The Gloss

The marginal gloss of Pilgrim’s Progress was added and extended in the second and third editions and stands apart from the other paratext of direct reference to Biblical passages. It largely functions as a summary of key events and interactions in the base text, reinforcing or drawing out its message in plain language. E.g. When Talkative departs from Faithful and Christian the gloss states simply: 'A good riddance!'  It is strongly moral in nature and straightforward, confirming the reader’s judgment of characters and their actions. At the same time, its very existence complicates and interrupts the reading of that base text and involves the reader in another form of encounter. (Who is writing the gloss? What is its purpose?)