J.-K. (Joris-Karl) Huysmans
Sainte Lydwine de Schiedam
"Sainte Lydwine de Schiedam" by J.-K. Huysmans is a hagiography published in 1901. The work depicts the life of Saint Lydwine, who endured thirty-eight years bedridden and afflicted by extreme suffering. Huysmans portrays her mystical ability to take on others' illnesses through divine substitution, transforming pain into spiritual ascension. The narrative pushes bodily suffering to its limits, depicting diseases with visceral, violent imagery that exemplifies Huysmans's naturalistic approach to mysticism and the tormented flesh.