The Pilgrim's Regress

By C. S. Lewis, C. S. Lewis

A pilgrim's quest for an elusive island reveals profound spiritual truths.

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256 pages

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Bookroo's summary

Join John on a transformative journey to an enchanting island that stirs an intense longing within him. As he encounters figures like Mr. Enlightenment and Mother Kirk, and traverses cities like Thrill and Eschropolis, John faces trials that challenge his beliefs. Will his odyssey lead to the spiritual fulfillment he seeks, or will the Valley of Humiliation prove insurmountable? Discover how this allegorical adventure mirrors a deeper quest for meaning and faith.

From the publisher

The first book written by C. S. Lewis after his conversion to Christianity, The Pilgrim’s Regress is, in a sense, a 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 that creates 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, Mr. Mammon, Mother Kirk, and Mr. Sensible and through such cities as Thrill and Eschropolis – and through 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 with fantasy and simplicity what would otherwise have demanded a full-length philosophy of religion. In Lewis’s skillful hands this fable becomes as effective a Christian apologia as Bunyan’s.

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