Saint Thérèse of Lisieux is one of the most popular saints of the modern Catholic Church, holding a number of prestigious titles and being the focus of a wildly successful popular cult. A Carmelite nun at fifteen years old, she died only nine years later, producing in the intervening years plays, poems, prayers, a large correspondence and, most importantly, an autobiography. Finding a broad audience, it is this work, known as
L'Histoire d'une Âme[
The Story of a Soul], which has ensured Thérèse's fame and it has been read as much as a work of romantic fiction as a spiritual tract. Often lacking accomplishment, Thérèse's literary output can be marred by the sometimes morbid piety of her milieu, but her work is appealing in the clear sincerity and passion of its author and is felt by…
2494 words
Citation: Deboick, Sophia. "Saint Thérèse de Lisieux". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 March 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11855, accessed 23 November 2024.]