天路历程的写作特色分析

　　John Bunyan’s allegorical work The Pilgrim’s Progress is one of the most important works in the history of English religious literature.This allegorical religious work in the second half of the 17th century is the first of modern English novels.The Pilgrim’s Progress is recognized as one of the greatest classical novels in the history of world literature because of its unique writing features.The writing features are very distinct,which integrates many elements of narrative techniques,dream narrative and allegory narrative.The Bible is also deeply related to The Pilgrim’s Progress.Its symbolic meaning is also a major feature of the writing.The Pilgrim’s Progress also takes the form of dialogue.

　　Nowadays,there are many researches on The Pilgrim’s Progress at home and abroad.But most of them study a single element in The Pilgrim’s Progress,or compare it with other works.There are relatively few researches on the writing features of The Pilgrim’s Progress.Therefore,I will analyze the writing features of the The Pilgrim’s Progress from three aspects:narration,allegory and the influence of the Bible,which will help me to have a deeper understanding of this work and its writing feature.

　　The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most representative religious fable in the history of English literature.In the narrative,the dreamlike way of expression is adopted,which exposes the corruption of the British era,expresses the strong dissatisfaction of the people with the real life of the 17th century British society,and also reflects the author’s deep understanding of life.The author uses unique writing techniques to depict the experiences of Christian journey vividly.Most of the researches on the writing characteristics of The Pilgrim’s Progress are not comprehensive.Therefore,this paper studies The Pilgrim’s Progress from the perspective of writing characteristics,hoping to enrich the existing understanding of The Pilgrim’s Progress,so as to not only broaden the research results of Bunyan's The Pilgrim’s Progress,but also better understand its value and importance in the history of literature.In addition,the author hopes to have a deeper understanding of the Bunyan's writing purpose and the theme of the book by studying the writing characteristics of The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　The Pilgrim’s Progress is regarded as the most famous fable in the history of British literature.In western countries and societies,it is usually regarded as the Christian classic works and British classic works next to the Bible.John Bunyan used a unique writing technique in the writing process of The Pilgrim’s Progress.The analysis of the writing features of the The Pilgrim’s Progress enables us to understand the social life of England in the 17th century while analyzing the author's exquisite writing skills.It is an excellent literary work with important value.In the traditional sense,The Pilgrim’s Progress is a story of personification of spirit.But unlike most people who are comfortable with the status quo,Christian choose to take risks on the road to salvation,encounter setbacks,and even almost die.He still walked firmly towards his goal.This coincided exactly with the progressive spirit of the bourgeois revolution at that time.Studying the writing characteristics of The Pilgrim’s Progress can help us understand the British society and the British bourgeois revolution in the 17th century to a certain extent.Studying The Pilgrim’s Progress is also of educational significance to us.We inevitably have setbacks and difficulties in the pursuit of goals.As long as we have a firm will,we will succeed in the end.In addition,Bunyan made a detailed analysis of the complexity of human nature,with obvious ideas against the feudal dynasty and the pursuit of democracy and freedom.For different people in different times the book will always have practical significance.

　　1.4.1 Problems to be Solved in This Study

　　First,The Pilgrim’s Progress is a western work of religious allegory,which is boring to read and requires some background knowledge.So the author of the thesis should know its writing background first.Second,the research of the paper needs a lot of literature,so I need to collect literature and data on The Pilgrim’s Progress.Thirdly,I need to find relevant materials about dream narration,fable application and the influence of the Bible in The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　1.4.2 Difficulties to be Overcome in This Study

　　The first difficulty was that the author of the thesis needed to fully grasp The Pilgrim’s Progress and find out what I needed to know while reading it.The second difficulty is to find references and materials and summarize them.The third difficulty is that the author of the thesis will write this paper from three aspects:dream narrative,the application of allegory and the influence of the Bible.The connection between each part is also a big difficulty.

　　1.4.3 The Point of Departure in This Study

　　According to the current status of domestic and foreign research,the author believes that it is feasible to interpret the writing features of The Pilgrim’s Progress the three aspects of dream narrative,allegory and the influence of the Bible.The unique writing technique of The Pilgrim’s Progress is obvious to all.The author of the thesis hopes that by analyzing the writing features in the The Pilgrim’s Progress,people can have a deeper interpretation of the The Pilgrim’s Progress and John Bunyan.

　　The overall structure of the paper is as follows：The first part of the introduction.Its introduces the research background,aims,significance,research questions.The second part is a literature review,which gives a more detailed summary and comment on domestic and international academic achievements and deficiencies.The third part introduces the research methods used in this research.The fourth part,which is the key part of this study,analyzes the writing features of The Pilgrim’s Progress from three aspects:dream narrative,application of allegory and influence of Bible.The fifth part is the conclusion part,which summarizes the results of the study and the limitations in the study.Finally is works cited.

