Death and fear in early modern Europe
We have a Shirley McLean character…this is nice, because we know she’s on her deathbed…looks like TB or something…and she’s desperately trying to come to turns with a life that she knows has not been completely pious and Godly. And so she thinks that by spending time with Joan she might improve the lot of her soul. There was usually a lot of time for people to think about their death in the weeks leading up to it, and people thought long and hard about their lives and how to make their stay in purgatory shorter.