英国文学简史结课论文ThePilgrim'sProgress

A Brief History of English Literature

The Pilgrim’s Progress

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The Pilgrim’s Progress

As Banyun’s most significant work, The Pilgrim’s Progress met with warm reception after it came out. It’s not strange that The Pilgrim’s Progress became a book owned by almost every family in England for two following centuries, a record perhaps only next to the Bible itself. Translated into over 200 languages,The Pilgrim's Progress is one of the most famous classics of literature.

Ⅰ.The Author

John Bunyan (1628一1688), the author of The Pilgrim's Progress, is recognized as one of the most famous English allegorists. John Bunyan was born into a tinker's family in 1628. He was sent to school for a short time, but he was soon busy in his father's shop. When he was not yet sixteen his mother died; in two months his father married again. In 1642 he joined the parliamentary army and in 1647 was honorably discharged. Then he married a wife whose piety redeemed him from his delight in rural sport and the habit of profane swearing. He got interested in religion and in a few years joined a small group of non-conformists. His influential preaching astonished and enraged the authorities and then upon his refusal to leave off preaching, the justice committed him to Bedford jail, where he lay for nearly thirteen years. And it was here, in this period, he wrote the wonderful The Pilgrim's Progress.

Ⅱ.The Plot Layout

It is an allegorical novel, describing a Christian's journey through life to reach heaven. In this allegory, Christian and his company progress on a spiritual pilgrimage according to the instructions in the Bible. Despite their occasional diversions, they always hold to the Divine truth. Therefore all of them get an access to the world of eternal blessing, honor, glory and power. The readers must have exulted at the desirable salvation of the Christian family, because they are pilgrims on the same road. They encounter similar trials, temptations and difficulties. No doubt, the breadth of religious sympathies accounts for the universal acceptableness of The Pilgrim's Progress.

Ⅲ.Writing Features--Biblical Allegory

A.The Biblical Allegory of theTheme

The theme that life is a pilgrimage has been widely used by western writers. The Bible, the most important source of Bunyan’s writings, deseribes that human beings live on the earth as pilgrims, and in all their life they “seek a homeland”, “a heavenly country”, (Hebrews 11:11,16). In The Pilgrim’s Progress, literally the hero Christian undergoes a journey from his hometown to his destination; allegorieally, it is a spiritual pilgrimage for everyman to pursue self-understanding and salvation.

B.The Biblical Allegory of the Narrative

The Status of the Bible can Provide the gauge to the possibilities of allegory, and the nrrative of the Bible provides the arehetype for literal works. As in The Pilgrim’s Progress, “the narrative sense” in the reading of the Bible remains “direetly, as in the Methodist’s devout use of the Bible... In tracing and treading the path from sin to perfetion.,(Frei152).

C.The Biblical Allegory of the Charaeterization

As the pretext of The Pilgrim’s Progress, the Bible makes its mark not only on the text’s theme and narrative, but also on its characterization. In The Pilgrim’s Progress, the characters in the work almost all serve exclusively to present unambiguously a certain principle in the doctrine of the Bible. The characters, such as Ignoranee, Talkative, Lord Hategood, Obstinate, Pliable etc., in a sense are not characters; they are even not character types; they are the reifieation and personifications of very explicit characteristics introduecd inio the text in order to illustrate a clear point. In a sense, there is only one charaeter in this story, Christian himself: the fulfillment of his salvation depends upon various stages of his spiritual growth.

Ⅳ.Spiritual Influence

The Pilgrim’s Progress nearly has the same reputation with the Bible in western countries. It shows the author’s incomparable respect and devoutness by the hero Christian’s speech. The attitude of the Christian to god was absolutely complete. He followed God’s every orders and dared not to have any fault. And his efforts had gained plentiful reward. After a series hardship and trial, the Christian was welcomed