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The Pilgrim's Regress
The first book written by C. S. Lewis after his conversion, The Pilgrim's Regress is, in a sense, the record of Lewis s own search for meaning and spiritual satisfaction—a search that eventually led him to Christianity.
Here is the story of the pilgrim John and his odyssey to an enchanting island which has created in him an intense longing—a mysterious, sweet desire. John s pursuit of this desire takes him through adventures with such people as Mr. Enlightenment, Media Halfways, Mr. Mammon, Mother Kirk, Mr. Sensible, and Mr. Humanist and through such cities as Thrill and Eschropolis as well as the Valley of Humiliation.
Though the dragons and giants here are different from those in Bunyan s Pilgrim s Progress, Lewis s allegory performs the same function of enabling the author to say simply and through fantasy what would otherwise have demanded a full-length philosophy of religion.
211 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
About the author
C.S. Lewis
1,177 books44.8k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
Clive Staples Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Lewis was married to poet Joy Davidman.
W.H. Lewis was his elder brother]
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July 23, 2011
Before picking up this excellent book, there are a few things the reader needs to understand: First of all, what the title means. Many people are confused about the word "regress," especially since it mirrors Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress." Many people (myself included) are under the impression that the story is about a Christian backsliding in his faith. In reality, the "regress" refers to the fact that, as Richard Wagner put it in "C.S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies," you aren't "simply shuffled off to heaven by a host of angels. You have to go back to the real world after you make a decision for Jesus Christ" (p. 231).
Secondly, if the reader doesn't understand the symbolism, it will be a long and perhaps meaningless journey. Some of the symbolism is quite obvious -- Mr. Wisdom represents wisdom, and the story of the mountain apple is symbolic of Adam & Eve eating the apple in Eden. However, there are many symbols in the book that are not quite as obvious, especially since they may reference philosophies that have fallen out of popularity since Lewis's time. For this reason, I highly recommend that the reader find a companion book or website to reference while reading about the pilgrim's journey. I used (and recommend) "C.S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies," but I am sure there are many other resources as well.
Now, on to the meat of my review. Many people (Lewis included) would say that the allegory has failed, because he intended to generalize about the journey from atheism to Christianity. However, when writing he didn't realize how subjective his journey was, and so in the end the story became more autobiographical than he intended. In that sense, yes, the allegory has perhaps failed. Yet, I still found myself relating to many of John's (the pilgrim's) pit stops in his journey. I have been to the city of Claptrap and have seen the Canyon. I have met Mr. Broad, Mr. Sensible, and Vertue. On my return journey from the Canyon, my world looked entirely different. Indeed, there are many ways in which the modern reader can relate to John's travels, even if you are not familiar with 19th-century Rationalism or philosophical idealism.
Specific to this edition of "The Pilgrim's Regress," the headlines at the tops of the pages are, in my opinion, very helpful. Some might find them distracting, and if you are one of those types, perhaps you ought to ignore them altogether. However, I thought they helped me focus on the most important aspects of the story and helped me tie it together quite nicely.
Secondly, if the reader doesn't understand the symbolism, it will be a long and perhaps meaningless journey. Some of the symbolism is quite obvious -- Mr. Wisdom represents wisdom, and the story of the mountain apple is symbolic of Adam & Eve eating the apple in Eden. However, there are many symbols in the book that are not quite as obvious, especially since they may reference philosophies that have fallen out of popularity since Lewis's time. For this reason, I highly recommend that the reader find a companion book or website to reference while reading about the pilgrim's journey. I used (and recommend) "C.S. Lewis and Narnia for Dummies," but I am sure there are many other resources as well.
Now, on to the meat of my review. Many people (Lewis included) would say that the allegory has failed, because he intended to generalize about the journey from atheism to Christianity. However, when writing he didn't realize how subjective his journey was, and so in the end the story became more autobiographical than he intended. In that sense, yes, the allegory has perhaps failed. Yet, I still found myself relating to many of John's (the pilgrim's) pit stops in his journey. I have been to the city of Claptrap and have seen the Canyon. I have met Mr. Broad, Mr. Sensible, and Vertue. On my return journey from the Canyon, my world looked entirely different. Indeed, there are many ways in which the modern reader can relate to John's travels, even if you are not familiar with 19th-century Rationalism or philosophical idealism.
Specific to this edition of "The Pilgrim's Regress," the headlines at the tops of the pages are, in my opinion, very helpful. Some might find them distracting, and if you are one of those types, perhaps you ought to ignore them altogether. However, I thought they helped me focus on the most important aspects of the story and helped me tie it together quite nicely.
February 13, 2016
Excellent. Finished the audio version in February 2016. In the Afterword, Lewis apologizes for the book, an apology I refuse to accept. Just delightful.
July 17, 2017
C.S. Lewis is mostly known for his Narnia Chronicles. Some of us are also familiar with his Science Fiction Trilogy. Then there is the bulk of his work that fall under the genre apologetics.
I've read most of Lewis' work but I had not read the Pilgrim's Regress before. He wrote it shortly after he became a Christian and it is interesting in its insight into one man's conversion experience and also as a comparison to his later works.
Inspired by John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Lewis wrote his work as an allegory. It starts with a young man, John, who is living on a pleasant countryside with his parents.
