The episode begins by noting the February 18, 1678 publication date of Pilgrim's Progress by Puritan preacher John Bunyan. Bunyan wrote the book while imprisoned in Bedfordshire County Prison for violating the Conventicle Act. The work is nearly 109,000 words long, divided into two parts with no chapter divisions, and cited as the first novel written in English. It has never been out of print, making it the best-selling book after the Bible. An expanded edition appeared after Bunyan was freed, with subsequent editions published in his lifetime. The entire book is presented as a dream sequence narrated by an omniscient narrator. The central character is Christian, who represents all humans, and his journey is from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Christian is weighed down by a burden of sin from reading the Bible. He meets Evangelist, who directs him to the wicket gate, but he leaves his family behind. Obstinate and Pliable try to bring him back, but Pliable abandons Christian in the Slough of Despond. Christian is diverted by Mr. Worldly Wise Man and Mr. Legality in the village of Morality until Evangelist redirects him. Bunyan's style breathes life into anthropomorphized temptations. Fifty years after publication, Samuel Johnson praised the book for appealing to both cultivated men and children. It was reprinted in North American colonies and widely read in Puritan communities. The book reflects English Protestant theology and apathy towards the Catholic Church, portraying the Pope as a decrepit giant. It was distributed by Protestant missionaries and translated into over 80 African languages. Illustrated versions were printed in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Fuzhou in the 1850s. The leader of the Taiping Rebellion declared it his favorite reading. The episode concludes with contact information and a preview of the next episode on Nicholas Copernicus.
