Recently a friend of mine asked me if I enjoyed any works of C. S. Lewis more than others, and I had to admit that I did not have a strong preference for any above another. Somehow, though, I had managed to forget one book, collecting dust on my top shelf, which is without a doubt my favorite work by Lewis, and (in my very humble opinion) the best work of fiction he ever wrote.
My copy of The Pilgrim's Regress is a 1996 reprint by William B. Eerdsmans Publishing Co. of a 1992 paper back edition, though the work was originally copyrighted by Lewis in 1933. I would recommend the later edition, because it includes a number of enchanting illustrations by Michael Hague.
Pilgrim's Regress is a philosophical fable about a young boy named John (or, more accurately, a dream about him) who one day has a sweet desire for something he cannot quite understand, which he sees as a lush, beautiful island far, far away. When John grows older, he becomes dissatisfied with his homeland of Puritania, and his own lusts, and so he sets off on a journey to find this mysterious island.
Quickly, however, John encounters a varied host of individuals and groups who represent the many ways of thought which exist and have existed in the world, resulting in some very interesting dialog. Many offer to help John find what he is really looking for, but most end up either delaying him in his quest for the island, or causing him harm. John struggles his way through many obstacles, including cruel Nihilism, and the dread Spirit of the Age.
Eventually, John has a meeting with a powerful lady named Contemplation, and soon he finds himself in "imminent danger" of becoming something which he did not plan to become.
My copy of The Pilgrim's Regress is a 1996 reprint by William B. Eerdsmans Publishing Co. of a 1992 paper back edition, though the work was originally copyrighted by Lewis in 1933. I would recommend the later edition, because it includes a number of enchanting illustrations by Michael Hague.
Pilgrim's Regress is a philosophical fable about a young boy named John (or, more accurately, a dream about him) who one day has a sweet desire for something he cannot quite understand, which he sees as a lush, beautiful island far, far away. When John grows older, he becomes dissatisfied with his homeland of Puritania, and his own lusts, and so he sets off on a journey to find this mysterious island.
Quickly, however, John encounters a varied host of individuals and groups who represent the many ways of thought which exist and have existed in the world, resulting in some very interesting dialog. Many offer to help John find what he is really looking for, but most end up either delaying him in his quest for the island, or causing him harm. John struggles his way through many obstacles, including cruel Nihilism, and the dread Spirit of the Age.
Eventually, John has a meeting with a powerful lady named Contemplation, and soon he finds himself in "imminent danger" of becoming something which he did not plan to become.
I have yet to read this Lewis book. I should put it on my list.
This book sounds remarkably similar to Pilgrim's Progress. Is it done by the same author?