John Bunyan's The pilgrim's progress

Preface

The text of this edition corresponds as closely as possible to that of the last edition issued by Bunyan himself. To this end, the facsimile reprint of the first edition has been collated throughout with OfFor's variorum. But spelling and punctuation have been consistently modernized in every point that is not significant. Thus obsolete spellings such as shew, and mere idiosyncrasies of punctuation, not involving the structure of the sentence, have been changed to conform to present use ; but obsolete inflections and syntax, with all their inconsistencies, have been carefully retained. For these latter have a twofold significance : they are documents both for the history of the language and for the style of Bunyan.

Two other changes adapt this edition to its particular use. Bunyan's marginal explanations, though they are sometimes racy, are now quite superfluous for people accustomed to read currently ; and the marginal references to the Bible are equally superfluous for a generation well supplied with concordances. Moreover these marginal notes, if indeed they were used, might be a distraction, instead of a help, in the school study of literature. Therefore they have been omitted.

The general object of the critical apparatus is that of all school editions, — to help students understand and appreciate. The particular methods are, first, to group the notes under a few distinct aspects, and, secondly, to stimulate, rather than preclude, reflection and study. ' The facility with which the memorizing of a few facts and a few adjectives may satisfy perfunctory tests still warns us to make the study of literature both serious to the whole class and significant to the individual.

C. S. B.

Yale University, July, 1905.

Contents

PAGE

Preface v

Introduction ix