　　The allegory had been translated into more than 200 languages.There are many articles and books summarizing the research status of The Pilgrim’s Progress.From the research materials of western countries,the first is the analysis of the John Banyan’s legendary life:from the tinker’s son to the soldier,to the disaster of prison,to the priest and the writing of The Pilgrim’s Progress.The most representative is John Bunyan by Tamsin Spargo.

　　Second,there are relatively many studies on the analysis and discussion of the allegorical features in The Pilgrim’s Progress;Jason Crawford's article“Bunyan’s Secular Allegory”discusses that The Pilgrim’s Progress is the mutual infiltration,oppression and promotion of allegory culture and Secular culture.Bunyan uses allegory as an idiom for secular subjects.In“The Pilgrim’s Progress:Allegory or Novel”,Peter Crisp suggests that The Pilgrim’s Progress is not only an individualistic novel,but also an allegory.And the interaction between metaphor and metonymy further proves the true allegorical nature of The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　Third,the influence of the Bible on the creation of The Pilgrim’s Progress.The most familiar book Bunyan read in his life was the Bible,which had a profound impact on his creation.“The Great Influence of the Bible on John Bunyan and The Pilgrim’s Progress”reveals the great influence of the Bible on John Bunyan and his The Pilgrim’s Progress in terms of language style,theme and narrative structure.In“Pilgrim Existence:A Consideration of the Bible in The Pilgrim’s Progress”,Balmer H.Kelly mainly discussed the relationship between The Pilgrim’s Progress and the Bible,that is,the Bible is the source of The Pilgrim’s Progress,and the The Pilgrim’s Progress is the interpretation of the Bible.The Pilgrim’s Progress is an interpretation of biblical truth and symbolic meaning,and Christian life.In addition,an article was published in 2013 by Daniel Boscaljon,named“Secularization and the Loss of Love in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress”.This paper focuses on religion and fraternity in The Pilgrim’s Progress,and criticizes secular love that wakes up the world.Bernard Shaw once commented on The Pilgrim’s Progress:“The whole allegory is a consistent attack on morality and respectability,a denunciation of evil and crime”(Rubinstin 261).It can be seen the oversea study of The Pilgrim’s Progress is in a deepening process,and its research has practical value.

　　In China,The Pilgrim’s Progress has been translated into Chinese for a century and a half.Starting around 1853,the Rev.William Burns(1815-1868)a British clergyman,worked with the Chinese to translate John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress into Chinese and publish it in Xiamen.This is the first time that China has translated a Western novel.However,the study of The Pilgrim’s Progress is relatively weak in China.According to the CNKI,relevant literature did not appear until the 1988.There are about one hundred literature related to The Pilgrim’s Progress,which can be roughly divided into the following categories.

　　Firstly,the religious elements of The Pilgrim’s Progress.The view of religion can be divided into three aspects.The first aspect is the relationship between the Bible and The Pilgrim’s Progress.It is mainly the influence of the Bible on the creation and thinking of The Pilgrim’s Progress,such as“On the Influence of the Bible on Pilgrim’s Progress by Ming Li,and Monologue Through the Bible:An Analysis of Religious Thoughts in The Pilgrim’s Progress”by Wang Lili,as well as the“An Analysis of Biblical Archetypal Images in The Pilgrim’s Progress”by Hong Ke.

　　The second aspect is to discuss the Calvinism on The Pilgrim’s Progress,for example,Li ting’s“An Analysis of Calvinism in The Pilgrim’s Progress and its Value and Influence.”The third aspect is to analyze the Puritan thought embodied in The Pilgrim’s Progress,such as Tu Huan’s“Sprout Rebirth:the Demonstration of Puritan Virtues in Pilgrim’s Progress”and“On John Bunyan’s Puritanism in The Pilgrim’s Progress”by Yang Lin and Zhang Hui.

