Hi, I'm Olivia and I chose Dr. Heidegger's Experiment. There are gothic elements within this story that I think are important to talk about.

Typically in gothic literature, the setting is in a creepy castle that is gloomy and is a frightening scenery. It evokes an atmosphere of dread and mystery. In Dr. Heidegger's Experiment, the gothic setting is Dr. Heidegger's study.

Dr. Heidegger's study gives a feeling of despair and is described in depth at the end of page one and the beginning of page two. "It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs, and besprinkled with antique dust" shows that his study is a gothic element in this story.

Tone is used to add mystery to the atmosphere of this story. An atmosphere of mystery is considered an element of gothic literature because it leaves the reader questioning and allows the reader to interpret what happened in the story.

The atmosphere of mystery is presented throughout this story because the characters are clueless of the effects of the liquid from the vase at first. They inexplicably change from old to refreshed and younger apparently, but it is unknown if that is true and does happen or if it is not.

For gothic literature, an ancient prophecy or myth is used to create fear and mystery. It is typically a legend and usually is obscure.

In this text, Dr. Heidegger has a jar of mystery water and conducts an experiment with four of his elderly friends. At the end, he tells them of the fountain of youth, which is rumored to be somewhere in Florida. This is considered an ancient prophecy, which is a gothic element of literature, because the fountain of youth has been sought after for centuries.

This gothic element portrays high emotions by the characters. It is when the characters feel raw emotions, such as anger, shock, sorrow, etc. This is seen in Dr Heidegger's experiment several times.

When Dr. Heidegger's four friends drink the water from the vase, they are filled with this feeling of rejuvenation. They become greedy with it and drink a lot of it very quickly. After some time, they become old once more with "a strange chillness" and were so devestated that they lost their youth that they decided to search for the Fountain of Youth to remain young.

For the element of gothic setting, it sets the stage for the mystery behind the fountain of youth vase. The skeleton in the closet might be a metaphor for something greater, such as how he got the water or the death of his fianceé. For atmosphere, it then settings the stage in the study with a tone that makes it more mysterious. From there, the ancient prophecy is used to draw the characters in, to then feel high, even overwrought emotion because of the water. All these gothic elements build on each other, creating this story.