Pilgrim’s Progress into the 21st Century

Abstract

Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan is an allegory and a classic which, during its almost 350 years of existence, has earned a readership and popularity that many other English classics used in today’s Swedish school have not been able to attain. Despite its age and explicitly Christian context the book contains many valuable themes and issues that are highly relevant for students in the upper secondary school. In his text, Bunyan discusses and renders his own experiences with not only despondency and despair but also the suppression of free opinion. These topics can be discussed outside of a Christian context and therefore certain parts of the book are adaptable to other religions and cultures, which is very desirable in today’s multi-cultural Swedish society. Moreover, besides being a very suitable book for the teaching of allegory, the book is also a good tool in order to facilitate integration of the subjects English and Religion.