　　Secondly,the study on the translation of The Pilgrim’s Progress and its translation.The Pilgrim’s Progress has been translated into many versions since it was introduced into China.Therefore,there are many studies on its translation.For example,in Duan Huaiqing’s“On the Six Versions of The Pilgrim’s Progress”,the author analyzes the similarities and differences between the cover and layout of the six translations of The Pilgrim’s Progress from 1853 to 1921 in the late Qing Dynasty.Besides,in“Translation of Biblical Images in The Pilgrim’s Progress—Analysis of the Three Chinese Translations from the Perspectives of Schema Theory and Translation Teleology,”Yang Xuanyu comprehensively studies the history of translation in The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　Thirdly,there are also many comparative studies on The Pilgrim’s Progress and Journey to the West,including comparative studies on themes,religious elements,critical spirit,narrative comparison and differences between the two works.In“The Comparative Thematic Study of The Pilgrim’s Progress and the Pilgrimage to the West”,Gu Yunfei conducted a comparative study of two novels from the perspective of comparative literary themes;There is also a comparative study of the religious elements of the two works.The typical research is Wang Qi’s“A Research on Religious Ideas within The Pilgrim’s Progress and the Pilgrimage West”and He Ying’s“A Comparative Study of Religion between The Pilgrim’s Progress and the Journey to the West.”There is also a comparative study of the narrative techniques of the two works,for example,Shen Zhaodi’s“Comparative Study of Narrative in The Pilgrim’s Progress and the Journey to the West.”Of course,there are also comparative studies with other works,such as Xie Yingjiao’s“A Comparative Study on the Motif of Redemption in Pilgrim’s Progress,”which compares The Pilgrim’s Progress of redemption theme with three other works,Bible,Journey to the West and Kite Runner.

　　Fourthly,there are also some studies on the literary value of The Pilgrim’s Progress.The research in this part mainly analyzes the writing methods used in the work,and then explores the value behind it.Typical ones include Liu Xiaohan’s“The Literary Value of Pilgrim’s Progress,”Gan Liping’s“Discussion on Symbolic Meaning in Pilgrim’s Progress,”Yu Chenling’s“The Characteristics of Literary Creation in The Pilgrim’s Progress.”The Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegorical novel,and its literary value is mostly studied from the images,characters,scenes and symbolic meanings appearing in the works.

　　Finally,some people also analyze the writing characteristics of The Pilgrim’s Progress,such as“The Artistic Features of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress”by Liu Jingyu,which discusses the religious and symbolic significance of The Pilgrim’s Progress by focusing on its narrating dreams,and the application of the symbolic techniques and writing in the form of dialogue.There is also“An Analysis of the Writing Characteristics of Pilgrim’s Progress”by Chen Yongming,which analyzes the narrative technique,psychological description and application of The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　As far as I know,a recent paper on The Pilgrim’s Progress in China is Li Qin’s“A Brief Analysis of Pilgrimage Literature in The Canterbury Tales,Pilgrim’s Progress and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry”,in which the author compares The Canterbury Tales with The Pilgrim’s Progress and the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry,and explores British pilgrimage literature.

　　According to the current situation of the research on The Pilgrim’s Progress at home and abroad,there is little analysis on the writing features of The Pilgrim’s Progress works.Chinese scholars have done relatively little research on The Pilgrim’s Progress,perhaps because it is a religious work with a strong missionary nature.The novel also quotes a lot of words from the Bible,which makes the work tedious and difficult to understand.The articles published in China mainly study the translation of The Pilgrim’s Progress,its theme and the comparison of The Pilgrim’s Progress with other works.Foreign scholars are mainly study about Calvinism and allegory in The Pilgrim’s Progress.Domestic research on the characteristics of The Pilgrim’s Progress writing is relatively weak,most of which are only one of the aspects,such as allegory,symbolism,and religious factors.The study on the writing features of The Pilgrim’s Progress is very relatively few.Therefore,I will analyze and study the writing features of The Pilgrim’s Progress.I will analyze the writing features of The Pilgrim’s Progress from the perspectives of narrative,the application of allegory and the influence of the Bible.

　　The Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegorical religious work adopts the combination of dream and prophecy.It also uses a lot of allegorical techniques,and the Bible has a great influence on The Pilgrim’s Progress.Considering the direction of this paper,the author of the thesis needs to look up a lot of literature and ideas to support my point of view.So,document method is the foundation in my paper methodology.Secondly,in the process of paper writing,the author of the thesis needs to find a large amount of information on allegorical narration,dream narration and other aspects,so the author of the thesis will also use investigation method.In addition,the author of the thesis needs to carefully read the works and references,so the author of the thesis also use the close reading method.Finally,a large amount of scattered information collected in the research process needs to be analyzed and summarized.By and large,the document method,comparison method,close reading and inductive method will be applied in this paper.

　　As George Sampson,a Cambridge scholar,summed up:

　　“there is no need to comment more on this book,because its characters,scenes and terms have become a common property.Dogma may change,faith may break,but the journey of life continues.As Banyan’s simple language describes,we may encounter friends,enemies,dangers,desperation and so on on the painful journey,even children believe it”(375).

