1. Nathaniel Hawthorne. American Romanticism. “Dark Romantic”
Nathaniel Hawthorne American Romanticism “Dark Romantic” (Gothic Literature)
Born in Salem, Massachusetts
Descended from a prominent Puritan family. (*He was not a
Puritan and was born 112 years after the Salem witchcraft trials.)
Like other Dark Romantics, he believed that evil was a
dominant force in the world – think of Melville’s Moby Dick
Dark insight into the human heart
Writing fueled by an awareness of the guilt that accompanies a
Puritan conscience—bothered by ancestor’s actions.

2. Nathaniel Hawthorne. American Romanticism
Nathaniel Hawthorne American Romanticism “Dark Romantic” (Gothic Literature)
Sea captain father died when Hawthorne was young
Added the “w” to his family name
He and his wife lived at the communal Brook Farm for a while
with Emerson & Thoreau (transcendentalists-people are good,
nature is good, people are one with nature, etc.)
Anti-transcendentalist=examines both good AND BAD in world
-- the “romantics” valued youth…what would Hawthorne say?
Best known for The Scarlet Letter

3. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Connecting to the Literature
If you could start your life over again – wipe
the slate clean and start over – would you?
Would you relive your life differently?
Would you make the same mistakes?
What choices do you think most people would
make?

4. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Literary Focus
Allegory: a story or poem in which characters, setting, and events stand for abstract ideas or moral qualities (hope, wisdom, courage, etc.).
This story can be read on two levels:
literal & allegorical
Symbol: person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and something else.

5. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Literary Focus
Pay attention to the description of characters,
along with the character’s actions and words.
An allegory also contain a moral, look for a
moral – a lesson to be learned
Hawthorne’s writing is usually subtle, and
ambiguous.

6. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Character Chart
As you read, record description details in the chart below:
Key Description
Actions and Words
What the Character Represents
Character
Mr. Medbourne
Colonel Killigrew
Mr. Gascoigne
Widow Wycherly

7. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Literary Focus
Pay attention
to the central event. (What happened?)
to the setting. (Where did it happen?).
to the characters. (To whom did it happen?)
to the use of symbolism
to the climax
to the resolution
Read the story beginning on page 228.
Complete your character chart as you read.
Write out answers to questions 1-8 on page 237

8. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
A Broader Scope
The search for eternal youth – reversing the aging process – is an archetypal plot
Greek mythology-Orpheus (page 236)
the fountain of youth – Ponce de Leon
Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray
Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes

9. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Do people today try to reverse
the aging process?
Diet and exercise
Hair color or facial creams
Botox
Plastic surgery
Cryogenics
Do these actions ever lead to bad outcomes?
What would you risk to be “forever young”?

10. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Symbols to Examine
Can you match the symbol its meaning and explain your answer?
black book medicine / science
water magic
mirror beauty/love/mistakes
portrait of Sylvia Ward death (skeleton in the closet)
rose and butterfly stages of life
bust of Hippocrates rebirth
oaken cabinet truth

11. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Symbols to Examine
Can you match the symbol its meaning and explain your answer?
black book medicine / science
water magic
mirror beauty/love/mistakes
portrait of Sylvia Ward death (skeleton in the closet)
rose and butterfly stages of life
bust of Hippocrates rebirth
oaken cabinet truth

12. “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”
Access the link below
and then scroll down the page
to enjoy a comic book style
version of “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment.
How does this short story fulfill the elements of gothic literature that deal with the supernatural, a dark and mysterious atmosphere, dark location, heightened emotions, etc.?