Hell and Its Afterlife : Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

The notion of an infernal place of punishment for 'undesired' elements in human culture and human nature has a long history both as religious idea and as cultural metaphor. This book brings together a wide array of scholars who examine Hell as an idea within the Christian tradition and its 'afterlife' in historical and contemporary imagination. Leading scholars grapple with the construction and meaning of hell in the past and investigate its modern utility as a means to describe what is perceived as horrific or undesirable in modern culture. While the idea of an infernal region of punishment was largely developed in the context of early Jewish and Christian religious culture, it remains a central belief for some Christians in the modern world. Hell's reception (its 'afterlife') in the modern world has extended hell's meaning beyond the religious realm; hell has become a pervasive image and metaphor in political rhetoric, in popular culture, and in the media. Bringing together scholars from a variety of fields to contribute to a wider understanding of this fascinating and important cultural idea, this book will appeal to readers from historical, religious, literary and cultural perspectives. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 List of Figures......Page 8 List of Abbreviations......Page 10 Notes on Contributors......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 16 Introduction: Holding Ajar the Gates of Hell......Page 18 Part I The Tradition of Hell in the Old World......Page 24 1 Love is Hell: Torment, Sex, and Redemption in the Cupid and Psyche Myth......Page 26 2 Early Visions of Hell as a Place of Education and Conversion......Page 46 3 Plucking Sinners Out of Hell: Saint Martin of Tours’ Resurrection Miracle......Page 56 4 Named Others and Named Places: Stigmatization in the Early Medieval Afterlife......Page 70 5 A Franciscan Kind of Hell......Page 90 6 Catholic and Protestant Hells in Later Reformation England......Page 106 Part II The Reception of Hell in Modern Times and Contemporary Dialogue......Page 118 7 Devils Conquering and Conquered: Changing Visions of Hell in Spanish America......Page 120 8 Hell with Purgatory and Two Limbos: The Geography and Theology of the Underworld......Page 138 9 Hell Yes! Hell No! Evangelical Debates on Eternal Punishment......Page 154 10 Turning the Devils Out of Doors: Mormonism and the Concept of Hell......Page 170 11 James Joyce and the (Modernist) Hellmouth......Page 182 12 Sin City: Urban Damnation in Dante, Blake, T.S. Eliot, and James Thomson......Page 192 13 What If It’s Just Good Business? Hell, Business Models, and the Dilution of Justice in Mike Care......Page 208 14 Guardian Demons in Hellboy: Hybridity in Contemporary American Horror Films......Page 220 15 Hell in our Time: Dantean Descent and the Twenty-first Century “War on Terror”......Page 234 Bibliography......Page 254 Index......Page 280 The notion of an infernal place of punishment for 'undesired' elements in human culture and human nature has a long history both as religious idea and as cultural metaphor. This book brings together an array of scholars who examine Hell as an idea within the Christian tradition and its 'afterlife' in historical and contemporary imagination. Bringing together scholars from a variety of fields to contribute to a wider understanding of this fascinating and important cultural idea, this book will appeal to readers from historical, religious, literary and cultural perspectives. --Book Jacket