　　As George Sampson put it,The Pilgrim’s Progress has become so accessible to children that The Pilgrim’s Progress is the journey of life.The Pilgrim’s Progress has become one of the classics in the world literature history because of its unique writing features.The Pilgrim’s Progress is recognized as one of the greatest classical novels in the history of world literature because of its unique prophetic and dreamlike forms,its concise,powerful and vivid narrative style,and its lively dialect of many characters.In the form of dreams and fables,this work tells the unique experience of Christian seeking salvation.The weakness of human nature revealed by the characters in the book is profound and sharp,which is allegorical.There is the shadow of the Bible everywhere in the works,which is an important classic used by Christians to spread ideas after the Bible.The Pilgrim’s Progress shows the life and spiritual pursuit of ordinary people under the background of social unrest and Puritan Revolution in the form of religious allegory and plain words.It’s a very meaningful work that focuses on everyday life,exposes social reality,and preaches the idea of heavenly redemption.Beyond the limitations of religion and time,it has spread widely in the world and become a household religious allegory.The paper will conduct a comparatively comprehensive study on the writing features of The Pilgrim’s Progress from the perspectives of the dream narrative,the application of allegory and the influence of the Bible.

　　The writer’s unique growing experience has created the writer’s extraordinary narrative ability and narrative art.John Bunyan’s unique narrative technique is closely related to his growing experience.Like many great writers,Bunyan was born poor and had no formal education.Although he stayed in prison for 12 years,he did not give up himself.On the contrary,he completed the magnificent work The Pilgrim’s Progress in prison.This work fully shows the narrative ability of Banyan.

　　4.1.1Definition of Dream Narrative

　　The Pilgrim’s Progress is not only a great religious work,but also a literary work with superb narrative techniques,in which dream narration is one of its important narrative means.

　　“The so-called dream narrative is a common narrative way in literary works,which is mostly used to shape the image of the protagonist and deepen the theme of the text.Successful dream narration can often promote the development of story plot,adjust the speed of narrative rhythm,and create a hazy and hazy aesthetic mood.As a discourse paragraph independent of the main narrative,dream narrative is the product of the writer’s symbolic activities and the result of his rational thinking”(Wang Yuefan 48-51).

　　“Gollut believes that the key to dream narrative lies in“the intervention of a creator predicate establishes a model of narrative discourse,opening up a world of dream imagery”(qtd.in Yang Yue 32-37).

　　Since ancient times,there have been many literary works containing the description of dreams.Dream narrative expands the realistic environment of the characters’life to the dreamlike level,and greatly expands the performance space of the story plot.It is not only a means of constructing plot,but also plays an important role in character shaping and theme expression.In the Pilgrim’s Progress,Bunyan skillfully uses the form of dreams narrate the story through the beginning and the end of the story to promote the development of the plot.There are two parts in The Pilgrim’s Progress,including 40 stories in total.The story frame is relatively large,but the internal structure is compact and orderly,because“dream”runs through the whole play and supports the development of the story.

　　“dream as a strategy of narrative is favored by various groups of writers whose writing styles or concerns might be completely different.Dream narrative has been employed for purposes both idealistic and realistic,and has achieved specific effects.It is an effective way for the writers to reveal something covert—certain knowledge or truth to the readers”(Lin Qiao 7).

　　Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress begins with a dream,“As I walked through the wilderness of this world,I lighted on a certain place where was a den,and laid me down in that place to sleep;and as I slept,I dreamed a dream”(3).Bunyan here tells us that The Pilgrim’s Progress begins with a dream.Here he mentions the wilderness,which has spiritual significance in the Bible.We can see that the“wilderness”described by Bunyan is the society he lives in.“I lighted on a certain place where was a den”and“den”is generally a metaphor for dangerous places in the Bible.This work is written by Bunyan in prison,“den”refers to the prison where Bunyan is.The dream in“I dreamed a dream”is used to indicate the allegorical meanings implied in the story.Through the author’s experience and the social background of the persecution of Puritans,we can understand this passage as follows:I am in prison in this dark society because I believe in Puritanism.I lay in prison,looking back on my life,and write this allegory work in a dreamlike way to wake up the world.This has laid the tone of the whole paper,which is a allegory novel completed in the form of dreams.To some extent,dreams are more authentic than reality,because they have the ability to transform and lead people to understand reality from a new and deeper level.

