Dr. Heidegger's Experiment

“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” is a short story about a doctor who invites four elderly friends to his study to participate in a curious experiment that temporarily restores their youth. The story explores themes of Youth and Old Age, Humans Versus Nature, and Good and Evil. It invites questions like: Does age affect an individual’s potential for happiness? If given a second opportunity to relive youthful years, would a person remediate their failures?

“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” was written by American short story writer and novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864). It first appeared anonymously in Lewis Gaylord Clark’s literary magazine The Knickerbocker under the title “The Fountain of Youth.” Later, it was included in Twice-Told Tales (1837), one of Hawthorne’s most popular books, along with The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of the Seven Gables (1851). This guide refers to the illustrated Kindle Edition of “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” published in May 2022. The edition is prefaced by a biography of Nathaniel Hawthorne, a summary of the book, and a list of characters.

Dr. Heidegger, an old and “very singular man” (13), invites Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, Mr.