What is the name of C.S. Lewis’s allegorical novel about a pilgrim named John?

C.S. Lewis’s allegorical novel about a pilgrim named John is The Pilgrim’s Regress.

Published in 1933, The Pilgrim’s Regress was Lewis’s first prose work after his return to Christianity. Its subtitle, An Allegorical Apology for Christianity, Reason and Romanticism, signals its intellectual purpose. The story follows John as he travels through a symbolic landscape while encountering competing philosophies and beliefs.

The book was modeled partly on John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, but Lewis’s modern allegory addresses ideas such as materialism, idealism, skepticism and romantic longing. Lewis later acknowledged that the book could be difficult for readers unfamiliar with the debates it represents.

The Pilgrim’s Regress is not part of The Chronicles of Narnia and should not be confused with The Great Divorce, another Lewis work using a journey framework. Its publication predates Lewis’s most famous apologetic books and children’s stories.