What is a "Gothic Setting"?

The first Gothic novel, The Castle of Otranto was written in 1764. As you can tell by the title, the castle plays an important role in the novel; it is dark and sinister, full of passage ways, underground tunnels and hidden rooms that people chase each other through and try to hide in. Most "Gothic settings" still contain these elements - they use dark, gloomy and uncertain landscapes or architecture to create an atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Gothic novels are characterised by an unsettling, threatening feeling - a fear that is linked to the unknown. Why did that curtain suddenly move? Was it the wind - or something more? What was that creaking at night? Why did the candle suddenly go out? Typical Gothic settings include buildings like castles, graveyards, caves, dungeons or religious houses like churches and chapels. They are often old, decaying buildings, usually set in remote, hidden places such as the wilderness of a forest or in the isolation of the mountains. However, this does depend on the author - Mary Shelley in Frankenstein, for example, uses a ship in the North Pole as a type of Gothic setting which, although different from the ones listed above, still relies on the same sense of isolation and gloominess.