Carlo Collodi (1826–1890)

There's nothing subtle about “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collidi. First published as a book in 1883 — installments were printed in an Italian magazine for children previously — the story tells how a disobedient puppet becomes a boy (after first becoming a donkey). Today more people are familiar with film versions or Golden Book versions than the novel itself — and for good reason. The tale is just too heavy-handed for modern audiences of whatever age.

Time and again, show more Pinocchio promises to obey instructions, go to school, study hard, etc., then becomes distracted. He yields to temptation. Each time he does, disaster strikes. He is cheated. He is taken prisoner. He is nearly eaten. He is swallowed by a fish. He is, as mentioned, turned into a donkey. And of course, when he lies, his nose grows to uncommon lengths.

The book's lessons are made clear and obvious to any reader. The golden rule works best for all. Those who disobey will get in trouble. Liars pay for their sins. Yet one wonders whether Collidi might actually have been teaching just the opposite of the intended lessons. Mischievous little boys might notice:

1. Some kind soul invariably rescues Pinocchio and gives him another chance.

2. Once Pinocchio becomes a good boy, his adventures end. show less

The Lemony Snicket annotations are quite wonderful at the outset, but unfortunately, it seems almost as if Handler lost interest in the project a third of the way through, as the observations and comments on the actual text virtually cease, and what little remains is just the same repeated shtick of his losing his mind due to the lunacy of the novel.

Mignola's illustrations are, to my tastes, at times rather generic, but at other times quite striking. Particularly the full page colour show more drawings that appear here and there are quite wonderful.

As for the text itself, Collodi's prose is surprisingly playful and even modern seeming (though this might be thanks to the excellent translation by Chiesa), and while the tale is overly episodic and preachy to really be gripping, it has moments where it truly shines. The Fox and the Cat, as well as the little coachman, are genuinely creepy and memorable, and the Fairy with Azure Hair is quite magical, for all her convenient omnipotence. While hardly a very engrossing read by modern standards, it is easy to see why this has become such a touchstone both in the genre and well beyond in general culture. show less

This Pinocchio is much darker than Disney's version. Pinocchio is much less attractive at the start -- clearly self-centered, unthinking and dumb. It is fascinating to watch the transformation from irresponsibility to responsibility. Along the way, Pinocchio loses his money, believes he has contributed to killing a playmate, betrays the blue fairy's trust, lies, etc. My sister said she has read a C.S. Lewis commentary on Pinocchio which claims the story is a metaphor for the creation of man show more and his attempt to be good. I think that probably there is also an allegory about Italian nationalism there too that I could understand if I knew more about the subject. There is a new scholarly edition of the text in English, annotated by an Italian professor from the University of California.

Both children loved the story and actually thought about how their behavior compared with Pinocchio's (mostly favorably, thank goodness). We discussed whether Pinocchio deserved what he got or not in each instance. They felt that the ending happened too quickly -- that it wasn't paced right. Perhaps this was a consequence of the original serial presentation. The kids also enjoyed figuring out when Pinocchio was being tricked and being wiser than he was. show less

There was mention somewhere of the original Italian story of Pinocchio here on LT, probably in conjunction with discussion of the del Toro movie version, and I realized I had never read it, so I checked this lavish volume out of the library. As a physical object, it's gorgeous. Large format, exquisitely illustrated by Robert Ingpen, pages so thick you never believe you're turning just one at a time, bright red ribbon place marker... If only I could have enjoyed the story. It's not just that show more it doesn't jive with the Disney version; that on its own is a positive. It's just too choppy, with no internal logic to it except for the over-explicated lesson about what happens to naughty children who don't obey their parents and pay attention to their teachers, which even a WOODEN HEADED PUPPET should have taken to heart long about the half-way point. There's very little charm to it that doesn't come from Ingpen's imagination, no real suspense, artificial cliff-hanger chapter breaks. Translation issues? Possibly. I understand it was written in segments, for serial publication. It shows. I don't see it appealing to any of the young'uns, past or present, that I know well. show less