Question

Read the excerpt from The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

It was a fine dry night; frost in the air; the streets as clean as a ballroom floor; the lamps, unshaken by any wind, drawing a regular pattern of light and shadow. By ten o’clock, when the shops were closed the by-street was very solitary and, in spite of the low growl of London from all round, very silent.

Which detail from the excerpt best establishes the gothic setting?

“fine dry night”
“ballroom floor”
“regular pattern”
“very solitary”

Answer 1

“very solitary”

Reason: Gothic settings emphasize isolation and eerie loneliness; describing the by-street as "very solitary" most clearly creates that gothic atmosphere.