The Classics Made Simple series of TAN guides is designed to orient you before you embark on an exploration of each booklet’s corresponding great work of Catholic literature. Each TAN booklet covers the corresponding work’s highlights: the vital facts and features about the life of the saint who wrote it, including their work, their call to holiness, and the events of their time. These features include a timeline of major events, an author biography, and an exposition of key vocabulary.

In Dark Night of the Soul, Saint John of the Cross presents a portrait painted from his own experience as one who advances successfully through the struggles of the spiritual life. The dark night that Saint John describes is not abandonment by God, but special consideration from him for those who desire to purify and perfect their souls. With a soul purified from earthly attachments, we can advance through the much-quoted but often misunderstood dark night of the soul, into unity with God. By ac...