Writer John Bunyan: biography, creativity and interesting facts

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

John Bunyan is a famous English writer of the 17th century. Also known as a Baptist preacher. He is especially revered by the Anglican Communion. His best-known work is the Pilgrim's Progress to Heavenly Country, which is one of the most significant works of English religious literature.

Writer's biography

John Bunyan was born in 1628. He was born in the town of Harrowden in a family of workers. The future writer received education for only a few years, and then began to help his father in the tin trade.

When he was 16 years old, John Bunyan's mother and two sisters died, and his father found a third wife. Apparently, because of his mother, he decided to leave his father's house, and went to the army. When the Civil War began, he served in the garrison in Newport.

Vera Bunyan

After the victory of the supporters of Parliament, John Bunyan returned to trading. Soon he met his future wife. In 1649 hemarried young Mary. Her dowry was not rich, but very significant in the biography of John Bunyan. These are two books - The Practice of Piety by Lewis Bailey and The Way to Paradise of the Common Man by Arthur Dent. They had a serious influence on him, inclining him to a pious lifestyle.

Later in his biography, he admitted that he led a dissolute life in his youth, but then decided to change. Talking about sins, he mentions dancing and blasphemy.

Becoming an increasingly pious man, Bunyan becomes physically and mentally deranged due to the sins he committed in his youth. He himself was a Baptist, strongly disagreeing with the teachings of the Quakers, whom he sharply criticizes in his writings.

Imprisonment

Becoming an active opponent of the Quakers, Bunyan gained popularity that angered many around him. For example, he was accused of being a Jesuit, a sorcerer and a robber. When he turned 30, he was arrested for preaching without a license. But this did not stop him, having soon been released, he continued to preach until November 1660, when he was imprisoned in the county jail.

The persecution of the writer intensifies when the Restoration of the monarchy by Charles II takes place. The country is returning to Anglicanism, prayer houses are being closed everywhere. For continuing sermons, he is first imprisoned for 3 months, and then this period is increased to 12.

At the very beginning of 1661, he was imprisoned for his categorical unwillingness to attend compulsorythen services in Anglican churches, as well as for preaching at underground meetings.

The Pilgrim's Progress

It was in confinement that Bunyan began writing his most famous work, The Pilgrim's Progress. Some researchers translate this name as "Pilgrim's Way".

John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress was first published in 1678. Six years later, the second part comes out. It is believed that this is one of the most famous allegories, for the Protestants it was the second book after the Bible. Bunyan remained a prolific author, continuing to be a well-known preacher while remaining religiously puritan.

One of the main features of this book by John Bunyan was that the author's imagination drew characters and events that seemed to be well known to the reader, it seemed to him that he had already experienced all this, remembers and knows. In addition, the novel has a lot of witty humor, English idioms, the narration is very eloquent. And the images that the writer John Bunyan uses are taken from his environment. For example, the Evangelist is John Gifford, the Marsh of Despair is a swampy place near his home, in the Pleasant Mountains - an allusion to the Chiltern Hills, located on the outskirts of Bedfordshire.

The plot of the novel

The novel is divided into two parts. In the first, the main character, a resident of the City of Destruction, understands that he will die if he stays at home and is forced to set off. In the second partnovel's family, his wife and children, receive an invitation to Heavenly Land.

Among the characters, it is necessary to highlight the Christian (the main character), the Evangelist (the person who shows him the way), the Stubborn and Compliant (the inhabitants of the City of Destruction), the Worldly Sage (he shows the Christian the wrong way), the Interpreter (priest of pilgrims) and many others.

Writer's work

Biography, work of John Bunyan attract a large number of researchers of English literature. After all, besides, he was a very prolific author. In total, he wrote about 60 works.

The second most popular book of his was "Spiritual Warfare", which was a success similar to "The Pilgrim's Progress". Also, researchers highlight his novels "Christian and her children", "Christ is the perfect Savior".

Liberation

Bunyan managed to escape for a short time in 1666. He stayed outside the prison cell for just a few weeks, and then was arrested again for illegal preaching.

In prison, he continues to preach and begins to weave shoelaces to somehow support his family. His property is very poor. These are several books, a flute, which he himself makes from the leg of a chair, and a tin violin. At the same time, he has an almost unlimited amount of paper and pens. The desire to write and play music becomes the basis of his puritanical faith.

Only in 1672, when Charles II issued the Declaration of Toleration, did Bunyan finallyrelease. He almost immediately became the pastor of St. Paul's Church. And a few years later he receives the first license in his life to preach under the new law. Bunyan even builds a house of worship, forming a dissident community out of his faithful parishioners. The number of flock reaches four thousand people in Bedford alone. In total, he founds about 30 religious communities, receiving from his parishioners the unofficial popular title of "Bishop Banyan".

But he can't stay free for long. In 1675, he again finds himself behind bars because of his sermons, because Charles II repeals the law on religious tolerance. This time, the Quakers are seeking his release, who give the king a sheet with the names of the prisoners they demand to be pardoned. As a result, after six months he is released, and since he becomes incredibly popular, he is no longer arrested.

In 1688, Bunyan goes to Reading to resolve a quarrel between his son and father. On the way, he catches a cold. He develops a fever. On August 31, he dies at the home of his friend John Strudwick, who was a candle and grocery merchant. A preacher and famous English religious writer are being buried in London at Bunhill Fields Cemetery.

Many Puritans then indicate in their wills that they wish to be buried as close to Bunyan's grave as possible. In 1682, a recumbent statue was erected over the grave. Many English dissidents are still buried next to the hero of our article - Daniel Defoe, George Fox and many others.