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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I will review this book with a quote from Lewis himself.
"I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once."
It was quite the adventure and the stories within worth taking the time to think on. A world worth traveling through but far more worth the trip once the conversion to Christ was solidified. The traveler saw things through a different light; in fact, saw it all with light for the first time only after facing the irresistible urge to come to terms with theism and the person of Christ.
Beautiful work, Mr. Lewis. I wish I could have the mind of an intellectual to better understand the deeper things mentioned here but the mind of a simpleton will do to understand the things expressed and experienced. Above all, thank God Lewis came to God and Christ came to him. Otherwise, Lewis might've been lost in his hyper-intellectualism, always pursuing the nonexistent "object" of a desire that can and would never be fulfilled.
And the afterword, where Lewis begins his apologia about the book and its many obscure moments, I rather not accept. I accept the novel as whole and complete, with shadows, light, and darkness in all pages as a whole story.
"I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once."
It was quite the adventure and the stories within worth taking the time to think on. A world worth traveling through but far more worth the trip once the conversion to Christ was solidified. The traveler saw things through a different light; in fact, saw it all with light for the first time only after facing the irresistible urge to come to terms with theism and the person of Christ.
Beautiful work, Mr. Lewis. I wish I could have the mind of an intellectual to better understand the deeper things mentioned here but the mind of a simpleton will do to understand the things expressed and experienced. Above all, thank God Lewis came to God and Christ came to him. Otherwise, Lewis might've been lost in his hyper-intellectualism, always pursuing the nonexistent "object" of a desire that can and would never be fulfilled.
And the afterword, where Lewis begins his apologia about the book and its many obscure moments, I rather not accept. I accept the novel as whole and complete, with shadows, light, and darkness in all pages as a whole story.
It's been a loooooong time since I read something by C.S. Lewis and to be perfectly honest I think much of this rating owes itself to my nostalgia for his style and authorial voice. It was just *really really nice* to read a fresh piece of C.S. Lewis fiction for the first time in over a decade.
The beginning of the novel hooked me really well. The critique of "Puritania" was *fantastic*. A great example of Lewis at his best, calling things out as they really are in a way you just have to laugh at.
The more academic the book got, the less interested I got. This is for a few related reasons. I understood going into this book that, while Lewis intended this as a more general allegory, it's more accurately a portrayal of his *own* experiences. And his experiences are something quite different from my own, which makes the story less relatable. Indeed, he apologizes for this in the Afterword... And in that case he was thinking of others at the time of writing, nearly a century ago. Which is to say, my own experiences aren't just those of a different person in his world, but of a person in a different world entirely. Beyond all of that, I simply don't have the academic background to fully appreciate much of this book.
All of that said, I still found plenty of jewels along the way. The story and the prose kept me engaged even if I'm not the ideal audience.
The beginning of the novel hooked me really well. The critique of "Puritania" was *fantastic*. A great example of Lewis at his best, calling things out as they really are in a way you just have to laugh at.
The more academic the book got, the less interested I got. This is for a few related reasons. I understood going into this book that, while Lewis intended this as a more general allegory, it's more accurately a portrayal of his *own* experiences. And his experiences are something quite different from my own, which makes the story less relatable. Indeed, he apologizes for this in the Afterword... And in that case he was thinking of others at the time of writing, nearly a century ago. Which is to say, my own experiences aren't just those of a different person in his world, but of a person in a different world entirely. Beyond all of that, I simply don't have the academic background to fully appreciate much of this book.
All of that said, I still found plenty of jewels along the way. The story and the prose kept me engaged even if I'm not the ideal audience.
