Pilgrim's Regress

Plot

Reviews:
From Library Journal
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. Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Community Coll., Lynchburg
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
-- 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." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From a fan: C. S. Lewis says more with one letter than some people say their entire lives!
This book requires two pre-requisites: "Pilgrims Progress" by Bunyan, and "Surprised by Joy," by Lewis. You will be lost with out this background....This is an allegory of Lewis eventual conversion to Anglican Christianity. It presents Lewis's own story in the story of a young boy John and his struggles with religion, and how he wanders here and there trying to find God and what He is about. The chapters are usually short, but in typical Lewis fashion, he packs a lot of thought in a small sentence. And the surprising thing is that he is so readable. It is all to rare straight talk!
This book is not just a journey to Christianity and to Christ, but also a vary biting commentary on the worldly and secular philosophies current in the world. Pay close attention, and see how many of the pundants and professors you see pasted in the story! This is Lewis's first book, and it his his "Q" document--the source for much of his corpulent corpus of writing. It is is a good overview to his thought! (from Amazon.com)

From a fan:

I have read almost everything C.S. Lewis wrote, including letters to the editor, all three space novels, Till We Have Faces, and many others. One thing I really enjoy is seeing how bits from one work will spill over into others, and how each writing reflects on his life. I have read the Pilgrim's Regress now 4 times, and every time I see more in it. And not just about Lewis: about the development of thought up throught the years between the wars.
Overall, this is a book that is well worth reading. It gives the best explanation I've seen (better than Surprised by Joy, IMO) of his idea of Joy, and of the "Island" (image from Regress) that drove him to finally find Christ. Passages from the "Heaven" chapter of The Problem of Pain are close, but I thought in Regress he uses the allegory of the Island most effectively to explain his concept of longing and Joy.
At first, I must admit, Regress is difficult to understand for somebody without much background in fiction or allegory such as myself, and without much background in the philosophical movements of pre-war Europe. There are, however, two things in the book that are very helpful: (1) the afterword where Lewis explains his background; and (2) the explanatory headings on the tops of the pages that track the allegory.
Lewis said he wasn't sure this was a good idea of his, but I don't agree. Now, even not being a student of allegory, I would not read the headings first, or even primarily (as a kind of Cliff's Notes of the book). Read that way, they detract from the book. Rather, I read the whole book through the first time without the headings; only then, after I finished a section, going back and reading the headings on that section. Kind of like reading the Cliff's Notes along with the book itself; very useful, but hardly anybody does it (From Amazon.com).