Analysis on Pilgrims Progress

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The Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan 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
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