Chapters in this book

1. Front Matter i
2. Contents vii
3. Acknowledgments ix
4. Introduction 3
5. The Nuns and Their World 13
6. For Richer, for Poorer: The Monastic System and the Economy 29
7. The Dilemmas of Obedience 49
8. “Personae Non Gratae”: Jansenist Nuns in the Wake of Unigenitus 64
9. The Decline of the Monasteries 78
10. Aftermath 96
11. Clausura and Community 111
12. The Three Pillars of Monasticism: Poverty, Chastity, Obedience 130
13. Prehistories 148
14. Novices 164
15. “The Servants of the Brides of Christ” 182
16. Of Death and Dying 198
17. The Institut 219
18. The Pensionnat 234
19. Conclusion 257
20. Demographics of the Cloister 261
21. Glossary 285
22. Notes 289
23. Bibliography 349
24. Index 371