John Bunyan was a great English writer who communicated his religious beliefs and ideas through storytelling and allegory. He is famous for his masterpiece, The Pilgrim's Progress.
John Bunyan was born on November 30, 1628, in Elstow, Bedfordshire, near London in a village where his family had been farmers for generations. He hardly received any education and seemed destined to lead a simple existence until two events that changed everything.
Bunyan's Life Changing Events
The first major event came in 1642 when England was plunged into the "English Civil War" as Oliver Cromwell fought to overthrow the king. On his sixteenth birthday, Bunyan joined Cromwell's army.
By joining the army, Bunyan met people he would never have encountered otherwise. This introduced him to new ideas. Like many others he became interested in the message of Puritanism, a strict kind of Christianity that was popular among Cromwell's men.
The second life-changing event came a few years after the end of the war. Bunyan claimed to have heard voices and have visions similar to William Blake's religious experiences. He became a committed Christian and began preaching whenever he could. He was influenced by Martin Luther's Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, 1575 translation. However, in 1660 the English monarchy was returned in power. Puritan worship was banned but Bunyan continued to preach. Soon enough, he was arrested and put to jail.
Writer and Preacher Bunyan in Prison
Bunyan spent the next 11 years in jail, where he began to write. His books are powerful expressions of his religious beliefs. His first book, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, is the story of his own conversion to Christianity.
The Pilgrim's Progress
Bunyan began work on his masterpiece, The Pilgrim's Progress, which was completed when he was 50, following a second short term in jail. The book describes the journey of Christian, its hero, from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. It is an allegory of a soul's journey. The story is so powerfully told that The Pilgrim's Progress has remained a longtime favourite.
Bunyan died August 31, 1688, at the age of 59, as he traveled en route from Reading to London.
Works by John Bunyan
- Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, 1666
- A Confession of my Faith, and a Reason of my Practice, 1672
- The Pilgrim's Progress, 1678
- The Life and Death of Mr. Badman, 1680
- The Holy War, 1682 (or The Losing and Taking Again of the Town of Mansoul)
- The Pilgrim's Progress, Part II, 1684
- A Book for Boys and Girls, 1686
Sources:
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers / Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Ousby, Ian. The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
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