Pilgrims Progress in Today's English

Book Description

Retold by James H. Thomas. The best allegory ever written is rewritten in modern English, making it clearer and more forceful to the modern reader. (More than 100,000 in print)

Customer Reviews:

Very Good.......2007-08-23

Great book! will be purchasing more copies to give as gifts! Highly
essential reading for all!

Updated "Progress" another step in the dumbing of America (and Canada, too).......2005-11-17

Consider these three passages:

As I was walking through the wilderness of this world, I came to a place where there was a cave. I laid down in that place to sleep, and as I slept I had a dream in which I saw a man dressed in rags standing in a certain place and facing away from his own house. He had a Book in his hand and a great burden on his back. As I looked, I saw him open the Book and read out of it, and as he read, he wept and trembled. Unable to contain himself any longer, he broke out with a sorrowful cry, saying, "What shall I do?" (L. Edward Hazelbaker - The Pilgrim's Progress in Modern English)

As I walked through the wilderness of the world, I came to a place where there was a den. There I lay down to sleep; and as I slept, I dreamed a dream. In my dream I saw a man clothed in rags, standing by a path with a book in his hand and a great burden upon his back. His face was turned from his own house, which stood nearby. I saw him open his book and read, then begin to weep. No longer able to control his feelings, he broke out with a mournful cry, saying, "What shall I do?" (James H. Thomas - Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English)

As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place, where there was a Den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep: And as I slept, I dreamed a Dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a man cloathed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a Book in his hand, and a great Burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the Book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, What shall I do?

The first two are intended to be modernizations and clarifications of the too-difficult third version, the one actually penned by John Bunyan in 1678. (If any of you scholarly types are now itching to inform me that there are questions relating to the ur-text, I am aware of them--and I consider them to be irrelevant to the point I am making.) Dr. Johnson once commented that Alexander Pope's brilliant version of Homer's Iliad, possessed every virtue of a translation except fidelity to the original. I shudder to speculate on what he might have had to say about Messrs. Hazelmaker and Thomas.

Let it be clear that I am commenting on "The Pilgrim's Progress" as literature, indeed, as great literature. The religious content of the book is plain in any version. From Bunyan, it is a plain-spoken tale effectively told by a plain-spoken and popular preacher. Bunyan's book, though, is far from being the touchy-feely, ecumenically-friendly thing that the modernized versions might suggest. After all, Bunyan managed to get himself into hot legal water in 1658 when the Puritan-dominated English Republic was in power and then again when the Anglican-dominated Restoration of Charles II came along. Bunyan was obstreperously a one-man sect. The closest thing he ever had to a real congregation was a mixed body of Congregationalists and Baptists, both of which now lay not very enthusiastic claim to him. He devoted a whole book to denouncing those notorious heretics and scoundrels, the Quakers [!] and in "The Pilgrim's Progress," the frightful "Giant Pope" pops up to make things tough for the faithful.

Bunyan's style is plain-spoken but it is far from unsophisticated. Read it aloud. Think how a powerful preacher would caress some words, savor the significant pauses and then thunder away: "I dreamed ... and BEHOLD, I saw a man cloathed in RAGS" or "and as he READ, he WEPT and TREMBled" or "he brake out with a LAMentable cry ... saying, WHAT shall I DO?" Now read Hazelmaker and Thomas out loud. They are anti-alchemists: they turn gold to lead.

Hazelmaker and Thomas are no more faithful to Bunyan's meaning than they are to his art. In the first sentence, Thomas to the contrary, it is obvious that Bunyan was referring to "this world," not "the world". "I came to a place where there was a cave," says Hazelmaker. "I came to a place where there was a den," says Thomas. But Bunyan says, "I lighted on a certain place, where there was a Den". To me, the obvious meaning of the phrases offered by Hazelmaker and Thomas is that the narrator is wandering about the countryside and, more or less by chance, has come upon a geologic feature. Bunyan's use of the words "lighted" (perhaps we would now say "alighted") and "certain" remove the element of chance. The narrator--Bunyan--is exactly where he intends to be. And where he intends to be is absolutely not in a cave. To make that point crystal clear, Bunyan has added a gloss at that very line; it says, "The Jail."

Bunyan spent much of his life in jail. He was there because he resolutely refused to obey the laws on preaching. Neither Puritans nor Anglicans ever said that he could not preach, they only wanted him to agree to do it at approved times and places in order to preserve the public peace in a religion-mad and revolution-riven land. He could have sprung himself at any time, doubtless with the relieved gratitude of his reluctant jailers, simply by saying that he would obey the law. In any case, his incarceration could not have been too onerous either by Seventeenth Century standards or by ours. He was free to write and publish, both at great length. He could and did preach to his fellow jailbirds. And he was even allowed on occasion to leave the jail to preach at large public meetings.

Don't waste your money on either Hazelmaker or Thomas. Stick with the original, a true classic of the English language. If you're still uncomfortable with Bunyan, take the money you've saved and buy a good dictionary.

a reader.......2004-06-22

A very good and readable edition of Bunyons classic. This is a book that all of 21st century Christianity should read. After scripture it is the best help for the Christian walk. We should definitely read this book before we pick up a copy of the latest self help book.