　　4.1.2The Role of Dream Narrative

　　As a writing strategy in The Pilgrim’s Progress,dream narrative effectively reveals the spiritual state of the British people in the seventeenth century.The dream narrative promotes the development of the storyline in The Pilgrim's Progress.In the work,the Christian dreams that the city where he lives is about to be destroyed,which makes him embark on the heaven of seeking survival.In The Pilgrim’s Progress,through the promotion of dreams,Christians have walked through Hill Difficult,the Palace of Beautiful,the Valley of Humiliation,Vanity and other places.These places are full of difficulties,dangers,fame and temptation.But Christian with a strong will,overcome one difficulty after another,and finally reached the kingdom of heaven to be saved.Bunyan used dream narratives throughout The Pilgrim’s Progress to describe the contrast between the social conditions encountered by Christian dreams and the real world.He exposed the corruption of British society in the 17th century and fully expressed people’s dissatisfaction with the corruption of the ruling class.

　　Dream narratives also play a role in shaping characters.Through the description of dreams,one can explore the inner world of the characters,and through the narrative of dreams,one can characterize the characters and shape the characters.Among them,the most successful is undoubtedly the Christian.With the help of dream narrative,Bunyan described the Christian very carefully.Bunyan described Christians as

　　“I dreamed,And behold,I saw a man clothed 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?’”(3).

　　Bunyan described the appearance,movements and language of Christians through dreams.It depicts a lifelike character and shows the inner world of the character.We can see the extreme pain and despair of the Christian heart.

　　The Pilgrim’s Progress is a great work that uses not only the narrative techniques of dreams,but also a lot of allegorical techniques.There are three great allegories in English literature:“Spenser’s Faery Queen,Dante’s Divina Commedia and Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress.The first appears to poets,The second to scholars,The third to people of every age and condition”(William J.Long 224).In the following,I will analyze the application of allegory in people’s names and places in The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　4.2.1 The Allegory of Character Names and Place Names

　　What is an allegory?Zhang Zhigong,a famous linguist and Chinese educator in China,said,“the reason of comparing one thing with another is called allegory”(Zhang Zhigong 145).Brahms defines allegory as

　　“An allegory is a narrative,whether in prose or verse,in which the agents and actions,and sometimes the setting as well,are contrived by the author to make coherent sense on the“literal”or primary,level of signification,and at the same time to signify a second,correlated order of signification”(5).

　　Allegory is produced with the emergence of class society because of the ideological dissatisfaction or struggle of the weak against the strong.Literary Terms and Definitions of the Encyclopaedia define allegory in this way:

　　“As a literary device,an allegory is a metaphor whose vehicle may be a character,place or event,representing real-world issues and occurrences.Allegory has been used widely throughout history in all forms of art,largely because it can readily illustrate complex ideas and concepts in ways that are comprehensible or striking to its viewers,readers,or listeners.Writers or speakers typically use allegories as literary devices or as rhetorical devices that convey hidden meanings through symbolic figures,actions,imagery,or events,which together create the moral,spiritual,or political meaning the author wishes to convey.”

　　In short,an allegory is a description of an object that has two meanings.So in essence,allegory is the most appropriate form and structure to write The Pilgrim’s Progress.Allegory is a special form of symbolism.Its purpose is not only to imply people’s words outside their words,but also to interpret it in another sense.The most typical of English literature is Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress with its wide use of allegory.Bunyan inherited the allegorical tradition of religious literature,and some of the characters and Settings of pilgrim’s progress were conceptualized.

　　First of all,every name that appears in this work is allegorical,including about 94 names.These characters include positive and negative characters.The author personifies and personifies various psychological activities and religious abstract concepts of the characters’inner world.The author achieves the purpose of revelation through allegory.In fact,all kinds of characters that Christian meet in the course of their journey are metaphors of the soul journey.Next,the author will be represented by Christian,Faithful and Evangelist.

　　Christian usually refer to those who believe in God,which is a reference to Bunyan himself.It also represents the seventeenth-century British people who are not afraid of hardships and seek truth like Banyan.Both Bunyan and Christian are suffering,but they still insist on faith.Bunyan was imprisoned for up to twelve years because he did not want to give up on sermons,and he completed the great work of The Pilgrim’s Progress,and he still did not give up on sermons after he was released.The Christian encountered all kinds of hardships and obstacles in his journey to the heavenly road.But he did not give up,and finally succeeded in reaching the kingdom of heaven and was saved and eternal life.It shows that people can find their way through this dark world with an unwavering faith in God.

