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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
I wish I could give half stars on here because this feels exactly like a 2.5 to me.
The language, although, of course, dated, is quite simplistic and reads well. The story is captivating, the imagery is vivid, and some ideas did make me reflect on my life, but still, the lack of compassion for oneself and others really bugged me out. Either you do it right, or you are doomed. If you are shown mercy, amazing; however, if you're not, that's entirely your fault. If you try to persuade someone (e.g. Talkative, Ignorance, your own family) to change their ways and they don't listen, that's sad, but your hands are clean, 'you have delivered your soul from accountability for their blood', cool, so let's move on.
I get that this is a Puritan text, and I get the historical context, so it is no wonder that the ideas it contains are mostly so alien to me. But it was an interesting read nonetheless.
The language, although, of course, dated, is quite simplistic and reads well. The story is captivating, the imagery is vivid, and some ideas did make me reflect on my life, but still, the lack of compassion for oneself and others really bugged me out. Either you do it right, or you are doomed. If you are shown mercy, amazing; however, if you're not, that's entirely your fault. If you try to persuade someone (e.g. Talkative, Ignorance, your own family) to change their ways and they don't listen, that's sad, but your hands are clean, 'you have delivered your soul from accountability for their blood', cool, so let's move on.
I get that this is a Puritan text, and I get the historical context, so it is no wonder that the ideas it contains are mostly so alien to me. But it was an interesting read nonetheless.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Occasionally hilarious archaic turns of phrase made The Pilgrim’s Progress a fun read-aloud with the family. And I enjoyed the story itself—up to a point, at least. By the halfway point, I was wearing out. This is partly because of keeping up with the archaisms while reading out loud, partly because the speaker is so rarely identified and chapter breaks entirely absent. But it’s mostly because I wearied of Bunyan’s relentless hypersensitivity to slight deviations from what he views as The Exact Right Way to Be a Christian. This comes across the strongest during Christian’s conversations with Ignorance, where I felt like saying, “Dude, lay off for a bit! You’re both basically on the same side!”
Reading the editor’s introduction to Bunyan’s life, I see that this is the way Bunyan was: always ready to accuse another Christian of being a heretic, and always fearful that he himself was slipping into “the unforgiveable sin.” That Puritan influence proved incredibly tenacious down through history—it was a large factor in my own growing-up experience and understanding of the faith. Coming to terms with it by delving further back into church history and by reading more widely within contemporary Christianity has been very beneficial for me. Reading The Pilgrim’s Progress brings a lot of it back to me, even though I do agree with quite a lot of what’s asserted in the story.
Reading the editor’s introduction to Bunyan’s life, I see that this is the way Bunyan was: always ready to accuse another Christian of being a heretic, and always fearful that he himself was slipping into “the unforgiveable sin.” That Puritan influence proved incredibly tenacious down through history—it was a large factor in my own growing-up experience and understanding of the faith. Coming to terms with it by delving further back into church history and by reading more widely within contemporary Christianity has been very beneficial for me. Reading The Pilgrim’s Progress brings a lot of it back to me, even though I do agree with quite a lot of what’s asserted in the story.
A great allegory on life. I have long since admired Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, ever since I read it five years ago. I have since read it once more, and hopefully shall in the future. It has inspired some of my poetry, and countless books I have read, I am sure. The metaphorical struggles represent many moral, mental, and spiritual battles we pilgrims face throughout life. It resembles Psalm 23 in many ways.