Audiobook

Septimius Felton, or, the Elixir of Life

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Septimius Felton; or, The Elixir of Life was amongst Nathaniel Hawthorne’s final unpublished (and unfinished) manuscripts, discovered by his widow Sophia shortly after his passing. Perhaps the most "complete" of Hawthorne's unfinished novels, it was published posthumously with editorial assistance from his daughter Una and poet Robert Browning. A gothic romance set during the Revolutionary War, this novel centers on a scholar named Septimius Felton, whose monomaniacal pursuit of the so-called elixir of life leads him down a doomed, destructive path that threatens to annihilate him and all that he loves. This edition of the text contains a number of annotations from both the author and editors that provide additional clarifications, amendments, and explanations. Despite having a large number of gaps, inconsistencies, and unvarnished edges, the major thrust of Hawthorne's narrative (with a distinct beginning, middle, and end) remains relatively complete. (Summary by ChuckW)