: Pinocchio Carlo Collodi
Dear reader, close your eyes and say the name “Pinocchio” to yourself. What do you see? Chances are you picture a loveable animated skamp like puppet whose nose has the unfortunate habit of growing when he is lying. Well, I suppose a person’s view of something is subjective and I really have no right to say this, but you’re wrong dear reader. The Pinocchio you envision is the creation of Walt Disney, and no disrespect to the man or the film of which you draw this image from, but this Pinocchio is a very different puppet than that of his original creator, Carlo Collodi. Published in a series of childrens stories between 1881 and 1883, “The Adventures of Pinocchio” (later simply titled “Pinocchio”) has become at once one of world literatures most fascinating treasures and unclassifiable gems. Though brief, and deceptively simple “Pinocchio” is a strange novel that all but obliterates the lines between the genres that one can place it under. Collodi’s “Pinocchio” is at once an epic novel, a satire of Italian Marxism, a Christian allegory, a children’s fantasy novel, and on numerous occasions a loving tribute to Italian folklore and its greatest poet, Dante. Those who are familiar with the Disney film, will be immediately greeted with a story of a very different tone and style than what they are expecting. The differences between the novel and the film are numerous and fascinating when considering the potential artistic meaning behind each one. Rather than the kind of Geppetto forming a marionette and wishing for him to be brought to life, Pinocchio enters the novel as a peculiar piece of wood who happens to have the ability to speak. From the get go, Collodi is showcasing his Italian roots, this innocent and rather surreal start to the novel can be, and should be, seen as a double reference to Dante’s “Divine Comedy.” Both Pinocchio and Dante begin their journey in the woods without a guide, Dante is eventually lead by poet Virgil, while Pinocchio is found by a carpenter and later adopted by Geppetto. Perhaps the most important difference between the novel and the film aside from the basic structure of the story and its tone, is in Pinocchio himself. Disney specifically went out of his way to make the film’s vision of Pinocchio to be more likable than he appears in the novel. Collodi’s Pinocchio crosses the line between sympathetic and detestable, he is lazy, childish and with a disregard for authority. Collodi’s Pinocchio is a brat, whose epic journey through his travels, intentional or otherwise, can be seen as the young puppet slowly realizing what it means to embrace adulthood.
As I mentioned above, Collodi avoids giving his novel a specific genre in which to conform. From the first sentence he makes it abundantly clear that his audience are not children. He does this by insulting them, contradicting what a young child is expecting. In addition to this “Pinocchio” is rife with morals, where many children's fantasies can typically only be confined to one. On top of that there are scenes in this book that would likely haunt the nightmares of any child unfortunate enough to stumble upon; the darkest scene including a moment where Pinocchio is stabbed in the back and strung up in a noose (this also would have served as the ending of the book if not for the pushing of Collodi’s editor for more material.) On a far more interesting level is the blend of christ like imagery mixing with Collodi’s political message. Pinocchio spends much of the novel attempting to stray from school, and from work before realizing in order to take care of his family, he must embrace a life of labor and learning. It is only here when he is under the work that his society requires of him that he dies and is reborn as a real human boy (also another difference between Collodi’s and Disney’s Pinocchio, the concept of becoming a real human boy is less of a burden in the novel.) Symbolically digging aside, the actual text of the book is remarkably readable and is delivered in at a steady but warm and friendly pace, as if being read aloud by someones old bizarre Dante loving grandfather. As many critics have pointed out, the fairy tale like reading of the book only perpetuates the idea that the “Pinocchio” is a simple novel, but this is not this case and in fact, like the best works of Mark Twain the writing only offers a clearer view of the depth lying underneath the writing. So at the end of the day, what in the world is “Pinocchio”? It’s a story about a piece of wood that can talk, and still one of the most fascinating examples of world literature that I can think of.
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