Though the story is not set in any specific geographic location or period of time, it does take place, in its entirety, in the “study” of Dr. Heidegger, an eccentric figure whose intellectual pursuits seem to straddle the boundaries between science, philosophy, and the occult. Drawing from the conventional stock imagery of gothic literature, Hawthorne’s depiction of this setting is integral to establishing the mysterious, fantastical mood of the story.
It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs, and besprinkled with antique dust. Around the walls stood several oaken bookcases, the lower shelves of which were filled with rows of gigantic folios and black-letter quartos, and the upper with little parchment-covered duodecimos [...] In the obscurest corner of the room stood a tall and narrow oaken closet, with its door ajar, within which doubtfully appeared a skeleton. Between two of the bookcases hung a looking-glass, presenting its high and dusty plate within a tarnished gilt frame.
Though Dr. Heidegger is a man of science, his studies seem to have extended into the supernatural, and his study teaches readers a good deal about him, appearing less like a laboratory than a wizard's den or even a haunted house. Many details point the reader in the direction of gothic literature, from the cobwebs to a possibly haunted mirror. Even the books in his study seem to befit a wizard more than a scientist; folios, quartos, and duodecimos are book formats generally associated with the medieval and renaissance periods, and likewise, "black-letter" is the "gothic" typeface used primarily in medieval texts.
Readers learn something important, then, from the contents of his library: Dr. Heidegger is not reading modern works of science, but much older tomes, probably relating to alchemy. Even the skeleton in his study reflects the split nature of Dr. Heidegger's interests, as it could plausibly serve as a scientific model for anatomy but could also relate to various magical or alchemical experiments. The study is indeed, as the narrator states, a "very curious place," and this setting establishes a mysterious atmosphere, raising the question of what sorts of strange events might occur in such a location.
