The Mortal Immortal #940338

Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley (30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley.
Published in 1833, The Mortal Immortal is a fascinating short story by Mary Shelley that explores the psychological and philosophical consequences of eternal life. Written years after her masterpiece Frankenstein, this tale revisits the theme of scientific ambition but shifts the focus from the creation of life to the burden of never-ending existence.
The story is narrated by Winzy, a man who has lived for over three hundred years. In his youth, Winzy was the apprentice of the ambitious alchemist Cornelius Agrippa. Driven by a mix of curiosity and a desire to cure his own heartbreak, Winzy drinks a mysterious elixir prepared by his master, believing it to be a cure for love. Instead, he discovers he has consumed the elixir of immortality.