　　Faithful is a character of integrity and good character,which refers to faithful belief in God.It is also a good quality of Christian.Faithful was cruelly killed for defending the truth,but he directly entered the kingdom of heaven.“Now,I saw that there stood behind the multitude a chariot and a couple of horses waiting for Faithful,who was taken up into it,and straightway was carried up through the clouds with sound of trumpet the nearest way to the Celestial Gate”(Bunyan 96).This tells us that we must have firm convictions in the pursuit of faith,and ultimately we can be redeemed.

　　The Evangelist was the first figure to appear in The Pilgrim’s Progress.The Evangelist in the Bible refers to an angel sent by god to guide the world.But the Evangelist in this article is Bunyan’s friend and mentor,reverend John Gifford.Just as the preacher directed the Christian to the narrow gate to heaven for salvation,so the reverend John Gifford directed Bunyan to repentance and to the pursuit of his faith.The figure of the Evangelist is present throughout,appearing whenever a Christian goes astray,patiently guiding the Christian.It also implies that God is loving and will not give up on you as long as you believe in him.

　　There are many negative figures on the way of Christians.They have many forms:Christian neighbors include Pliable and Obstinate,Simple,Sloth,Timorous,and Mistrust.These people are all incarnations of Satan,and their common purpose is to prevent all pilgrims from reaching the Kingdom of Heaven.It was also a kind of allegory for the persecution of the puritans by the rulers of the feudal dynasty in the social background at that time.Place names are also allegorical,The City of Destruction,Just as the City of Destruction refers to the city where Christians are fleeing,it actually refers to the real world where Banyan lives.That is,Bunyan wanted to escape from the dark society at that time.Bunyan said in The Pilgrim’s Progress“moreover,I’m told to a certainly that this our city will be burned with fire from heaven”(3).Bunyan satirized the society he lived in,the corrupt rule of the feudal dynasty,and the persecution of the Puritans brought by the restoration of the dynasty.Such a society made Bunyan unable to see the hope and eager to escape from such a world.The Pilgrim’s Progress is actually a Christian journey alone,and other characters can be seen as his personality characteristics at each stage in the journey to heaven.This is the biggest allegory of The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　4.2.2 The Allegory of Sense of Worth

　　The Pilgrim’s Progress allegory is not only embodied in the names and places,but also about sense of values.Literary Terms and Definitions of the Encyclopedia define values in this way

　　“Values can be defined as broad preferences concerning appropriate courses of action or outcomes.As such,values reflect a person’s sense of right and wrong or what“ought”to be.Values tend to influence attitudes and behavior.Types of values include ethical moral values,doctrinal ideological(religious,political)values,social values,and aesthetic values.”

　　The Pilgrim’s Progress shows the complex British society in the restoration period,and also reflects the plight of Christians at that time.Christians are in a secular world of selfishness and moral degeneration,and they should keep their faith in Puritanism and not drift with the tide.In the chapter of Vanity Fair,the author’s use of allegorical rhetoric can be said to be the ultimate,because the meaning behind the allegorical expression in this chapter is not only ruthless exposure to the darkness of the society during the Restoration period.But also a ruthless satire on the values of society at that time.As mentioned above,the characters names of The Pilgrim’s Progress are almost always personified with abstract concepts.These abstract concepts not only represent each individual with living and breathing characteristics,but also reflect the mood of the protagonist Christian.For example,in the chapter of Vanity Fair,the main characters are Christian and Faithful.Christian and Faithful encounter various temptations of fame and wealth in Vanity Fair,and Faithful just indicates the quality that Christian should have at this time.They should be able to withstand temptation,and should not give up their faith for temporary enjoyment.These values exemplify Banyan’s values to resist the temptations of the world,to move towards the right path,and to help those who have lost themselves in this decaying society find their way forward.

　　Bunyan describes the Vanity Fair in The Pilgrim’s Progress,“It beareth the name of Vanity Fair,because the town where it is kept is lighter than vanity,and also because all that is there sold,or that cometh thither,is vanity;as is the saying of the Wise,‘all that cometh is vanity’”(87).Bunyan here borrows the word“vanity”from the Bible to create a fictional Fair called Vanity Fair to express the religious idea that“all is vanity”.Its moral is that since all is vanity,why should people chase after fame and fortune?

　　“Therefore,at this fair are all such things sold as horses lands trades,places,honors,preferments,titles,countries,kingdoms,lusts,pleasures,and delights of all sorts,as wives,husbands,children,masters,servants,lives,blood,bodies,souls,silver,gold,pearls precious stones,and what not.And moreover,at this fair there are at all times to be seen jugglings,cheats,game,plays,fools,apes,knaves,and rogues,and that of every kind”(Bunyan 87-88).

