Fools, Monsters & Marvels of the Old World CARNIVAL Book Talk with Author Al Ridenour, Video, Folklore, History & More!
AUDITORIUM

Join us for an evening with Al Ridenour, exploring the Fools, Monsters & Marvels of the Old World Carnival!

Familiar to PRS audiences as the presenter of our annual “Krampus Nights,” author Al Ridenour turns his attention to European folk-festivals of the Carnival season, some of which begin immediately after Christmas.

Based on his book, A Season of Madness: Fools, Monsters, and Marvels of the Old-World Carnival (Feral House, 2025), Ridenour’s lively and immersive presentation employs slides, video, props, and walk-ons by costumed guests to illustrate a history reaching back to 4th-century Rome and widespread from Sardinia to Bulgaria.

A Season of Madness focuses primarily on old (yet still extant) Carnival traditions echoing the customs of village life, medieval Christianity, and paganism. Much of this revolves around the activities of costumed groups visiting homes or interacting with spectators in public spaces. Their behavior is often chaotic or intimidating and their appearance bizarre, even monstrous, yet contact with them is said to bring luck and fertility.

Often costumed in shaggy sheepskins or horned masks, and almost always wearing bells, these figures invite comparison to the Krampus. First encountering them while researching The Krampus and the Old, Dark Christmas (Feral House 2016), Ridenour was intrigued and began studying the historical intertwining of the traditions.

Tonight’s presentation will explore those connections and provide an overview of the regional celebrations detailed in A Season of Madness, a volume described by Dr. Paul Koudounaris (Empire of Death, Heavenly Bodies, Faithful unto Death) as “sumptuously illustrated and written with clarity, eloquence, and wry humor.”

Tickets $16

(in-person event, in the Audtorium)

Please email events@prs.org or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.

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The views, opinions, and thoughts expressed within exhibited works are solely those of their creators and may not represent those of the Philosophical Research Society (PRS), its affiliates, or any individuals associated with PRS. Screenings are intended for educational and entertainment purposes.

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