We’re reading Pilgrim’s Regress by C.S. Lewis this week for our philosophy group. I’ve read Pilgrim’s Progress, of course, but wasn’t terribly impressed; I know it’s a classic, but something about that book just rubs me the wrong way. I was baffled by the passage in Little Women where the girls talk about loving to read it because it was such an adventure story. I wondered if maybe I was reading the wrong book, since Pilgrim’s Progress invariably puts me into a coma, and this coming from the girl who usually enjoys some pretty dry reading. I’m not a tremendous fan of allegory, which is part of the problem, but I also found it unhelpful in terms of Christian instruction. Pilgrim’s Regress, on the other hand, is both fascinating and useful so far—unsurprisingly, since it’s Lewis. The story is allegorical and told in much the same way as Pilgrim’s Progress, but it is a generalized account of Lewis’s own progress in Christianity. His preface to my edition apologizes for the individualized journey, which he thought was more typical of other Christians’ struggles. He says that he realized much later that his was an unusual process, but to me it still seems extremely relatable. More on this later, I suspect.
Update: On Monday we’re discussing the second half of Pilgrim’s Regress, which I enjoyed reading and admired even more than the first. I found Superbia to be the most genuinely disturbing character in the book; that’s quite a visual, there (and one which I will not spoil for those of you who haven’t read it). A lot of Lewis’s points make me squirm; he holds a mirror up to me and makes me look at myself more honestly. He’s enjoyable medicine, though, and I love reading his works.
Update: On Monday we’re discussing the second half of Pilgrim’s Regress, which I enjoyed reading and admired even more than the first. I found Superbia to be the most genuinely disturbing character in the book; that’s quite a visual, there (and one which I will not spoil for those of you who haven’t read it). A lot of Lewis’s points make me squirm; he holds a mirror up to me and makes me look at myself more honestly. He’s enjoyable medicine, though, and I love reading his works.
This may be a 2.5, but I'm bumping it to 3 stars because it is C.S. Lewis. This book felt like homework -- I enjoyed it, but I also found it tedious.
C.S. Lewis seems to take the sledgehammer approach to allegory in this book, but I cannot decide if the symbolism seems so obvious because I had just completed Surprised by Joy or whether it really is that transparent. Perhaps a bit of both. Yet, I am so glad I read this AFTER I read Surprised by Joy because I am not sure this allegorical novel would have been understandable otherwise.
The Pilgrim's Regress covers much of the same ground as Surprised by Joy, telling a fictionalized account of C.S. Lewis' own path to faith and Christianity. His love of fables, myths and fairy tales is apparent in this novel, as the story echoes the structure of a fable with its episodic approach and lack of narrative flow.
I would not recommend this book to the casual reader, but it is required reading for the student of C.S. Lewis' writing.
C.S. Lewis seems to take the sledgehammer approach to allegory in this book, but I cannot decide if the symbolism seems so obvious because I had just completed Surprised by Joy or whether it really is that transparent. Perhaps a bit of both. Yet, I am so glad I read this AFTER I read Surprised by Joy because I am not sure this allegorical novel would have been understandable otherwise.
The Pilgrim's Regress covers much of the same ground as Surprised by Joy, telling a fictionalized account of C.S. Lewis' own path to faith and Christianity. His love of fables, myths and fairy tales is apparent in this novel, as the story echoes the structure of a fable with its episodic approach and lack of narrative flow.
I would not recommend this book to the casual reader, but it is required reading for the student of C.S. Lewis' writing.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-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
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As always Lewis is witty with his words and he’s giving us allegory. This is Lewis’ first published work of prose and I think it’s evident in the ways he builds his arguments and the types of ideas he is presenting. Inspired by John Bunyan’s The Pilgrims Progress, Lewis explores 20th century philosophy, theology, and politics as protagonist John wanders in search of an ideal island. As with many of his works, Lewis criticizes hypocrisy, fascism, and the institution of Christianity, but I find many of his points aren’t developed in ways that make them compelling and so while there is a heavy handed “lesson” about truth and Christ, it’s not really engaging. If you’re a Lewis fan I think it’s fascinating to give this a read and see the progression in Lewis‘ beliefs, intelligence, and writing ability. For anyone else, honestly, I wouldn’t recommend reading this when there are so many other better Lewis texts.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"[Mother Kirk's] empire is always crumbling. But it never quite crumbles: for as often as men become Pagans again, the Landlord again sends them pictures and stirs up sweet desire and so leads them back to Mother Kirk even as he led the actual Pagans long ago. There is, indeed, no other way."