As a young boy, he gets smacked for doing the wrong thing, such as shooting at birds or pulling flowers out of the garden, even though he really doesn't understand why this is bad. When John asks why these things are wrong he is told that the Steward says so.
He asks who the Steward is and is told the Steward is the man who makes the rules for the country.
John asks why. Because the Landlord set him to do it.
Who is the Landlord? The owner of all the country.
One day John's parents take him to see the Steward. He is in a large, grand, formidable building and stands behind a pulpit or Judge's Bench. The Steward is an affable old man who cheerfully waves them towards him, but when they get down to business, the Steward puts on a scary mask and pontificates about the "Rules" and how one must obey them or there will be dire, dire consequences.
John looks at a card with the rules on it that the Steward had given him.
"Half the rules seemed to forbid things he'd never heard of and the other half forbade things he was doing every day and could not imagine not doing and the number of rules was so enormous that he felt he never could remember them all."
Then the Steward asked if John had broken any of the rules. John is petrified. The Steward takes the mask off again and mutters, "Better tell a lie, old chap, better tell a lie. Easiest for all concerned." then "pops the mask back on again." So John denies breaking any of the rules.
Afterward the Steward takes off the mask, becomes his cheery self again and whispers down to John, "If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about it."
Later John's Uncle George has notice to quit his farm. He has to see the Steward. John and his parents walk with George to see the Steward. All of them are wearing masks now, except George who is too upset to put his on. John, his parents and the Steward walk him to the edge of the Land up to the Landlord's castle. where he then had to walk on by himself. George is very upset but has no choice.
"Nobody ever saw him again.
'Well,' said the Steward, untying his mask as they turned homweard. 'We've all got to go when our times comes.'"
John is concerned about being turned out without any notice like George. He asks his mother if George might be put in the black hole.
"'How dare you say such a thing about your poor uncle? Of course he won't.'"
'But hasn't Uncle George broken all the rules?'
'Broken all the rules? Your Uncle George was a very good man.'
'You never told me that before,' said John.
That is the introduction to John and his journey across the Landlord's Land. I think most of us recognize the Church of England and what it had converted Christianity into by the time of C.S. Lewis, although it had been developing in that direction for some time. Namely, that God and His presence had been largely removed from worship and all that was left was ceremony and "rules" that the average citizen acknowledged one needed to follow in order to be "civilized."
I have heard the term lately of "Christian Atheists." These are people who claim they do not believe in God but believe that the rules provided by Christian belief are necessary for a society to flourish. That is what many churches have devolved into. "Be a nice person. Don't hurt anyone, but don't take any of it too seriously."
John is not satisfied with this because it does not speak to the deep longing in his being that wants something more than to simply be a "good person" and get along with others. So he embarks on a journey, like Pilgrim in Bunyan's story, and on the way he travels through several lands and meets many strange sorts of people.
Each country, of course, represents a segment of society present when Lewis wrote the story in 1931. First John finds sex and plenty of young girls to have sex with. He finds that the pleasure he experiences is short lived and simply doesn't reach to the bottom of his desire. He keeps seeking but never finds what he is looking for. Unfortunately for him, he finds that his sex partners proliferate and he has a miserable time escaping them.
This is meant to be taken symbolically. While it is easy enough to throw someone over after you're tired of them, a type of "spirit" of them stays with you. This is sometimes called emotional baggage but it also is something more profound.
From there he meets Mr. Halfway who presents True Love to him through his beautiful singing. Or at least John thinks so. It is actually quite shallow but sounds so beautiful it deceives him for sometime. He finally stays with Halfway's daughter only to find she is really just a sister of the other girls he was with.
My favorite place he visits is the Lost Generation, because I've just finished reading Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Lewis nails some of the pretensions of the Jazz Age. He describes them:
"They were all either young, or dressed up to look as if they were young. The girls had short hair and flat breasts and flat buttocks so that they looked like boys: but the boys had pale, egg-shaped faces and slender waists and big hips so that they looked like girls-except for a few of them who had long hair and beards.
'What are they so angry about?' whispered John.
'They are not angry, they are talking about Art'"
Lewis penetrates through the falsehood of the Jazz Babies, then those who like philosophy without spirit, the "rational" or scientific age. And also the Barbarism and Paganism that was looming overhead with the rise of Hitler though he does not explicitly name him.
In the end John travels all around the world until he ends up back where he started, however, he is not the same person thanks to the fact that he meets with Reason, a woman on a white horse, and Old Mother Kirk.
The conversations that John has with the people at each stopping point is illuminating to Lewis' own spiritual journey.
At one point John is told that his desires created a Landlord because he needed one to exist. Reason later tells him that the opposite is true. The Doubters are the ones who need the Landlord to not exist, hence their own logic is built on that premise.
In the end, John does find what he is looking for, which can be summed up in a teaser:
Science can try to explain how a tree came to be. But it cannot tell us why it is beautiful. Finally meeting the Landlord answers that question and also fulfills all of John's deepest longings, which is to be in intimate fellowship with Him.
The conversations Lewis writes between a Spiritual pilgrim and every argument against seeking the Landlord makes the book a valuable read.
