{"product_id":"the-persistence-of-purgatory-hardback-9780521550390","title":"The Persistence of Purgatory (Hardback) 9780521550390","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe Persistence of Purgatory\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA stimulating essay which makes interesting connections between Christian doctrine and modernity.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eRichard K. Fenn (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780521550390, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 26 January 1996\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e220 pages\u003cbr\u003e21.6 x 14 x 1.6 cm, 0.43 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e'Fenn bores into strata of the history of purgatory from its origins as a specific place in the twelfth century to its manifestation as a secularized 'purgatorial complex' profoundly affecting the lives of many contemporary Americans.'  Stephen Pattison, Heythrop Journal\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eRichard K. Fenn focuses on the significance of time in modern society, and why we take it so seriously. He traces contemporary western attitudes toward time back to the doctrine and myth of Purgatory. Fenn makes a provocative case that especially for Americans the sense of the scarcity of time is a sign of social character, shaped by a 'purgatorial complex'. He demonstrates the impact of Purgatory on Protestant preachers such as Baxter and Channing, but also argues that Locke's views of religion, education and the nature of the state can only be understood in this context. Seriousness about time has become evidence of the good faith of the citizen. Novelists like Robbins, Mailer, Vonnegut and Brautigan portray a society that oppresses the individual through time constraints. For Dickens, America seemed a purgatorial wasteland: a place where time is always of the essence.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eIntroduction: Testing claims to grace: the intensification of time\u003cbr\u003e 1. Silent anguish: distinguishing the cure for soul-loss from the disease\u003cbr\u003e 2. Purgatory as a way of life: time as the essence of the soul\u003cbr\u003e 3. The modern self emerges: Baxter, Locke and the prospect of heaven\u003cbr\u003e 4. Locke, reason and the soul\u003cbr\u003e 5. The American purgatory and the state\u003cbr\u003e 6. Protestants and Catholics in the American purgatory\u003cbr\u003e 7. Charles Dickens in the American purgatory: the eternal foreground\u003cbr\u003e Epilogue.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Religion: general [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Religion: general\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Religion:%20general%20%5BHRA%5D%22\"\u003eHRA\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46065973002520,"sku":"9780521550390","price":67.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/products\/9780521550390i.jpg?v=1691408461","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-persistence-of-purgatory-hardback-9780521550390","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}