''Labyrinth of the World and Paradise of the Heart'' is a book by

John Amos Comenius John Amos Comenius (; cs, Jan Amos Komenský; pl, Jan Amos Komeński; german: Johann Amos Comenius; Latinized: ''Ioannes Amos Comenius''; 28 March 1592 – 15 November 1670) was a Czech philosopher, pedagogue and theologian who is considere ...

. The book is a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

. Considered a jewel of

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

literature, it is one of the author's most important works. Comenius finished the first version in 1623, but he rewrote the book several times, changing its concept and form. The book remains the most widely read work of older

Czech literature Czech literature can refer to literature written in Czech, in the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia, earlier the Lands of the Bohemian Crown), or by Czech people. Most literature in the Czech Republic is now written in Czech, but histori ...

Summary

The world is portrayed as a city which resembles a

labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

, entered by a

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

(the narrator and author himself). The city has The Gate of Entering, and The Gate of Separation; six main streets which represent the six classes of the world; The Castle of Fortune in its middle; and The Common Square. In Part One of the book, ''Labyrinth of the World'' (Chapters 1–36), the pilgrim is joined by two guides, Searchall Ubiquitous (allegory of human curiosity and longing for knowledge), and Delusion (allegory of indolent adopting of conventional and shallow thoughts). He seeks a job for himself that would best suit both his body and soul. The guides, however, prevent the pilgrim from seeing reality by making him watch the world through pink-coloured glasses. He captures glimpses of the reality only seldom. That is why he cannot find the right choice; even in the Castle of Wisdom he sees Vanity. He sees human life as meaningless, and is terrified by death; yet he finds salvation in Part Two of the book, ''Paradise of the Heart'' (Chapters 37–54), where he returns to his heart, being called there by God. There he is visited by Christ who tells him what the real meaning of the world is, so the pilgrim, now transformed, can join the Invisible Church and see it through new glasses which are the word or sound of God and the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

. He finally beholds the Glory of God and is received among God's own. For this, he thanks with a prayer and a hymn that celebrates the Glory, Beauty and Love of God. The book is written in an artistic language. It is a poetical vision, and Comenius doesn't just criticize society; he also tries to capture the progress of Man in general (and show the dualism of material and spiritual ways of life). He points at the vanity of human endeavour that focuses on the material world and tells the reader that one must follow the will of God, as it is revealed in the Bible. As mentioned above, the book remains very popular and is still in print (so far the last two editions in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

appeared in 2001, which was sold out very soon, and 2005. The new Moravian Library building which was opened in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

on 2 April 2001 has a stone relief of the Labyrinth on its front wall. It is now available in an illustrated English edition.

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''The Labyrinth of the World and the Paradise of the Heart''
Edited and Translated by Count Lützow, 1901. {{Authority control Books by John Amos Comenius Satirical novels 1623 books

Summary

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External links