The Pilgrim's Progress

The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) is a Christian allegory by English writer and Puritan preacher John Bunyan. Begun during Bunyan’s twelve-year imprisonment for refusing to abide by English laws forbidding nonconformist evangelism, The Pilgrim’s Progress is his most famous work as well as one of the most republished works in English literary history. Often cited as the first English novel, The Pilgrim’s Progress is told as a dream sequence from the point of view of an omniscient narrator. In the first book of The Pilgrim’s Progress, a man named Christian has a crisis of faith that forces him to reconcile with his sinful past and encourages him to seek salvation by any means necessary. Unsure at first, he is guided by the figure Evangelist, who directs him along the path to the Wicket Gate and instructs him to follow the shining light. On his journey, Christian meets numerous figures, including Pliable, who follows him into the Slough of Despond before freeing himself and abandoning the story’s hero. There, Christian is saved by Help, and continues his journey, encountering Mr. Worldly Wiseman and Mr. Legality, who attempt to sway him from his path to salvation with their knowledge of ethics and the law. But Christian is rescued from their midst by Evangelist, who once again points the way to the Wicket Gate, and through it the path out of the City of Destruction toward the fabled Celestial City. The second book recounts the journey of Christian’s wife and children, who follow his path with the hope that they will join him in attaining spiritual deliverance. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.