A Starting Point For New Readers.......2004-06-14

For those who have longed to read Pilgrim's Progress but have put it off this is the version to start with. Many have wanted to read this Christian Classic but did not want to start with trying to understand the 17th Century English of the original. To those this book is a blessing. It is very easy to read but amazingly true to the original. It is great as a stand alone reading, but even better when used as a prelude to the original text.

I would advise reading the Moody version and then immediately reading the old text.

A superlative re-telling of the timeless classic........1999-05-21

This version of John Bunyan's original makes for a light, yet poignant read. It provides an insight to Bunyan's own Christian journey and allows the reader to liken his/her own spiritual walk with that of this 17th century author.

Peregrino: en un castellano actualizado, El: Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English

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Peregrino: en un castellano actualizado, El: Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English
John Bunyan
Manufacturer: Editorial Portavoz
ProductGroup: Book
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Book Description

Este clasico ha sido traducido a un castellano actualizado e ilustrado a todo color. [This classic work of John Bunyan has been put into modern-day Spanish and has full-color illustrations.]

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Pilgrims Progress in Todays English
John Bunyan
Manufacturer: MOODY PRESS *
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Pilgrims Progress: In Today's English

Manufacturer: Moody Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

A Gothic mansion, a band of delinquent boys, a squandered family fortune, and a brutal murder. Who can tie all this together? Miss Jane Marple and Agatha Christie.

Download Description

"E-book exclusive extras: 1) Christie biographer Charles Osborne's essay on They Do It with Mirrors; 2) ""The Marples"": the complete guide to all the cases of crime literature's foremost female detective.

A sense of danger pervades the rambling Victorian mansion in which Jane Marple's friend Carrie Louise lives-and not only because the building doubles as a rehabilitation centre for criminal youths. One inmate attempts, and fails, to shoot dead the administrator. But simultaneously, in another part of the building, a mysterious visitor is less lucky. Miss Marple must employ all her cunning to solve the riddle of the stranger's visit, and his murder-while protecting her friend from a similarly dreadful fate. The New York Times: 'No one on either side of the Atlantic does it better.'

Customer Reviews:

Complex Yet Simple.......2007-08-24

Miss Jane Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the quaint village of St. Mary Mead. However, unlike most of her peers, murder seems to follow her wherever she goes! In "Murder with Mirrors" (also published under the title "They Do It with Mirrors"), Miss Marple is approached by childhood friend Ruth Van Rydock. It seems that something is wrong with Ruth's sister, Carrie Louise.

Under the pretense of being poor, Miss Marple visits Carrie Louise at her home. Stonygates is more than a house, however; it is a rehabilitation facility for juvenile offenders, run by Carrie's husband Lewis. Just as Miss Marple settles in and begins to unravel what is wrong with Carrie, Lewis is taken hostage by one of the "patients" and Carrie's step-son is murdered.

In typical Agatha Christie fashion, the mystery is complex yet simple. And while the novel is definitely not her best, it still surpasses most work published today.

A Pleasant, Innocuous Read.......2006-12-29

As others have mentioned, this is the rare Agatha Christie book in which the answer to the mystery is fairly obvious, but it still makes for a nice, quick read. We learn a bit about Miss Marple's childhood, and it's great fun to see her interact with an old friend. The perfect book for a lazy afternoon.

Good.......2005-07-12

The plot is something of a disappointment, but this book is worth reading for Miss Marple's observations on misguided philanthropy. As always, Miss Marple proves herself to be an excellent judge of human situations.

Minor but Entertaining.......2004-04-28

Also known under the title MURDER WITH MIRRORS, this 1952 Agatha Christie is neither the best nor the worst of her work. Set in a decaying English mansion, the grounds of which have become home to an experimental school for delinquent boys, the novel finds Miss Marple visiting an elderly friend from her own school days--and being plunged into crime when her hostess' stepson is shot dead.

Christie is best known for her fiendishly cunning plots, but in this instance I found the mechanism of the crime somewhat obvious. Still, the novel has other, undeniable charms: a renewed acquaintance with the always entertaining Miss Marple, a memorable cast of characters, and a particularly atmospheric setting. While it will never compare with the likes of A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED or MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, Christie fans will find it an entertaining one-gulp read.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Miss Marple visits an old friend.......2003-12-02

When Miss Marple visits her old school friend Ruth Van Rydock, she discovers that Ruth is concerned about their mutual friend Carrie Louise. Ruth had recently visited with Carrie Louise, and something in the household did not seem right. She persuades Miss Marple to visit Carrie Louise herself to see if she can detect what's wrong. When she arrives, Jane discovers that Carrie's home has been turned into a haven for delinquent boys by her husband. Soon a murder occurs and the plot thickens. Although professional investigators are called on the scene, Miss Marple exhibits her famous powers of deduction and comes up with a solution before they do. This is a typical, clever Agatha Christie mystery.

They Do It With Mirrors: A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)

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