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A Pilgrim's Progress
John Bunyan Book Review

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Plot Summary of A Pilgrim's Progress
"An early Christian classic by John Bunyan, born 1628, who was a poor tinker and later a soldier with Cromwell's Parliamentarian army. He married a poor girl whose dowry was two books, 'The Plain Man's Guide to Pathway to Heaven' and 'Practice of Piety'. Bunyan became a lay preacher at a time when it was illegal for the laity to preach in Britain and while in prison for the second time he wrote 'Pilgrim's Progress'.

This version is an abridged version by Geraldine McCaughrean, which won a prestigous book prize in the UK. It is a highly enjoyable retelling of the story, with some simplifications in language for the younger reader. Some of the names are altered, for example, the most lugubrious 'Slough of Despond' is called 'The Great Bog Misery' - which is good, if not quite the same. The book is richly illustrated with very good colour and black and white illustrations. A great introduction to the full work."

Michael JR Jose, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of A Pilgrim's Progress
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - upbeat
Time/era of story - 17th century
Political/social activism Yes
Plotlet: - minorities fighting for rights - religious issues
Inside culture (main char) - Christian
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Ethnic/regional/gender life Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - small businessman
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers - is very quick - can change shapes - fire/thunder/weather cntrl - mind control - super strength - can fly - teleportation - can cast all sorts of spells - invisibility - can read emotions
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes
Eccentric: - obsessed - deluded
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK
Mountains/Cliffs Yes
Mountains: - climbing on trails
City? Yes
City: - wealthy - rude people
Misc setting - prison

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
Unusual Style: - a lot of play on words
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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