as many exciting encounters as in Part One.

As a Christian who was raised on daily readings of the Bible, I was able to appreciate the allegorical names and events that Bunyan eluded to in his story. I was able to see familiar Biblical references in a whole new light. For me, this was a fascinating read.

As one whose favorite genre are the classics, I was able to see Bunyan’s influence on later writers and their inclusion of Bunyan’s literary terms in their own writings, such as Pilgrim’s Progress, Vanity Fair and the Slough of Despond. So from a literary standpoint, The Pilgrim’s Progress is an important bedrock of literature. Because of its overtly Christian viewpoint, The Pilgrim’s Progress has unfortunately fallen out of favor, but just like Don Quixote, it is a wonderful story of man’s quest for meaning. ...more

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Jan 02, 2016 Cynthia Feenstra rated it really liked it

This is now my third time reading this allegory classic. Great piece of literature that really gets you thinking about your faith and what the walk of the Christian should look like.

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