The Pilgrim's Regress

by C. S. Lewis

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802872173
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	10/22/2014
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	195,697
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) taught English literature at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities and wrote more than thirty influential scholarly and popular books. Among his many famous works are Mere Christianity,The Screw tape Letters, the Chronicles of Narniavolumes, Miracles, and Surprised by Joy.

Date of Birth:

November 29, 1898

Date of Death:

November 22, 1963

Place of Birth:

Belfast, Nothern Ireland

Place of Death:

Headington, England

Education:

Oxford University 1917-1923; Elected fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford in 1925

Website:

http://www.cslewisclassics.com

Table of Contents

Book 1 The Data

I The Rules 5

II The Island 8

III The Eastern Mountains 12

IV Leah for Rachel 15

V Ichabod 17

VI Quern Quaeritis in Sepulchro? Non est Hic 19

Book 2 Thrill

I Dixit Insipiens 23

II The Hill 29

III A Little Southward 31

IV Soft Going 33

V Leah for Rachel 34

VI Ichabod 36

VII Non est Hic 38

VIII Great Promises 39

Book 3 Through Darkest Zeitgeistheim

I Eschropolis 43

II A South Wind 45

III Freedom of Thought 47

IV The Man Behind the Gun 49

V Under Arrest 51

VI Poisoning the Wells 52

VII Facing the Facts 55

VIII Parrot Disease 56

IX The Giant Slayer 58

Book 4 Back to the Road

I Let Grill Be Grill 65

II Archtype and Ectype 65

III Esse Is Percipi 68

IV Escape 71

Book 5 The Grand Canyon

I The Grand Canyon 77

II Mother Kirk's Story 80

III The Self-Sufficiency of Vertue 83

IV Mr. Sensible 85

V Table Talk 91

VI Drudge 93

VII The Gaucherie of Vertue 96

Book 6 Northward Along the Canyon

I First Steps to the North 101

II Three Pale Men 102

III Neo-Angular 106

IV Humanist 109

V Food from the North 110

VI Furthest North 111

VII Fools' Paradise 117

Book 7 Southward Along the Canyon

I Vertue Is Sick 121

II John Leading 124

III The Main Road Again 125

IV Going South 126

V Tea on the Lawn 127

VI The House of Wisdom 131

VII Across the Cannon by Moonlight 132

VIII This Side by Sunlight 134

IX Wisdom - Exoteric 139

X Wisdom - Esoteric 144

XI Mum's the Word 146

XII More Wisdom 148

Book 8 At Bay

I Two Kinds of Monist 155

II John Led 159

III John Forgets Himself 161

IV John Finds His Voice 162

V Food at a Cost 163

VI Caught 165

VII The Hermit 167

VIII History's Words 170

IX Matter of Fact 176

X Archtype and Ectype 181

Book 9 Across the Canyon

I Across the Canyon by the Inner Light 187

II This Side by Lightning 188

III This Side by the Darkness 190

IV Securus Te Projice 192

V Across the Canyon 195

VI Nella Sua Voluntade 197

Book 10 The Regress

I The Same Yet Different 203

II The Synthetic Man 205

III Limbo 206

IV The Black Hole 208

V Superbia 210

VI Ignorantia 214

VII Luxuria 216

VIII The Northern Dragon 221

IX The Southern Dragon 225

X The Brook 227

Afterword to Third Edition 231

Editorial Reviews

Anglican & Episcopal History
"By far the most developed and helpful edition ever assembled. . . . Will surely be viewed as the authoritative edition for many years to come."

— Chicago Tribune
"An excellent book. In its sharp imagery, its clever inferences, its suspense, its characterization, and its occasional grotesque humor, it stands favorable comparison with its great model by John Bunyan."

— New York Times
"The allegorical characters are not just abstractions. They are, in every instance, people objectively real and subjectively true to the inner meaning. The language throughout is plain, straightforward and leanly significant. To many it will seem like a fresh wind blowing across arid wastes."

From the Publisher

An excellent book. In its sharp imagery, its clever inferences, its suspense, its characterization, and its occasional grotesque humor, it stands favorable comparison with its great model by John Bunyan.

Chicago Tribune

The allegorical characters are not just abstractions. They are, in every instance, people objectively real and subjectively true to the inner meaning. The language throughout is plain, straightforward and leanly significant. To many it will seem like a fresh wind blowing across arid waters.

New York Times Book Review

In 1933, not long after he became a Christian, Lewis published this third work and his first novel, a portrayal of this spiritual journey. Begun as a poem, Pilgrim's Regress thankfully ended up as an allegory that obviously takes its cue from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Every bit as effective as its predecessor, Lewis's book describes the quest of John to reach the enchanted island and describes and satirizes many of the popular philosophies of the author's time, many of which also have more than a little influence in our day. Eloquent, erudite, and often witty, this tale is superbly narrated by Robert Whitfield. No stranger to the writings of Lewis, Whitfield has a well-modulated voice that easily portrays the numerous characters and gives the narrative sections a steady and consistent tempo. There are a number of Latin epigraphs, which are not translated. Public, religious/theological, and academic libraries should at least consider this audio. Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Community Coll., Lynchburg Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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