Answer + explanation:
Setting has a big impact on the feel of a story because it influences the tone and mood of the narrative. In gothic literature:
- stories are often set in run-down castles and buildings with secret rooms that have something spooky about them (many stories are already linked to castles and old houses, so rumours of them being haunted, for example, carry over)
- ruined buildings may be seen as sinister or pleasingly melancholy
- crypts, dungeons, and catacombs are spooky and associated with death and being forgotten, and
- lighting, especially dim, failing light, is very important since it fits in with the (usual) darkness of the story.
- The environment can be used to mirror the story or emphasize the bad things that are happening (in Frankenstein, for example, the various storms that take place throughout the story make the mood heavier and reflect how the main character, Victor Frankenstein, feels).
- Depending on all sorts of visual imagery and description, the story's atmosphere can continually suggest horror and dread, constantly foreshadowing something horrible and making the reader on edge.
