Join the Narrator and Mr. Researcher as they recruit characters from John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress to explore the book’s extensive afterlives: into the Pilgrimverse. Readers will hear expedition reports mapping the range of historic and contemporary reception of this spiritual classic. Be ready to explore the varied formats of books and adaptations, graphic novels, illustrations, board games, music albums, movies, and more. The journey will touch on issues of biblical fidelity, missions, gender, race, and sexuality, and will cross over from elite art to popular culture. This book is for long-time lovers of The Pilgrim’s Progress and new or simply curious readers. Go ahead and jump in. But watch out for giants!
Editorial Reviews
If Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress captures your sanctified imagination, keep your seatbelts on as Into the Pilgrimverse will take it to places further along Christian’s journey.
Joanne Jung, Associate Dean of Online Education and Student and Faculty Engagement, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University
Into the Pilgrimverse: Contemporary Reception and Adaptation of The Pilgrim’s Progress is an original contribution to Bunyan studies presented in an unusual, non-scholarly, and creative format. It stages a lively and entertaining dialogue between Mr. Researcher, Mr. Narrator, the author-narrator, and a whole series of Bunyan characters which takes us into the Pilgrimverse—the universe made of John Bunyan’s world-famous allegory and its multiple afterlives: book illustrations, graphic novels, board games, movie adaptations, collectibles, etc.
Nathalie Collé, Professor, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France
Andy Draycott is a sure-footed guide to the reception and adaptation of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress over the centuries. His playful journey through the Pilgrimverse combines scholarly erudition with entertainment and edification, taking in adaptations of The Pilgrim’s Progress from magic lantern shows to board games and rock albums, and drawing out the enduring significance of Bunyan’s work for an intriguingly diverse range of readers in the church, the academy, and wider culture.
David Parry, Director of Studies in English, Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford
