The Pilgrim's Progress

The Pilgrim's Progress from this World to that which is to Come is a Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. The first and second edition were published in 1678. One year later the third edition released. The allegory is built up as a dream of the author. The plot revolves around a character named Christian who learns from a book (the Bible) that his hometown the City of Destruction will be burned with fire. He leaves without his wife and his children whom Christian could not convince to join his journey to the Celestial City. The first part of the allegory focuses on Christian's pilgrimage to the Celestial City on which he passes places like the Vanity Fair or the Valley of Humilation. He also meets allegorical characters like Faithful or the Giant Despair. The second part focuses on the pilgrimage of Christian's wife Christiana and their children. They overcome all the dangers of their journey with the help of Mr. Great-Heart who leads them to their destination.

• Harvey, Sir Paul, ed. The Oxford Companion to English Literature.3rd ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1964.