I've read most of Lewis' work but I had not read the Pilgrim's Regress before. He wrote it shortly after he became a Christian and it is interesting in its insight into one man's conversion experience and also as a comparison to his later works.
Inspired by John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Lewis wrote his work as an allegory. It starts with a young man, John, who is living on a pleasant countryside with his parents.
As a young boy, he gets smacked for doing the wrong thing, such as shooting at birds or pulling flowers out of the garden, even though he really doesn't understand why this is bad. When John asks why these things are wrong he is told that the Steward says so.
He asks who the Steward is and is told the Steward is the man who makes the rules for the country.
John asks why. Because the Landlord set him to do it.
Who is the Landlord? The owner of all the country.
One day John's parents take him to see the Steward. He is in a large, grand, formidable building and stands behind a pulpit or Judge's Bench. The Steward is an affable old man who cheerfully waves them towards him, but when they get down to business, the Steward puts on a scary mask and pontificates about the "Rules" and how one must obey them or there will be dire, dire consequences.
John looks at a card with the rules on it that the Steward had given him.
"Half the rules seemed to forbid things he'd never heard of and the other half forbade things he was doing every day and could not imagine not doing and the number of rules was so enormous that he felt he never could remember them all."
Then the Steward asked if John had broken any of the rules. John is petrified. The Steward takes the mask off again and mutters, "Better tell a lie, old chap, better tell a lie. Easiest for all concerned." then "pops the mask back on again." So John denies breaking any of the rules.
Afterward the Steward takes off the mask, becomes his cheery self again and whispers down to John, "If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about it."
Later John's Uncle George has notice to quit his farm. He has to see the Steward. John and his parents walk with George to see the Steward. All of them are wearing masks now, except George who is too upset to put his on. John, his parents and the Steward walk him to the edge of the Land up to the Landlord's castle. where he then had to walk on by himself. George is very upset but has no choice.
"Nobody ever saw him again.
'Well,' said the Steward, untying his mask as they turned homweard. 'We've all got to go when our times comes.'"
John is concerned about being turned out without any notice like George. He asks his mother if George might be put in the black hole.
"'How dare you say such a thing about your poor uncle? Of course he won't.'"
'But hasn't Uncle George broken all the rules?'
'Broken all the rules? Your Uncle George was a very good man.'
'You never told me that before,' said John.
That is the introduction to John and his journey across the Landlord's Land. I think most of us recognize the Church of England and what it had converted Christianity into by the time of C.S. Lewis, although it had been developing in that direction for some time. Namely, that God and His presence had been largely removed from worship and all that was left was ceremony and "rules" that the average citizen acknowledged one needed to follow in order to be "civilized."
I have heard the term lately of "Christian Atheists." These are people who claim they do not believe in God but believe that the rules provided by Christian belief are necessary for a society to flourish. That is what many churches have devolved into. "Be a nice person. Don't hurt anyone, but don't take any of it too seriously."
John is not satisfied with this because it does not speak to the deep longing in his being that wants something more than to simply be a "good person" and get along with others. So he embarks on a journey, like Pilgrim in Bunyan's story, and on the way he travels through several lands and meets many strange sorts of people.
Each country, of course, represents a segment of society present when Lewis wrote the story in 1931. First John finds sex and plenty of young girls to have sex with. He finds that the pleasure he experiences is short lived and simply doesn't reach to the bottom of his desire. He keeps seeking but never finds what he is looking for. Unfortunately for him, he finds that his sex partners proliferate and he has a miserable time escaping them.
This is meant to be taken symbolically. While it is easy enough to throw someone over after you're tired of them, a type of "spirit" of them stays with you. This is sometimes called emotional baggage but it also is something more profound.
From there he meets Mr. Halfway who presents True Love to him through his beautiful singing. Or at least John thinks so. It is actually quite shallow but sounds so beautiful it deceives him for sometime. He finally stays with Halfway's daughter only to find she is really just a sister of the other girls he was with.
My favorite place he visits is the Lost Generation, because I've just finished reading Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Lewis nails some of the pretensions of the Jazz Age. He describes them:
"They were all either young, or dressed up to look as if they were young. The girls had short hair and flat breasts and flat buttocks so that they looked like boys: but the boys had pale, egg-shaped faces and slender waists and big hips so that they looked like girls-except for a few of them who had long hair and beards.
'What are they so angry about?' whispered John.
'They are not angry, they are talking about Art'"
Lewis penetrates through the falsehood of the Jazz Babies, then those who like philosophy without spirit, the "rational" or scientific age. And also the Barbarism and Paganism that was looming overhead with the rise of Hitler though he does not explicitly name him.
In the end John travels all around the world until he ends up back where he started, however, he is not the same person thanks to the fact that he meets with Reason, a woman on a white horse, and Old Mother Kirk.
The conversations that John has with the people at each stopping point is illuminating to Lewis' own spiritual journey.
At one point John is told that his desires created a Landlord because he needed one to exist. Reason later tells him that the opposite is true. The Doubters are the ones who need the Landlord to not exist, hence their own logic is built on that premise.
In the end, John does find what he is looking for, which can be summed up in a teaser:
Science can try to explain how a tree came to be. But it cannot tell us why it is beautiful. Finally meeting the Landlord answers that question and also fulfills all of John's deepest longings, which is to be in intimate fellowship with Him.