　　In Vanity Fair,everything but truth can be used for sale,and you can buy it if you have money.At the same time,some evil acts that are not allowed by moral laws are also commonplace here.Vanity Fair is also the epitome of the seventeenth-century English market town where Banyan lives.Bunyan use Vanity Fair to satirize the values of the majority of British people in the 17th century.It satirizes against the dark social background of the Stuart restoration people who chased after fame and fortune,profit-oriented,selfish and selfish values.At the same time,it also reflects the values of the pilgrims’constant pursuit of truth.

　　John Bunyan himself was a typical Puritan,and Bunyan’s writing was deeply influenced by the times he lived in.Under the social background of that time,it not only opened up the British democratic thought and overthrew the monarchy,but also aroused the upsurge of puritanism in Puritan literature.A devout Puritan,Bunyan made a fine satire of the corrupt ethos of the time through“all that cometh is vanity.”The Vanity Fair in the works is the revelation and criticism of the dark society under the restored of House of Stuart and the false and hypocritical bourgeois society.In the works,the author implies that deviating from the right path will lead to despair,and his own pride and folly will also suffer from twists and turns and shock.Only through the river of death can we reach the city of heaven and obtain eternal life.From this perspective,the novel is a metaphor for the author's moral ideal of the real world.

　　In his defense of The Pilgrim’s Progress,Bunyan said,“in the end,I found that in many ways my methods were like those of the Bible.In this way truth is revealed,as bright as day.”And so it is.Su Yuxiao said in the preface to his translation of The Pilgrim’s Progress that

　　the style of The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most prominent Biblical Style.From the theme the narrative technique,the pace of writing,to the choice of words and sentences,all have a strong atmosphere of the Bible.The large number of biblical quotations embedded in story plots,scene descriptions,character dialogues and even character creation further indicate that the author sees the world around him through the perspective of the Bible and deals with the world he writes about(11).

　　4.3.1Influence of the Bible on the Names of People

　　Religion is a kind of culture,and religion is closely related to literature,especially Christian literature.As the Bible of Christianity,the Bible is the most widely circulated in western classical works.About 50 years after Jesus’death,Christians began to feel the need to write the story of Jesus,so they compiled his life and wisdom into four gospels.This holy book of Christianity is called the Bible.Since the middle ages,it has been known as the only book and the book of books,the holy book that almost every family prepares and everyone reads.The influence of the Bible on culture,history,philosophy,art,and literature is immeasurable.In the 17th century,the British society was turbulent,and religious literature was particularly prosperous.Most writers were influenced by the Bible,the classic work of Christian theism.Bunyan was one of the representatives of religious literature.Studying Bunyan’s experience,we can easily find that the Bible had such an important influence on his life.It can be said that when Bunyan created this work,the Bible gave him a deeper need for his soul,and writing world.Bunyan’s whole life was tested by the language of the Bible.Especially after 12 years in prison,he studied the Bible very well when he wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress.There is no doubt that the Bible is closely related to The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　His masterpiece The Pilgrim’s Progress is a collection of literary art and religious art as one of the classics.The Pilgrim’s Progress was heavily influenced by the Bible.There are more than 200 biblical references in the novel,and we can see biblical references in many parts of The Pilgrim’s Progress.For example,the names in the text,The“Evangelist”is not only the first name in the course of The Pilgrim’s Progress,but also the leader who leads the protagonist Christian to the heaven road.The word“Evangelist”comes from the book of Ecclesiastes,in which the character of the Evangelist is described:“And moreover,because the preacher was wise,he still taught the people knowledge;yea,he gave good heed,and sought out,and set in order many proverbs”(Bible,Ecc.12.9).The Evangelist in this article,as described in the Bible,is full of wisdom,who teaches the world,points out the direction for the confused Christian,appears in time when Christian goes astray and leads him back to the right path.

　　And then,the name of the gatekeeper that Christian encounter in the Palace of Beautiful is Watchful,and we can also find the origin of this name in the Bible.Moreover,the old man that Faithful meets in Difficult Mountain,is named Adam the first,and his three daughters are respectively to The“Lust of the Flesh”,“The Lust of the Eyes”,“The Pride of the Life”(Bunyan 69).Bunyan borrows the story of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis.The name Adam the first will no doubt remind us of the first man in the Bible whom god created out of the dust,Adam.The three daughters of Adam the first represent three evils.Adam and eve ate the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden and were rejected by god.The stealing of the forbidden fruit is the beginning of the original sin of mankind and all other sins.This is also the reason why the pilgrims must begin with repentance in the process of seeking salvation in the Celestial City.

