The Celestial Railroad

[marycatelli]

The Celestial Railroad by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A descant on Pilgrim's Progress, where our highly modern (that is, from Hawthorne's day) narrator takes advantage of the excellent railway that provides a much more convenient pathway to the Celestial City than the dusty old road -- though they actually see two fool pilgrims setting out the old way.

We get neat little accounts along the way, such as the tunneling though the Hill of Difficulty, the gaslight that obviates the darkness in the Valley of Humiliation, the ministers and churches in Vanity Fair, and much more.

A sharp and ironic look at his day.

Comments

[houseboatonstyx.livejournal.com]

That DOES sound interesting! I wonder if he will meet the Connecticut Yankee.

[marycatelli]

'fraid not.

He really hewed very closely to Bunyan's style, except for the irony, because it's told by a naive narrator.