When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References
- Mr. Sinai (P75)
- "Though I walk in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear none ill, for thou art with me" (P326). This verse is taken from Psalm 23.
- Lady Wanton (P363) is also referred to by Christian as Potiphar's wife, who tried to tempt Joseph (a slave to her husband) in Genesis 39.
- Faithful tells how his "flesh was weak." This is a reference to Proverbs 5:5, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
- Moses says "I know not how to show mercy" (P373)—a reference to Judaic law (or at least Christian views of it) such as "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (Leviticus 24:20 and Exodus 21:24).
- Vanity Fair is described by quoting the verse from Ecclesiastes 11:8 "All that cometh is vanity" (P465).
- Vanity Fair is described as having been founded almost five thousand years ago by Beelzebub. Beelzebub or "Baal-zebub" is first referred to in 2 Kings 1:2.
- "Remember Lot's wife" (P579) refers to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19.
- The pilgrims come to the River of God (David's name for it) or the River of the Water of Life (John's name for it). "The River of God" refers to Psalm 46, and "The River of the Water of Life" comes directly from Revelation 22:1.
- At the edge of the Celestial City, Bunyan writes that the pilgrims are "sick" for love of the God whom they feel is so near. This phrasing comes from the "Song of Solomon" (or the "Song of Songs"). Verse 2 of Song of Solomon reads (beautifully) "Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love." Verses from this Song are often (and with good reason) read at weddings, but the Song literally refers to the author's love of God.
- When Christian is finally crossing the river to the Gates of the Celestial City, he says "I sink in deep Waters; the Billows go over my head, all his Waves go over me, Selah" (P895). This is sort of an amalgam of verses from Psalms 42 and 69.
Historical References
- When Christian and Faithful enter Vanity Fair, they stick out like sore thumbs. Dressed in the clothing from the Shining Ones, speaking a spiritual language, and completely uninterested in the wares of the vendors, Christian and Faithful dumbfound the people of the Fair. The strangeness of their appearance and habits is an allusion to the way Puritans themselves stuck out in 17th-century England, wearing very simple clothing and speaking in a way heavily influenced by Biblical language.