The conversations Lewis writes between a Spiritual pilgrim and every argument against seeking the Landlord makes the book a valuable read.
August 10, 2018
This book described Lewis' conversion to Christianity using an allegory. Theme: beware of the desiring of the very desiring. It parallels many of the same themes in *Surprised by Joy,* namely that joy (or sehnsucht) is inevitable and can be filled rightly or wrongly. The reader discovers that Christianity does not get rid of utter desire and joy, but transforms them. In the meanwhile, using John, Lewis tells us how he escaped the snares of various penny-ante yet at the time culturally respectable secular philosophies.
The good:
Lewis showed how Christianity rehabilitates Plato. The discussion of archetype and ectype was brilliant.
Reason personified as a female. One is reminded of Joan d'Arc. Reason's introduction in the book is one of sheer awe. John is caught in the muck and slime of his own foolishness, then reason appears like lightning from a clear sky, sword in hand to rescue him. But Lewis is careful. He knows that Reason has limits and the reader sees what Reason can and can't do for the Christian.
Very good section at the House of Wisdom. I wonder if he is subtly alluding to Steiner and Anthroposophy.
Remember those people, devotees of Paul Tillich, who say that God (or x) is just a symbol of our human projection (or whatever inanity they bring up)? Lewis cuts that off at the pass:
‘Your life has been saved all this day by crying out to something which you call by
many names, and you have said to yourself that you used metaphors.’
‘Was I wrong, sir?’
‘Perhaps not. But you must play fair. If its help is not a metaphor, neither are its
commands. If it can answer when you call, then it can speak without your asking. If you
can go to it, it can come to you.’
Translation: that God-projection of yours who is a symbol of a symbol (or whatever)--can he talk? Can he answer prayer? Can he speak? I thought not. Better to have the living God.
The bad:
The book moved too quickly. Most people will have no idea what he is talking about half of the time. But Lewis recognized this as well. Still, definitely required reading for the Lewis afficionado.
The good:
Lewis showed how Christianity rehabilitates Plato. The discussion of archetype and ectype was brilliant.
Reason personified as a female. One is reminded of Joan d'Arc. Reason's introduction in the book is one of sheer awe. John is caught in the muck and slime of his own foolishness, then reason appears like lightning from a clear sky, sword in hand to rescue him. But Lewis is careful. He knows that Reason has limits and the reader sees what Reason can and can't do for the Christian.
Very good section at the House of Wisdom. I wonder if he is subtly alluding to Steiner and Anthroposophy.
Remember those people, devotees of Paul Tillich, who say that God (or x) is just a symbol of our human projection (or whatever inanity they bring up)? Lewis cuts that off at the pass:
‘Your life has been saved all this day by crying out to something which you call by
many names, and you have said to yourself that you used metaphors.’
‘Was I wrong, sir?’
‘Perhaps not. But you must play fair. If its help is not a metaphor, neither are its
commands. If it can answer when you call, then it can speak without your asking. If you
can go to it, it can come to you.’
Translation: that God-projection of yours who is a symbol of a symbol (or whatever)--can he talk? Can he answer prayer? Can he speak? I thought not. Better to have the living God.
The bad:
The book moved too quickly. Most people will have no idea what he is talking about half of the time. But Lewis recognized this as well. Still, definitely required reading for the Lewis afficionado.
July 5, 2012
One of Lewis's first books after his conversion, he uses Bunyan's trope to do what we now call a "worldview apologetic," as only a Cambridge literature don could. This work is quite obscure and hard to follow, at least for my small brain (though he admits the obscurity himself in a later preface in this edition.)
Lewis begins with hypocritical Puritan Christianity, and is merciless in his critique, replete with masks, badly told stories, and pious cliches. John, the Pilgrim, quickly leaves it, and regresses on from fornication, to Thrill, the spirit of the age, every modern form of philosophy you can imagine. He does what Van Til 20 years later called Christians to do: tear down every argument and philosophy opposed to Christ. The difficulty is that I didn't recognize much of it, 60 years later and through Lewis' prism. He writes that he didn't mean it to be autobiographical, but I think as one of his earlier works it very much was.
Some parts were clear and great.
1. Mother Kirk must carry us across the chasm, but most refuse her way and go the harder way around.
2. We suppress the truth about God, but wind up praying to Him, and pursued by Him, anyway.
3. We substitute cheaper, quicker and shallower desires for the true Desired One.
4. There are as many sins of the mind as there are of the flesh: Lewis catalogs many of the former.
5. Temptation is hard to resist, even when we see the devastating results right in front of us.
5. Neither reason, feeling, nor virtue alone will carry us to glory, but we do need all three.
If you take it up, be ready for some tough sledding. But there is reward along the way.
Lewis begins with hypocritical Puritan Christianity, and is merciless in his critique, replete with masks, badly told stories, and pious cliches. John, the Pilgrim, quickly leaves it, and regresses on from fornication, to Thrill, the spirit of the age, every modern form of philosophy you can imagine. He does what Van Til 20 years later called Christians to do: tear down every argument and philosophy opposed to Christ. The difficulty is that I didn't recognize much of it, 60 years later and through Lewis' prism. He writes that he didn't mean it to be autobiographical, but I think as one of his earlier works it very much was.