　　There are many other Biblical names in The Pilgrim’s Progress,such as Pride,Arrogance,Self-conceit,World-Glory with others(Bunyan 71).The book of Proverbs says,“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil:pride,and arrogancy,and the evil way,and the froward mouth,do I hate”(Bible,Prov.8.13).“Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit?There is more hope of a foot than of him”(Bible,Prov.26.12).These are all abominations of God,so this kind of people can never reach The Celestial City;some of them give up halfway;some of them can not reach The Celestial City to get salvation and eternal life.And those who are led by Christian,such as Hopeful,Great-heat,Valiant-for-truth,Old Honest etc.These are loved by God.Although they have experienced all kinds of tests and temptations in their journey,they all believe in God and pursue truth,and finally they can reach The Celestial City and get salvation.

　　The naming of persons in The Pilgrim’s Progress has its specific meaning,which is closely related to the religious significance of the Bible.The moral character praised in the Bible is also the name of a positive role in The Pilgrim’s Progress.From this we can see the influence of the Bible on the naming of the characters in The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　4.3.2 Influence of the Bible on the Names of Place

　　However,the Bible not only has a great influence on the naming of characters in the novel,but also on the naming of places in the novel.

　　“There is a story in Genesis that the LORD wants to destroy Sodom,the city of sin,and Lot and his family escape with the revelation and help of angels.”(Genesis 18-19).Christian in The Pilgrim’s Progress also get inspiration from the Bible to escape from the City of Destruction.Presumably,the name of the City of Destruction in The Pilgrim’s Progress is the inspiration from Genesis.In the text,the preacher guides the Christian to escape from the Wicket Gate to Mount Zion when he escapes from the City of Destruction.The word Wicket Gate appears many times in the text,and it is also found in the Bible.Mount Zion as another name for the holy city of Jerusalem.Mount Zion in the Bible refers to the place where God lives.There are a lot of other places that Christian goes through that have a lot to do with the Bible,such as Slough of Despond,Hill Difficulty,Vanity Fair,Fairspeech and so on,form which we can see the influence of the Bible on The Pilgrim’s Progress.

　　Bunyan was born poor,and was enlisted at the age of sixteen.At the age of twenty,he began to contact the Bible under the influence of his wife.At the age of twenty-five,his wife died and left four children.After that,Bunyan was jailed for many times because of his faith.For twelve years in prison,he had only one Bible with him,so people called him“one book man”.As a youth,Banyan began to know his own sin.With the passage of time,his guilt became more and more serious.He began to dream of going to hell because of his sin.He began to study the Bible and pray devoutly.The Bible had a great influence on Bunyan’s faith and writing.Bunyan was not properly educated,so his writing language was easy to understand.Therefore,the course of the heaven road is full of the shadow of the Bible.It can even be said that the course of the heaven road is a concise and clear interpretation of the Bible.Because of this,the journey of heaven adopts the narrative method of dreams.

　　The Pilgrim’s Progress has become one of the classics in the world literature history because of its unique writing features.This work has a unique narrative technique,the combination of allegory and dream,the perfect combination of reality and imagination.With the help of the framework of dream narration and the use of allegorical technique,the story is compact in structure and the characters are vivid in language.The Pilgrim’s Progress uses biblical allusions flexibly to present the theme of the work perfectly.The Pilgrim’s Progress unique writing characteristics make it not only the most perfect fable in the history of English literature,but also occupies an important position in the history of world literature.

　　There may be some possible limitations in this study.First,The Pilgrim’s Progress is a Western religious literary work.Due to historical and cultural reasons in China,most people in China have no faith.Therefore,there is little information about The Pilgrim’s Progress,and it is more difficult to collect and collate literature.It is difficult to connect the multiple points involved in the research in the writing process.Second,this article mainly analyzes the writing features of The Pilgrim’s Progress from three aspects.It is difficult to connect multiple points involved in the research in the writing process.Third,because the researchers themselves lack of research experience,the depth of the research is not enough.In addition,there may be many spelling errors,grammatical errors,and ambiguously stated sentences in the paper.

　　Finally,I may not have a deep understanding of The Pilgrim’s Progress and its writing features,and the analysis of the works is relatively simple.

　　Firstly,read more excellent literary works at home and abroad,so that you can choose a wider range of essay writing,which can also improve your literary expression ability.

　　Secondly,it is also necessary to collect and read a large amount of domestic and foreign literature.A large amount of reading can broaden the horizon and find innovations.

　　Thirdly,communicate with teachers and classmates during the writing process to find and solve problems in time.

　　Finally,there are still many topics worth exploring in depth,including the theme of salvation,religious elements,writing techniques,characters,and so on.

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