Tonight, our babysitter, a bright 11th grader, in IB, ACT = 34 had never heard of ...

[Hoggirl]

The Pilgrim's Progress or John Bunyan. This just really makes me sad, and I am not sure why.:confused:

[pmegan]

I've only heard of it because it was in Little Women. I know it's a classic, but I don't think it's really endured the way many other classics have.

[angela in ohio]

Heehee, that would have been me. :001_smile: Same score, didn't know what Pilgrim's Progress was until I started homeschooling. I even had a Great Books course in college.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I also learned of Pilgrim's Progress in my reading of Little Women, but didn't read it myself until I was at least 30. I "endured" it, but didn't like it. Later, I read Hind's Feet on High Places, and loved it much more. It was much more telling of my own Christian experience. I think of Pilgrim's Progress as a "man's" journey (straight course, always moving upward), while Hind's Feet is a "woman's" journey, full of surprises, loops, detours, rests, joys, and sorrows.

[Amy in Orlando]

I never heard of the book (aside from the Little Women reference) until I read TWTM. I read it and ehhh ... I always have it on the boys' "optional" list of books to read, 2 of the four have tried it and they were both ehhh as well.

 

I will say that we've all enjoyed Dante's Divine Comedy this year. Maybe it's a Catholic thing? But we have really gotten a lot from that book this year.

 

I feel like I've covered the bases - the boys are aware of Pilgrim's Progress which is more than I can say for most everyone we know.

[In The Great White North]

I'm not surprised at all. Her books are dictated by the IB program. It's on line. Check them out. You couldn't pay me to read half of them. They definitely belong to the "updated" literary canon we had a thread about a few weeks ago.

[8filltheheart]

I never heard of the book (aside from the Little Women reference) until I read TWTM. I read it and ehhh ... I always have it on the boys' "optional" list of books to read, 2 of the four have tried it and they were both ehhh as well.

 

I will say that we've all enjoyed Dante's Divine Comedy this year. Maybe it's a Catholic thing? But we have really gotten a lot from that book this year.

 

I feel like I've covered the bases - the boys are aware of Pilgrim's Progress which is more than I can say for most everyone we know.

 

That was my thought as well......probably a Catholic thing. Pilgrim's Progress is not on our "to read" list but Dante is.

[clwcain]

I tried slogging through Pilgrim's Progress as a teen. I found it unbearable.

 

Since I'm a guy, I don't think it necessarily falls into a male/female divide.

 

I think poor writing and forced allegory is poor writing and forced allegory, the sex of the reader notwithstanding. ;)

[Melinda in VT]

Little Women is my first and most memorable exposure to Pilgrim's Progress. I've never read it (although I might have read an excerpt?) and it isn't high on my list of books to read.

[3lilreds in NC]

Well, I'd heard of Pilgrim's Progress, but I haven't read it, and you guys aren't exactly making me want to rush out and get it, either. :D

[nancypants]

I don't find it at all shocking, or even saddening. There are too many good books out there to be shocked that an 11th grader hasn't read or even heard of them all. Still, we love Pilgrim's Progress. DH read it to my boys about a year ago and they really enjoyed it -- and discussing it with him.

[JFSinIL]

Isn't that some Protestant book???? Never heard of it either before now...

[In The Great White North]

Enid Blyton wrote a children's version, The Land of Far Beyond, that my dc liked when they were 6-10.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Land-Beyond-Blyton-Religious-Stories/dp/1901881229/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210348984&sr=8-4

[abbeyej]

Hm. We read it aloud at Sunday evening church when I was somewhere between the ages of 8 and 10. I'm not surprised at the number of people who've read or started it and found it tedious, but I *am* surprised at how few know of it at least. It's referenced in so much later literature!

 

Actually, my mom and I were amused to see a pop culture reference to it recently -- Veronica Mars (tv show) and her dad had a copy of "Dangerous Journey" (adapted, illustrated version) on their coffee table through several episodes...

[BamaTanya]

I knew almost NOTHING about any religious literature or church history until I started homeschooling. Of course, I had American history 12 times!

[Chris in VA]

I don't consider myself particularly well-versed in the classics, tho I must say that homeschooling High School and needing to be at least aware of the plots of the books I assigned has helped a lot. But, I am downright shocked at how many people have said they haven't heard of Pilgrim's Progress. It's one of those books that I thought everyone knew about, even if they hadn't read it, like War and Peace, or Dante's DC. I just consider it one of those cultural references we all know--wow, I'm really amazed at the comments.

 

Now don't go bashing me. I'm not saying you all don't know anything. I'm sure there's tons of things I never heard of, too--I just didn't expect this one.

