What Lies Beneath

I decided to use my 1929 copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress to alter for my book on angels. For some reason it seems important to use a story that ties in with my theme. Even if nothing of the actual book remains when I’m finished, I will still know what lies beneath; the idea of paying homage to the original by creating something new really appeals to me.
But now I want to leave the last few pages of The Pilgrim’s Progress intact. Tonight I discovered that my copy of the book has a wonderful index. I looked up “angels,” and John Bunyan refers to them as “the Shining Ones” or “ministering spirits.” It’s an allegory after all, so places have wonderful names like “The Slough of Despond,” “Assault Lane and “Vanity Fair;” and the characters are qualities like “Prudence.” “Mr. Two-tongues” and “Heedless.” I remember being bored by The Pilgrim’s Progress in university, but any author who is so exquisitely literal is probably worth rereading. Bunyan even wrote a book called The Greatness of the Soul!