John Bunyan lived from 1628-1688. He was a Puritan author from England, who became famous for writing the allegorical work of Pilgrim's Progress (published in 1678). He became a lay preacher, while earning his living as a tinker (a mender of pots and pans). He was arrested while preaching illegally without a license and was sent to jail. It has been known that Bunyan served around a total of 12 years. While he was in prison, he was still able to preach and write Pilgrim's Progress. He was literally making progress while he was paying time in jail! For more than a century, most English-speaking Christians identified with only two books. The Bible and Pilgrim's Progress. Pilgrim's Progress was written in two volumes. The first volume was written in 1675 during a brief imprisonment. The second volume was written six years later.
Pilgrim's Progress became an essential read in the university classroom as well as the nursery. Louisa May Alcott's, Jo March, from Little Women, even took great pleasure in the Bunyan's allegories. Mark Twain was another person who had some basic knowledge of the Bunyan's writings. Pilgrim's Progress was not originally meant for children, but it appealed to them because of the fairy-tale like allegory of giants and bravery. It was a moral and adventurous book that enraptured children's hearts and minds.
John wrote many other books, sermons, and poems over the course of his life. He even wrote a book entitled, A Book for Boys and Girls. It contained 50 poems.
"The Pilgrim’s Progress was instantly popular with all social classes upon its publication, though it was perhaps the last great expression of the folk tradition of the common people before the divisive effects of modern enlightened education began to be felt."--Roger Sharrock
http://www.pilgrimsprogress.org/bunyan.html
http://cco.cambridge.org/extract?id=ccol9780521515269_CCOL9780521515269A012
No comments:
Post a Comment