Final answer:
The sentence that best captures the Gothic nature of the story is option D, describing a melancholic and dreary setting that is typical of Gothic fiction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sentence that best reflects the story's Gothic nature is D. This excerpt, "DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher." embodies characteristics central to Gothic fiction, including a dreary setting, a sense of gloom, and an overwhelming feeling of melancholy. These elements combine to create an atmosphere that is both unsettling and emblematic of the Gothic genre, which often explores themes of decay, death, and the haunted or supernatural, much like the 'melancholy House of Usher' and the 'dull, dark, and soundless day' described.