Some parts were clear and great.
1. Mother Kirk must carry us across the chasm, but most refuse her way and go the harder way around.
2. We suppress the truth about God, but wind up praying to Him, and pursued by Him, anyway.
3. We substitute cheaper, quicker and shallower desires for the true Desired One.
4. There are as many sins of the mind as there are of the flesh: Lewis catalogs many of the former.
5. Temptation is hard to resist, even when we see the devastating results right in front of us.
5. Neither reason, feeling, nor virtue alone will carry us to glory, but we do need all three.
If you take it up, be ready for some tough sledding. But there is reward along the way.
January 9, 2023
✩ 4 stars
~
[read for high school ‘freshmen year’ great books class]
~
[read for high school ‘freshmen year’ great books class]
July 5, 2022
I was not expecting this to be great, and I was put to shame. I knew this was his first book published as a Christian and had low expectations. Barfield's claim that what Lewis thought about everything was contained in what he said about anything, is no where truer than here. Several times I was reading and could write out to the margin of one single paragraph themes to be picked up later in Weight of Glory, Transposition, Till We Have Faces, The Silver Chair, and so on. Lewis was wise and you can taste it in his prose. There are times when he dips into obscurity but there are helpful allegorical keys at the top of the page to situate you right-side-up.
August 13, 2024
July 2018 Review
Such an under-rated book by Lewis. I was amazed at all the things he managed to pack into this simple literary device -- a little allegory that turned out to not be so little.
So many philosophical movements, so many religions, so many emotions and character traits explored -- I loved seeing where John would go next and what pitfall he would discover. Loved Lewis's note at the end, from the third edition, as well--a beautiful exploration of his fascination with desire and its basis in Christianity. I wish more commentaries from lit critics were written on this book alone.
I think I expected less, because this is such an early book from Lewis. But it was very powerful, and great to listen to. I liked how the reader tried to do various voices. I'll definitely be getting my hands on and re-reading this again some day, marking up the margins with notes. I don't know why I waited so long to read it in the first place!
Such an under-rated book by Lewis. I was amazed at all the things he managed to pack into this simple literary device -- a little allegory that turned out to not be so little.
So many philosophical movements, so many religions, so many emotions and character traits explored -- I loved seeing where John would go next and what pitfall he would discover. Loved Lewis's note at the end, from the third edition, as well--a beautiful exploration of his fascination with desire and its basis in Christianity. I wish more commentaries from lit critics were written on this book alone.
I think I expected less, because this is such an early book from Lewis. But it was very powerful, and great to listen to. I liked how the reader tried to do various voices. I'll definitely be getting my hands on and re-reading this again some day, marking up the margins with notes. I don't know why I waited so long to read it in the first place!
October 31, 2023
This is the most intellectually assertive book that I have read by Lewis. It describes his intellectual journey of becoming a Christian, using the same structure/style as the “Pilgrims Progress”, as he waded through all the different schools of thought/worldviews/ideologies of his day.
Wikipedia summarises these well: “…the character struggles with the modern phoniness, hypocrisy, and intellectual vacancy of the Christian church; Communism, Fascism, and various philosophical and artistic movements.” (including Enlightenment, Freudianism, Nietzscheism).
Ultimately the book reveals that the Christian God was the answer all along to his deepest desires, not the spurious things/ideas that he had pursued previously. Lewis explores this idea more clearly in Mere Christianity - “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water...If I find in myself a desire, which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
Not a super easy read, but I was engaged the whole time.
3.5/5
Wikipedia summarises these well: “…the character struggles with the modern phoniness, hypocrisy, and intellectual vacancy of the Christian church; Communism, Fascism, and various philosophical and artistic movements.” (including Enlightenment, Freudianism, Nietzscheism).
Ultimately the book reveals that the Christian God was the answer all along to his deepest desires, not the spurious things/ideas that he had pursued previously. Lewis explores this idea more clearly in Mere Christianity - “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water...If I find in myself a desire, which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
Not a super easy read, but I was engaged the whole time.
3.5/5
September 20, 2015
I am surprised at how long it took me to discover this book. I think the first time I heard of it was while reading George Sayer's Lewis biography. It is definitely a must-read for Lewis fans.
As The Pilgrim's Regress is Lewis' first novel as a Christian, I am also surprised at how developed his understanding of the faith was, even in its infancy. This books contains many of the same ideas that will be expressed more clearly in his future works like Mere Christianity and The Great Divorce. He will express his ideas more clearly, but they are very much the same ideas being expressed.
A funny note: when someone from the American Catholic publishing house Sheed & Ward read the book (it might have been Frank Sheed himself?) they assumed it was about Lewis’ conversion from Protestantism to (Roman) Catholicism. It is not.
I read the Wade Annotated Edition of this book. Unless you're a high-caliber classicist and philosopher I wouldn't recommend reading any other edition. The text is strewn with literary allusion and Greek and Latin phrases. The Annotated Edition does an excellent job of explaining these references. As an added bonus they include a few of Lewis' own annotations found in a copy of the book he gave to one of his students, so that's fun (although his annotations usually require a further explanation from the editor).
