It’s Carnival season in the Catholic liturgical year—a time for wild celebration and indulging in excess before the restrictions and solemnity of Lent. The holiday is celebrated mainly in regions with large Catholic populations, including parts of Western Europe and the Americas, but historically it has been especially associated with Italy. Celebrations usually involve parades, colorful costumes, extravagant parties, and indulgent foods and beverages. Though ostensibly a time of joy and merriment, this boisterous atmosphere can also be disorienting, overwhelming, and even frightening, and the holiday’s associations with disguise and mischief create an excellent opportunity for dastardly plots and misdirection. This—combined with Gothic literature’s love/hate relationship with all things Catholic—makes the frenetic festivities of Carnival the perfect backdrop. Below are just a few examples of works of Gothic literature that take place during Carnival or Carnival-like celebrations:
