Entertaining judgment : the afterlife in popular imagination

264 Pages·2015·2.2 MB·English

by  Garrett

ENTERTAINING JUDGMENT

e n t e r t a i n i n g
j u d g m e n t
THE AFTERLIFE IN POPULAR IMAGINATION
G R E G G A R R E T T
1
3
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© Greg Garrett 2015
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Garrett, Greg.
Entertaining judgment : the afterlife in popular imagination / Greg Garrett.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-933590-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-19-933591-6 (ebook) —
ISBN 978-0-19-933592-3 (ebook) 1. Popular culture—Religious aspects.
2. Future life. 3. Popular culture—United States—History—20th century.
4. Popular culture—United States—History—21st century. I. Title.
BL65.C8G38 2015
202'.3—dc23 2014011227
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Typeset in Sabon LT Standard
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
For Jeanie, who makes my life Heaven.

CONTENTS
introduction Entertaining Judgment: How We Understand
the Afterlife 3
chapter 1 In Between: Death and the Undead 19
chapter 2 Denizens of the Afterlife: Angels, Demons,
and the Devil 56
chapter 3 Heaven: The Pearly Gates 95
chapter 4 Hell: The Fiery Inferno 125
chapter 5 Purgatory: Working Out Our Salvation 156
conclusion The Dead and the Living 190
Appendix: Literary and Cultural Works
Consulted 193
Acknowledgments 201
Notes 205
Index 223

ENTERTAINING JUDGMENT