Most critics agree that the story is set somewhere in Italy, as the narrator's references to his "palazzo" (the Italian word for palace) and his knowledge of Italian wines seem to indicate. Some disagree, however, and place the story in France. Although the name of the narrator's enemy, Fortunato, sounds Italian, the narrator himself, Montresor, has a French name. Furthermore, the narrator uses French words like " iambeaux" (torches) and "roquelaire" (cape), shares two bottles of French wine with Fortunato during their descent into the vaults, and refers in the beginning of the story to the weaknesses of Italians, naming Fortunato and "his countrymen" in the same breath, thus implying that Montresor himself is not Italian.
As for the time in which the story is set, most clues point to the 1700s or early 1800s. The Masons, of whom Fortunato is a member, founded their Italian and French branches in 1726, and the roquelaire that Montresor wears was a popular fashion accessory in the 1700s and early 1800s. These uncertainties of time and place may seem frustrating to curious readers, but they add-as perhaps Poe intended-to the aura of mystery in the story.
The carnival season. The carnival season in eighteenth- century Italy and France was the highlight of the year.
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