Nathaniel Hawthorne was one of the greatest American writers of the nineteenth century. Hawthorne's writing is unique as it often featured moral struggles among the Puritans in and around New England. Hawthorne's books became some of the most famous works of dark romanticism and his novel The Scarlet Letter is considered a classic in American literature. Septimus Felton, published in 1872, is an unfinished novel that centers around the title character's attempt to create an elixir of life.