1670s
2 books
- You read it for the startling precision of Pascal’s fragments, especially his account of people staying busy so they never have to face themselves. It’s unfinished, argumentative, and deeply religious, so expect notes rather than a smooth book, but the intelligence keeps catching you off guard.
- Every character is named for exactly what they are (Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair), which sounds heavy-handed until you're stuck in the Slough of Despond yourself and it lands.