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E211: British Literature to 1760 John Bunyan Study Questions Alfred J. Drake. Office: Hum. 520 | W 3-4 | ajdrake@ajdrake.com Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners 1. How does the narrator “Bunyan” describe his early life? He calls himself the worst of sinners--with what sins does he reproach himself? What is the rhetorical point of calling oneself the worst sinner imaginable when one has not, for instance, committed a murder or some other heinous crime? Explain. 2. Describe the process whereby Bunyan goes from sinner to honest Christian--why does he keep backsliding even after he begins to make progress? What is it that makes him keep returning to his wicked ways? 3. How does Bunyan handle the problem of despair? What tempts him to fall into a state of despair? In responding, consider Bunyan's repeated references to the story of Esau from Genesis Chapter 25 and following--why does he think his case might be similar? 4. What finally convinces Bunyan that God will forgive his sins? What role does his reading of the Scriptures play here? Briefly discuss one or two additional examples of how Scripture influences Bunyan at key points. 5. To what extent does Bunyan show concern for the other characters in his text? What value do they seem to hold for him? 6. The autobiography ends with Bunyan still imprisoned for what the post-Restoration authorities consider his unacceptable doctrines--how does he interpret his imprisonment in connection with his spiritual progress? 7. In the separate account of his trial and imprisonment, how does Bunyan defend himself? What attitude does he adopt towards those who have imprisoned him? 8. If you have read Saint Augustine's Confessions, what would you say are the main points of comparison between Bunyan's spiritual autobiography and Augustine's work in the same genre? How do their accounts differ? Edition: Bunyan, John. The Pilgrim's Progress. Oxford : Oxford UP, 1998. ISBN: 0192834002.
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