'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

• Introduction: Testing claims to grace: the intensification of time; 1. Silent anguish: distinguishing the cure for soul-loss from the disease; 2. Purgatory as a way of life: time as the essence of the soul; 3. The modern self emerges: Baxter, Locke and the prospect of heaven; 4. Locke, reason and the soul; 5. The American purgatory and the state; 6. Protestants and Catholics in the American purgatory; 7. Charles Dickens in the American purgatory: the eternal foreground; Epilogue.

'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

• Introduction: Testing claims to grace: the intensification of time; 1. Silent anguish: distinguishing the cure for soul-loss from the disease; 2. Purgatory as a way of life: time as the essence of the soul; 3. The modern self emerges: Baxter, Locke and the prospect of heaven; 4. Locke, reason and the soul; 5. The American purgatory and the state; 6. Protestants and Catholics in the American purgatory; 7. Charles Dickens in the American purgatory: the eternal foreground; Epilogue.

'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

• Introduction: Testing claims to grace: the intensification of time; 1. Silent anguish: distinguishing the cure for soul-loss from the disease; 2. Purgatory as a way of life: time as the essence of the soul; 3. The modern self emerges: Baxter, Locke and the prospect of heaven; 4. Locke, reason and the soul; 5. The American purgatory and the state; 6. Protestants and Catholics in the American purgatory; 7. Charles Dickens in the American purgatory: the eternal foreground; Epilogue.