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.