Project Gutenberg 2005-01-01 Public domain in the USA. 362 Hawthorne, Nathaniel 1804 1864 Septimius Felton, or, the Elixir of Life Produced by Eric Eldred, Emily Ratliff, Curtis A. Weyant and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. "Septimius Felton, or, the Elixir of Life" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel written in the late 19th century. This story explores profound themes such as the quest for immortality and the struggles inherent in human existence, centered around the character of Septimius Felton, a young man drawn into philosophical musings about life and death against the backdrop of rising tensions in colonial America. The opening of the novel introduces us to a serene spring day, where three young friends—Septimius Felton, Robert Hagburn, and Rose Garfield—converse on a hillside near Concord. Their discussion broaches the topic of life’s fleeting nature and the possibility of a forthcoming conflict, hinting at Septimius's brooding, philosophical nature, which contrasts sharply with the more vibrant personalities of Robert and Rose. The narrative quickly shifts from idyllic moments to the dramatic early stages of war, culminating in a tense encounter where Septimius tragically takes the life of a charming British officer. This act sets in motion Septimius's internal turmoil and contemplation of life's meaning, paving the way for the book's exploration of morality, identity, and the profound consequences of our actions. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 67.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en United States -- Social life and customs -- Fiction PS Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 388071 2025-06-03T12:13:23.330298 text/html 386172 2014-04-12T11:50:38 text/html; charset=utf-8 146611 2014-04-14T20:41:06 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 223667 2025-06-03T12:13:31.390213 application/epub+zip 228194 2025-06-03T12:13:26.769266 application/epub+zip 211669 2025-06-03T12:13:25.474274 application/epub+zip 421099 2025-06-03T12:13:34.946196 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 405155 2025-06-03T12:13:30.560281 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 376471 2022-09-04T05:43:45.023961 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 379226 2025-06-03T12:13:22.870252 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 379005 2014-04-12T11:50:30 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 145339 2014-04-14T20:41:06 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 378997 2014-04-12T11:50:24 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 145316 2014-04-14T20:41:06 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 20443 2025-06-03T12:13:35.091200 application/rdf+xml 15006 2025-06-03T12:13:26.055266 image/jpeg 3570 2025-06-03T12:13:25.772253 image/jpeg 221765 2025-06-03T12:13:23.367297 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia