Key Facts
full title · The Pilgrim's Progress From This World to That
Which Is to Come: Delivered Under the Similitude of Dream
author · John Bunyan
type of work · Short narrative
genre · Religious allegory
language · English
time and place written · Bedford, England, 1677–1684
date of first publication · 1678 (Part I), 1684 (Part
II)
publisher · Nathaniel Ponder
narrator · An anonymous person wandering in the wilderness who
stops to sleep and dreams the stories of the pilgrims Christian
and Christiana. The narrator does not have a consistent presence
in the book and focuses mainly on the characters' actions and basic feelings,
like fear and joy, with little psychological complexity.
point of view · The narrator speaks briefly in the first person at
the beginnings of Part I and Part II but then quickly moves into
a third-person account of the pilgrims in which their stories are
told objectively, as an outside observer would perceive their actions.
Once in a while the narrator becomes omniscient and explains the emotional
states of the characters.
tone · Earnest, sermon-like
tense · Past
setting (time) · Unspecified
setting (place) · A fictional realm that allegorically maps out a spiritual
journey
protagonist · Christian (Part I), Christiana (Part II)
major conflict · The pilgrims face a series of obstacles and thwarters
on their way to the Celestial City.
rising action · The pilgrims approach Mount Zion, overcoming obstacles
one by one.
climax · In Part I, Christian nearly drowns in the river near
the Celestial City but survives. In Part II, Christiana's group
slays Maul and vanquishes Giant Despair.
falling action · Christian takes up residence in the Celestial City
at the end of Part I. At the conclusion of Part II, the Master calls
the pilgrims to their deaths.
themes · Knowledge gained through travel; the importance of
reading; the value of community
motifs · Sleep; the wilderness; sensual pleasure
symbols · Houses; Christian's certificate; gates
foreshadowing · Evangelist predicts that either Christian or Faithful
will die in the town of Vanity, and then Faithful dies there. Christian
and Hopeful glimpse the Celestial City through the shepherds' telescope
before they arrive. When Mercy dreams of heavenly bliss, Christiana
assures her she will later attain it in the Celestial City.