The edition also includes a few illustrations which are quite nice.
If you haven't read Lewis before, do not read this first. But do try to get to it at somepoint.
As The Pilgrim's Regress is Lewis' first novel as a Christian, I am also surprised at how developed his understanding of the faith was, even in its infancy. This books contains many of the same ideas that will be expressed more clearly in his future works like Mere Christianity and The Great Divorce. He will express his ideas more clearly, but they are very much the same ideas being expressed.
A funny note: when someone from the American Catholic publishing house Sheed & Ward read the book (it might have been Frank Sheed himself?) they assumed it was about Lewis’ conversion from Protestantism to (Roman) Catholicism. It is not.
I read the Wade Annotated Edition of this book. Unless you're a high-caliber classicist and philosopher I wouldn't recommend reading any other edition. The text is strewn with literary allusion and Greek and Latin phrases. The Annotated Edition does an excellent job of explaining these references. As an added bonus they include a few of Lewis' own annotations found in a copy of the book he gave to one of his students, so that's fun (although his annotations usually require a further explanation from the editor).
The edition also includes a few illustrations which are quite nice.
If you haven't read Lewis before, do not read this first. But do try to get to it at somepoint.
Want to read
December 29, 2022
December 25, 2022
Fascinating.
February 7, 2014
I love C.S. Lewis but I'll be honest here. this one went almost completely over my head the first time I read it. I got a philosophical reference here and there but Lewis was so well versed in philosophy that I was left in the dust and forced back to the drawing board. Anyone who has studied Lewis probably knows he started as an atheist and after much struggle became a Christian. He came to the Lord in large part through logic and philosophical study so early on thought most others did to. This book follows that process through an alagorical journey.
Heavy going but still well worth it if you want to put in the time or already have the philosophical chops.
C.S.Lewis, Surprised by Joy: "A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading."
Heavy going but still well worth it if you want to put in the time or already have the philosophical chops.
C.S.Lewis, Surprised by Joy: "A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading."
August 7, 2022
Having had two aborted attempts with this one, I went in for a third try not expecting much of it but came through pleasantly surprised. This is a little less accessible than most of his fiction without knowing Lewis' intellectual world so having read much on Lewis in recent months probably helped give me a greater appreciation for it.
Basically this is a retelling of Pilgrim's Progress but in Lewis' world instead of Bunyan's in an allegorical autobiography of sorts. Interesting and insightful in many places. Recommended for the Lewis fan but if you are new to Lewis start elsewhere.
Basically this is a retelling of Pilgrim's Progress but in Lewis' world instead of Bunyan's in an allegorical autobiography of sorts. Interesting and insightful in many places. Recommended for the Lewis fan but if you are new to Lewis start elsewhere.
January 7, 2018
Actual Ratings: 3.25
June 23, 2009
I loved this book! It is clear that it was written with more than a knowledge but rather a deep understanding of "the search" and the many different viewpoints that one comes into contact with along the way. The graceful art in which he interwove and utilized one's capacity for spacial visualization in such a deep and revealing way was amazing. If I were to liken it to something, and this may be a little strange but bear with me, it would remind me of a flower. It starts off as a bud held in your hand. It's fairly interesting rather simplistic, something easily grasped. However, as it begins to unfold there hidden vibrant colors, you begin to realize it's shape has changed completely and it's actually a much deeper and more complex approach than you first thought. As you lean in to breath its fragrance, you find that you were never holding the flower but standing upon it.
I loved the fun use of words sprinkled throughout, it was challenging and just plain fun. Like a treasure hunt. I loved how he tied in Old English roots etc. The only thing I wish that I had had was a better knowledge of Greek or at least a commentary or translation. But honestly, I enjoyed this book so much, I would love to read a commentary on it. There were so many thoughtfully chosen, unexplained details that I think would be fun, to unravel and discover their respective sources.
I loved the fun use of words sprinkled throughout, it was challenging and just plain fun. Like a treasure hunt. I loved how he tied in Old English roots etc. The only thing I wish that I had had was a better knowledge of Greek or at least a commentary or translation. But honestly, I enjoyed this book so much, I would love to read a commentary on it. There were so many thoughtfully chosen, unexplained details that I think would be fun, to unravel and discover their respective sources.
April 27, 2019
4.75/5
Brilliant, but with a lacking ending. Makes me want to read Bunyan, Dante, and Goethe again.
Read this book if you have any interest in philosophy-as-life or religion.
Brilliant, but with a lacking ending. Makes me want to read Bunyan, Dante, and Goethe again.
Read this book if you have any interest in philosophy-as-life or religion.
January 19, 2023
“Is it wholly wrong to be ashamed of being in the body?”
“The Landlord’s Son was not. You know the verses ‘when thou tookest upon thee to deliver man.’”
“That was a special case.”
“It was a special case because it was the archetypal case.”
Another great book by a great author, philosopher, and apologist. It’s just really good. A must-read!
“The Landlord’s Son was not. You know the verses ‘when thou tookest upon thee to deliver man.’”
“That was a special case.”
“It was a special case because it was the archetypal case.”
Another great book by a great author, philosopher, and apologist. It’s just really good. A must-read!