[Hoggirl]

I am like Chris in VA. It wasn't that I was shocked that he hadn't read it...just that he had never heard of it.

 

We are doing the Dangerous Journey video clips that are available for free at the Answers in Genesis website. There are nine of them, each about 15 minutes long. My ds always wants to keep watching, but we are only doing one a day. We read The Little Pilgrim's Progress a couple of summers ago.

 

I agree that it can be somewhat tedious reading, but, personally, I find many parts of it quite convicting.

 

Edit: Thanks for the suggestion of Hind's Feet, Suzanne. I will look into this.

[Retired]

plan on reading it when I cover the period with ds.

[j.griff]

I read the modern version by Randy Alcorn before I'd ever heard of the original.

My mother was describing the original to me, and I told her- "that sounds like the sci-fi~ish book I read, Edge of Eternity". Then I went and looked at mine and saw it was described as a modern re-make of TPP.

[pmegan]

I tried slogging through Pilgrim's Progress as a teen. I found it unbearable.

 

Since I'm a guy, I don't think it necessarily falls into a male/female divide.

 

I think poor writing and forced allegory is poor writing and forced allegory, the sex of the reader notwithstanding. ;)

 

I have to agree. I've tried to read it a few times over the course of my life and find it unbearable. Even my father, who is absolutely the best-read, most intellectual person I know, says it's the only book he's ever been unable to finish. I don't think it's a male/female thing, or a catholic/protestant thing... I think your enjoyment of it is directly related to whether you're willing to overlook the style in favor of the substance. I would assume that's directly related to how religious the reader is.

[Tracey in TX]

The classics are not taught in any capacity. My first experience with TPP was in a college history class. Pretty surprised that an IB student wasn't aware of either, though.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I read and enjoyed "The Children's Pilgrim's Progress" as a child and my dc have enjoyed it too. (We also read and enjoyed "Dangerous Journey"). They give the plot without some of the ponderous language of that age.

[Laura K (NC)]

It's a Protestant book sort of, but not quite, like how Dante wrote "some Catholic book." :D

 

I enjoyed Pilgrim's Progress, but there are some anti-Catholic elements. It was such a classic for so long that I think my (Catholic) children should know of it and I'll have them read excerpts, if not the whole thing. It's the kind of book that should be part of one's cultural literacy, even if all that's known is that it was an English classic of (Protestant) Christian allegory written in the 1600's.

 

Ralph Vaughn Williams wrote an opera based on The Pilgrim's Progress. I hope the girl knows who Ralph Vaughn Williams is. :tongue_smilie:

[Ravin]

I would never have heard of it if I hadn't attended CS for three years in middle school. I remember reading "Little Pilgrim's Progress" in literature class.

 

I don't think it's as likely to make it onto our list of classics to read for DD's education as Dante is. We'll probably just read all or part of the Bible and a history of the Christian church(es) at some point.

[iquilt]

I didn't know about many of the great classics until I read The Well-Educated Mind. I'm still working my way through, but my education seems to have missed a lot that I would have really loved :) Always time to learn more, right?

[CLHCO]

This was one of the most widely published and read book, other than the Bible, for a few hundred years. If it doesn't have enduring value, that is more a sign of the times (be it good or bad, depending on your views) than it is the quality of the telling. For most of the last 400 years it was never out of print and the most widely read and published book.

 

It is distinctly Protestant, so I can assume it is placed in line with other books of faith and it stands to reason that those from other faiths would not be as likely to read it.

 

I'm not surprised she hadn't heard of it. I didn't until I was homeschooling and I was Protestant in my youth.

 

I found it amazing and so did my - at the time of hearing it on audio, theist at most, but not Christian husband.

[Quiver0f10]

I never heard of it either until homeschooling, but I wasn't exactly a scholar in highschool :D

[chiguirre]

I heard of it in Little Women, but I've never read it and honestly, don't plan to. I do plan to read at least the The Inferno with the kids in highschool. If you read the footnotes, Dante is actually incredibly snarky, even :lol:. You can't read everything and some books, even classics, just don't make the cut.

[CLHCO]

Those that could not get into it should consider listening to the audio version. It didn't come together for me until I heard it read by someone who seemed to "get it". I tried to read it and couldn't manage it. I fell in love with it after I heard it.

 

http://librivox.org/the-pilgrims-progress-by-john-bunyan/

I have no idea if this reading is any good. It's not the one I heard, which I got from the library. But it is free and online.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I never heard of it until I saw it discussed on this board, but I passed over it because it was always referenced in conjunction with Protestantism (we're Catholic). So, I am not surprised.

[Chris in VA]

Now see, that's what I meant--I've never heard of Williams!

[Parrothead]

I've heard of it. Never read it though.