John Bunyan

Roger Pooley (University of Keele)
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A hundred years ago Bunyan's position among the great writers was incontestable. His major work,

The Pilgrim's Progress

, was translated, illustrated, adapted, parodied (see for example, Hawthorne's

The Celestial Railroad

) and distributed widely. The unwavering Christian basis of his work meant that he was one of the few imaginative authors read without suspicion by those who didn't buy the Arnoldian idea that art was taking over the role of religion in people's lives. Some of his key motifs – the Slough of Despond, or Vanity Fair, for example – were referred to as confidently as quotations from

Hamlet

. Nowadays he is less central to general culture, although critics and historians alike still find him of compelling interest. Those who do not share his belief still respond to the…

1477 words

Citation: Pooley, Roger. "John Bunyan". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 July 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=640, accessed 19 March 2024.]

640 John Bunyan 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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