December 10, 2023
LEWIS WHAT ARE YOU DOINGGGGGGGG
the best part of this book was when it ended.
(jk, i think the best part of the book was its poems and songs. i have not read any of Lewis' poetry before and i enjoyed it very much. however,) reading narnia, surprised by joy, and the og pilgrim's progress would be much more helpful for the average reader (and teach them the exact same things, but more effectively and compellingly) than this.
2.5 stars; would not recommend. i kinda already knew even before looking it up that this must have been Lewis' first work of fiction. to clarify, that is not a compliment. i'm glad that he improved so much from here on out, LOL
the best part of this book was when it ended.
(jk, i think the best part of the book was its poems and songs. i have not read any of Lewis' poetry before and i enjoyed it very much. however,) reading narnia, surprised by joy, and the og pilgrim's progress would be much more helpful for the average reader (and teach them the exact same things, but more effectively and compellingly) than this.
2.5 stars; would not recommend. i kinda already knew even before looking it up that this must have been Lewis' first work of fiction. to clarify, that is not a compliment. i'm glad that he improved so much from here on out, LOL
January 8, 2023
Lewis' first Christian work and a fitting homage to Bunyan's masterpiece of Pilgrims Progress. An insightful metaphorical journey that is full of philosophy and politics, not the eaisest read and a lot of latin. Would recommend but read Bunyan's allegorical narrative first.
February 22, 2022
I broke a cardinal rule of reading through Lewis's published works. I know better than to listen to any of his non-fiction work rather than read it. So much is lost and my mind wanders. Reading the synopsis, I thought there was enough storyline that I could listen to it on Audible. Oops.
The Pilgrim's Regress is considered fiction... however, it's nothing comparable to say, Narnia or even Out of the Silent Planet. This book is an allegorical telling of C.S. Lewis's own journey to finding God. But it's about clear as mud in some parts. Years later, he realized that his own conversion was different than the "every man/woman" experience and much of his book was lost on the general reader without interpretation. Which is heightened due to the fact that he hates obvious allegory. So he intentionally obfuscates what his characters and locations are supposed to represent in favor of obscure references (e.g. Mother Kirk is supposed to represent Christianity as a whole- "Kirk" being an old Scottish word for church).
C.S. Lewis also was heavy influenced by philosophers and everything from popular realism to pantheism to philosophical idealism. The Pilgrim's Regress shows Lewis's journey through these mental shifts until he inevitably reached the realization that none of this made sense and answered his questions/longings like Jesus. And it can be confusing. At least, it was listening to it on Audible. I wish I had read the book instead.
One of the things a lot of people find beef with is Lewis's reference to "brown girls" in order to reference women enticing the main character into lustful thoughts and situations. The main character gets a glimpse of an island at the beginning of the book (represents heaven) and the brown girls become a metaphor for things that replace our search for God because we convince ourselves the thing we have is just as good (they were representative of islanders and the main character being content with their interactions rather than continuing to search for heaven). So cringey in today's PC culture? Yes. Intentionally racist? No.
Part of me wants to say I'll never read this book again, but I do feel like I missed so much by listening to it, I may need to read a physical copy to really decide how I feel about it.
I'd rate this a PG-13 for some scary images and sexual encounters.
The Pilgrim's Regress is considered fiction... however, it's nothing comparable to say, Narnia or even Out of the Silent Planet. This book is an allegorical telling of C.S. Lewis's own journey to finding God. But it's about clear as mud in some parts. Years later, he realized that his own conversion was different than the "every man/woman" experience and much of his book was lost on the general reader without interpretation. Which is heightened due to the fact that he hates obvious allegory. So he intentionally obfuscates what his characters and locations are supposed to represent in favor of obscure references (e.g. Mother Kirk is supposed to represent Christianity as a whole- "Kirk" being an old Scottish word for church).
C.S. Lewis also was heavy influenced by philosophers and everything from popular realism to pantheism to philosophical idealism. The Pilgrim's Regress shows Lewis's journey through these mental shifts until he inevitably reached the realization that none of this made sense and answered his questions/longings like Jesus. And it can be confusing. At least, it was listening to it on Audible. I wish I had read the book instead.
One of the things a lot of people find beef with is Lewis's reference to "brown girls" in order to reference women enticing the main character into lustful thoughts and situations. The main character gets a glimpse of an island at the beginning of the book (represents heaven) and the brown girls become a metaphor for things that replace our search for God because we convince ourselves the thing we have is just as good (they were representative of islanders and the main character being content with their interactions rather than continuing to search for heaven). So cringey in today's PC culture? Yes. Intentionally racist? No.
Part of me wants to say I'll never read this book again, but I do feel like I missed so much by listening to it, I may need to read a physical copy to really decide how I feel about it.
I'd rate this a PG-13 for some scary images and sexual encounters.
November 21, 2011
At the outset I must confess that at least 1/3 of this book was well over my head. With that said, this was an enjoyable book to read, and the portions which resonated with me were well worth the confusion I endured during the other portions.
Lewis was a master of allegory, and this book is no exception. The reader who struggles intellectually with the faith will find this book to be a breath of fresh air. John, the main character's, struggle with the various philosophies and philosophers of the world were so vivid and real that you cannot help but think "I have fought this same battle" as you are reading. At many points you sense yourself to be in John's shoes knowing that you are fighting, at this very moment, the exact battle which Lewis has portrayed. I often found myself wondering as I read how each discourse would end, just hoping it would give me insight to my own struggles.
This was an excellent book. I imagine if I were better read in the philosophers which Lewis takes aim at I would have given the book 5 stars. The reason for leaving the last star off is my own ignorance.
Lewis, in the afterword which he wrote 10 years later, laments his own obscurity in the book, and I share that lament. There were simply too many times where Lewis assumed his reader would understand his subject matter, which was too broad of an assumption, at least for a reader like me.
Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book, and believe it was well worth wrestling through.
Lewis was a master of allegory, and this book is no exception. The reader who struggles intellectually with the faith will find this book to be a breath of fresh air. John, the main character's, struggle with the various philosophies and philosophers of the world were so vivid and real that you cannot help but think "I have fought this same battle" as you are reading. At many points you sense yourself to be in John's shoes knowing that you are fighting, at this very moment, the exact battle which Lewis has portrayed. I often found myself wondering as I read how each discourse would end, just hoping it would give me insight to my own struggles.
This was an excellent book. I imagine if I were better read in the philosophers which Lewis takes aim at I would have given the book 5 stars. The reason for leaving the last star off is my own ignorance.
Lewis, in the afterword which he wrote 10 years later, laments his own obscurity in the book, and I share that lament. There were simply too many times where Lewis assumed his reader would understand his subject matter, which was too broad of an assumption, at least for a reader like me.
Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book, and believe it was well worth wrestling through.
June 6, 2020
The faults I found with this book are the same ones Lewis lamented over after he wrote it, so no point jumping up and down on them. It's overly allegorical and dense and complicated, that's all. I found it super helpful that I had read almost everything Lewis had ever wrote before tackling this. I was able to recognize some of his favorite themes rather pedantically stuffed into the story. What I did love was all the Sehnsucht. Whenever you lose track of what John is up to, remember he is trying to find the island that stirred in him the same longing Lewis felt as a child. Tracing this golden thread made the laborious, erudite journey worth it.
"This hunger is better than any other fullness; this poverty better than all over wealth… If the desire is long absent, it may itself be desired… This sweet Desire cuts across our ordinary distinctions between wanting and having. To have it is, by definition, a want: to want it, we find, is to have it." (210)
"This hunger is better than any other fullness; this poverty better than all over wealth… If the desire is long absent, it may itself be desired… This sweet Desire cuts across our ordinary distinctions between wanting and having. To have it is, by definition, a want: to want it, we find, is to have it." (210)
January 15, 2019
*Listened to audio book*
A definite allegory with very much of a mythical feel. I love how the author writes as if he dreamed the story. At first when I saw the main character was named John I thought that might be a reference to John Bunyan as the story is obviously a play on John Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress, but the way the story rolled, it actually reminded me more of the John in revelations. Maybe that was just because Revelations is also a dream and John is the writer of that.
I listened to this all at once while cleaning today, both because I wanted to and as research for a book I'm writing. But I'd like to listen/ read it again to get the story a bit more full.
CONTENT: The main character is said to "fornicate" with a girl, and later other sensual activity is mentioned at. One character calls another a son of a b****. Other mild instances of language.
A definite allegory with very much of a mythical feel. I love how the author writes as if he dreamed the story. At first when I saw the main character was named John I thought that might be a reference to John Bunyan as the story is obviously a play on John Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress, but the way the story rolled, it actually reminded me more of the John in revelations. Maybe that was just because Revelations is also a dream and John is the writer of that.
I listened to this all at once while cleaning today, both because I wanted to and as research for a book I'm writing. But I'd like to listen/ read it again to get the story a bit more full.
CONTENT: The main character is said to "fornicate" with a girl, and later other sensual activity is mentioned at. One character calls another a son of a b****. Other mild instances of language.
March 6, 2023
The allegory was a challenge to understand. However, there were some insights on world values and temptation.
July 22, 2023
Fascinating look into the mind and imagination of CS Lewis. One is amazed at the breadth of his literary knowledge. Quotes and snippets from all languages spill out from Lewis’ pen all throughout this fantastical tale showing the power of an allegory well crafted. Do not skip Lewis’ afterword to the third edition.
November 16, 2018
"[Mother Kirk's] empire is always crumbling. But it never quite crumbles: for as often as men become Pagans again, the Landlord again sends them pictures and stirs up sweet desire and so leads them back to Mother Kirk even as he led the actual Pagans long ago. There is, indeed, no other way."
December 22, 2023
Going up as an all time favourite, right beside Bunyan’s classic.
September 30, 2024
There is some good material in the book, but, on the whole, I did not get it.
May 20, 2020
This was a great book, though I think I’d have to be better educated than I am to get all of it. (As it was having a husband who speaks Latin was very helpful) The parts where my education was sufficient, however, were really enjoyable. One could think of this book as a pre- Surprised by Joy where he is trying to be more general (not account his specific experience, but tell a relatable conversion story) There were some particularly insightful descriptions an comments at the end of the book. If you like Lewis, I would recommend this one.
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