Book Review: "The Pilgrims Regress"

Well I finished reading The Pilgrim's Regress by C.S. Lewis. This was an awesome book an I recommend it to all. It is allot like John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, in the fact that it is an allegory and that the story in the book is the author's dream. But the "The Pilgrim's Regress" is different because the main character does not become a christian until the end of the book (whereas Bunyan's main character becomes a Christan at the beginning). This gives Lewis an interesting opportunity to present "An Allegorical Apology for Christianity Reason and Romanticism" (the books subtitle) or in other words "An Allegorical Argument for Christianity Logic and Desire."

The book suggests that to get to a correct (ie. Christian) worldview one must keep a careful balance between desire and self discipline/the law. The following quote from the afterword is a good summary.

"We must not 'hearken to the over-wise or to the over-foolish giant'. We were made to be neither cerebral men nor visceral men, but Men. Not beasts nor angels but Men- Things at once rational and animal. " 207

The Regress is partly autobiographical explaining some of the main philosophies and ways of thought that lead Lewis to conversion.

But to get what I'm talking about you should read the book for yourself. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed the book is very interesting and well written.