# Why is "Pilgrim's Progress" considered a classic of English literature? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2006, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345 "2006-12-15T22:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/1 "2006-12-15T22:34:45Z")
I finally got around to taking a look at John Bunyan’s [_Pilgrim’s Progress._](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim%27s_Progress) Knew it was a piece of Puritan homiletics, but then, so was _Paradise Lost,_ so I figured it still might be something worth reading. But when I read the first chapter . . . urk. How did this piece of crap aquire its canonical status? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/2 "2006-12-15T22:44:13Z")
I didn’t know it was considered a classic. I mean, sure it’s old but come on. I would question where wiki gets that ‘regarded as one of the greatest classics’ bit as I’ve never heard it referenced outside of fairly fundy christian circles. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/3 "2006-12-15T23:04:09Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] I didn’t know it was considered a classic. I mean, sure it’s old but come on. I would question where wiki gets that ‘regarded as one of the greatest classics’ bit as I’ve never heard it referenced outside of fairly fundy christian circles. [/QUOTE] In _Little Women_, the girls spend a lot of time acting out scenes from the book. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/4 "2006-12-15T23:14:10Z")
Because it needs translation. What the hell is _slough_, anyway? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/5 "2006-12-15T23:19:35Z")
[QUOTE=Lissa] In _Little Women_, the girls spend a lot of time acting out scenes from the book. [/QUOTE] Huh. I don’t remember that at all, but then it’s probably been 20 years since I’ve read Little Women. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/6 "2006-12-15T23:25:49Z")
[QUOTE=Lissa] In _Little Women_, the girls spend a lot of time acting out scenes from the book. [/QUOTE] Into role-playing were they? Hmmmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/7 "2006-12-15T23:26:20Z")
[QUOTE=ouryL] Because it needs translation. What the hell is _slough_, anyway? :dubious: [/QUOTE] Kinda like a marsh-y, swamp-y patch that’s hard to travel through. And I have _Little Women_ to thank for the fact that I now know to pronounce it “_sloo_”, instead of “_sloff_”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2006, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/8 "2006-12-15T23:28:45Z")
[QUOTE=ouryL] Because it needs translation. What the hell is _slough_, anyway? :dubious: [/QUOTE] They had one in Seattle.\* Much of PP’s reputation is because it was an early work and pretty good of a devotional narrative. I have seen many surveys – of English professors, not just everyday readers – where it came up as #1 was the worst classic book. \*Obscure horse racing reference. ---
**Author:** ![Nuveau\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Nuveau\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuveau_Geek)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/9 "2006-12-16T00:38:13Z")
I think it’s interesting that in my studies, **Pilgrim’s Progress** is referenced on a fairly regular basis by my profs (undergrad and grad) but not a single one of them has ever put it on the syllabus. It seems to be enough that we have a general understanding of what was going on. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/10 "2006-12-16T00:46:20Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] I didn’t know it was considered a classic. I mean, sure it’s old but come on. I would question where wiki gets that ‘regarded as one of the greatest classics’ bit as I’ve never heard it referenced outside of fairly fundy christian circles. [/QUOTE] Well, Thackeray lifted one of the locales for the title of his work, _Vanity Fair_. The fact that many common expressions have their genesis in _The Pilgrim’s Progress_, for me, at least, qualifies it as a classic. > [@](#): > > Because of the widespread longtime popularity of this classic, Christian’s hazards—whether originally from Bunyan or borrowed by him from the Bible—the “Slough of Despond,” the “Hill Difficulty,” “Valley of the Shadow of Death,” “Doubting Castle,” and the “Enchanted Ground”, his temptations (the wares of “Vanity Fair” and the pleasantness of “By-Path Meadow”), his foes (“Apollyon” and “Giant Despair”), and the helpful stopping places he visits (the “House of the Interpreter,” the “House Beautiful,” the “Delectable Mountains,” and the “Land of Beulah”) as phrases have become proverbial in English. For example, “One has one’s own Slough of Despond to trudge through.” Calling it a “well-loved” classic might be pushing it. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/11 "2006-12-16T01:09:26Z")
It’s a much easier read in [this version](http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Journey-Story-Pilgrims-Progress/dp/0802836194/sr=8-1/qid=1166231280/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-4811828-2786227?ie=UTF8&s=books). ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/12 "2006-12-16T01:28:40Z")
I think it’s important to remember that when Bunyan wrote his book, there weren’t exactly a whole lot of novels or storybooks floating around, and a lot of stories were regarded as morally degenerate by the Puritans. _Pilgrim’s Progress_ provided an improving, often interesting story that was suitable for kids–and which could even be read on Sundays, when many people considered it improper to engage in any kind of entertainment whatsoever. As a result, it became favorite Sunday reading for generations of children–serving as both reading primer and moral instruction–and was frequently the only book besides a Bible that a family owned. It’s a classic in the popular sense, not because it was necessarily Great Literature like Milton, but because ordinary people read and loved it, and it formed part of the furniture of their minds and part of the common culture. At one time, it _was_ a “well-loved classic,” but not so much any more. Incidentally, I read it recently and liked it OK. I was particularly fond of the giants Pope and Pagan. 😛 There is a re-telling in [picture-book format](http://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Progress-Retelling-John-Bunyan/dp/0802850804/sr=1-1/qid=1166232291/ref=sr_1_1/103-6137655-9354267?ie=UTF8&s=books) that looks to be pretty well-done, and I plan on reading it to my kids when we get around to studying that period of history. And secretly, I rather covet the reproduction edition that contains Victorian engravings and other Bunyan sermons… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/13 "2006-12-16T01:28:56Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Well, Thackeray lifted one of the locales for the title of his work, _Vanity Fair_. The fact that many common expressions have their genesis in _The Pilgrim’s Progress_, for me, at least, qualifies it as a classic. Calling it a “well-loved” classic might be pushing it. [/QUOTE] Link/cite for that quote? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/14 "2006-12-16T01:30:42Z")
[QUOTE=dangermom] And secretly, I rather covet the reproduction edition that contains Victorian engravings and other Bunyan sermons… [/QUOTE] The one I just got out of the library includes illos by William Blake. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/15 "2006-12-16T01:34:12Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] The one I just got out of the library includes illos by William Blake. [/QUOTE] Oh, well, that would be better. My own copy is some ancient cheap thing with no pictures or any other information at all (not even a publisher’s name!) that I picked up off the library donation table. I _did_ just get a neat edition of _The Faerie Queene_ out of the library–it has lots of illustrations and was printed in honor of QEII’s coronation. I’m thinking of looking for it on abebooks, unless I can find one with more and better illustrations in color. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/16 "2006-12-16T15:14:40Z")
I haven’t read the Pilgrim’s Progress, but Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story (I can’t recall if it was also titled The Pilgrim’s Progress, or if it was just in a similar vein) is pretty darn good. So that’s at least one good thing about it. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/17 "2006-12-16T18:55:26Z")
[QUOTE=asterion] It’s a much easier read in [this version](http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Journey-Story-Pilgrims-Progress/dp/0802836194/sr=8-1/qid=1166231280/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-4811828-2786227?ie=UTF8&s=books). [/QUOTE] Have they done a [Lego version](http://www.thebricktestament.com/index.html) yet? I’ll only read it if it’s done in Legos. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/18 "2006-12-16T19:01:45Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Link/cite for that quote? [/QUOTE] [Right here.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim%27s_Progress) Check item #5 in the table of contents for the article. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/19 "2006-12-16T19:05:05Z")
BTW, sorry for forgetting to provide the link the first time. Sloppy of me. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345/20 "2006-12-16T19:08:15Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] I haven’t read the Pilgrim’s Progress, but Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story (I can’t recall if it was also titled The Pilgrim’s Progress, or if it was just in a similar vein) is pretty darn good. So that’s at least one good thing about it. [/QUOTE] [“Ethan Brand”?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Hawthorne#Writings) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-pilgrims-progress-considered-a-classic-of-english-literature/384345.md?page=2)