A Critical Analysis of The Elixir of Life by William Hannsworth Arrington

According to The Gothic Experience Page, a piece of literature is considered Gothic is it comprises of a mixture of the following elements: "ruined buildings which are sinister or which arouse a pleasing melancholy, dungeons, underground passages, crypts and catacombs which, in modern houses, become spooky basements or attics, shadows s beam of moonlight in the darkness, a flickering candle, or the only source of light failing (a candle blown out or an electric failure),...." While this list does not include all elements of a Gothic work, it does encompass many of the tropes that define one. Similarly, none of these elements alone will determine a Gothic work but, in a mixture, the fact is undeniable. "The Elixir of Life or Auriol- as it is sometimes called- encompassing the above mentioned elements and more, thus it is a Gothic novel.

"The Elixir of Life is story about life and the evils of toying with nature. The story is set in olden London on New Year's Eve. As party goers and revelers fill the streets and every crevice of local taverns, one man is near the brink of death, while another is madly trying to gain knowledge about eternal life. The story plays out as Auriol reaches the brink of death and is brought to an alchemist- one who searches for the potion leading to eternal life. The Alchemist or Dr. Lamb tells Auriol that he is his grandson and that he will share with him the potion of eternal life. Auriol becomes greedy and drinks the entire vial- before hand, he kills his grandfather.

The story continues by describing Auriol's delusions of skeletons and skulls coming alive, after he has drunk the potion. "The Elixir of Life" goes on to say that Auriol takes on the appearance of his grandfather- pale and white- and some vagabonds think that he is a ghost. They sneak into his home and clobber him over the head, in an attempt at a robbery. The villains are caught in the act but manage to sneak away through a catacomb on the side of the room. Auriol is then taken to a neighbor's home so that he may be nursed backed to health.

In the neighbor's home, Auriol encounters the host's daughter, Ebba. Ebba is described as a beautiful maiden, enchanting in her mannerisms and appearance. She, much like Auriol becomes smitten with him as he does to her. On the day that Auriol plans to depart, a stranger appears by Ebba's home. He looks into her eyes, as if to place a spell on her. Meanwhile, the original vagabond, villains who injured Auriol plan a way to blackmail him into buying back papers which they had stolen. In doing this, they call on a dwarf, the same dwarf who had originally been a servant to Dr. Lamb. He tells the two villains and their friend stories about all the things that he had seen in his centuries of life. They did not believe him but he explained how there was more than one vial of elixir and that he had drank the other vial. He also explained how he found his master, Dr. Lamb, and that he could explain some of what is going on with Auriol, because he knew that having drank the elixir, he got the curse of life.

The story concludes with Auriol meeting the stranger who was enchanted by Ebba in front of her home. At this time, the true curse is learned. The secret to having eternal life is to take the life of another- most often a beautiful maiden-, just as his grandfather had done to his beautiful wife. Since Ebba had declared her love and loyalty to Auriol, she was made a part of his fate, and thus, needed to be the next victim for Auriol to keep the "gift" of everlasting life.