Pinocchio

The Adventures of Pinocchio, Italian title Le avventure di Pinocchio: Storia di un burattino (“The Adventures of Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet”), classic children’s novel written by C. Collodi that first appeared in serial form in 1881 in the Giornale dei Bambini (“Children’s Magazine”) and was published as a book in 1883. It tells the story of the little marionette who wants to be a real boy, and it is perhaps best known as the basis for the 1940 Disney film.

PinocchioIllustration of Pinocchio by E. Mazzanti for the 1883 first edition of “Le avventure di Pinocchio: Storia di un burattino” (The Adventures of Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet) by C. Collodi.

Frontispiece illustration by E. Mazzanti for C. Collodi's "Le avventure di Pinocchio", [Firenze]: Tipografia Moder, 1883. First edition, Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books. Reproduced courtesy of Toronto Public Library, Canada

Summary

A poor man named Geppetto wants to carve himself a marionette to make a living as a puppeteer. He is given a piece of enchanted wood, and as soon as Geppetto carves the puppet, which he names Pinocchio, he begins abusing the old man. Once its feet are made, Pinocchio runs away, and Geppetto is arrested when he seizes the puppet. Pinocchio returns to Geppetto’s home alone, and when the Talking Cricket admonishes him, Pinocchio kills the cricket. Going his own way, and ignoring all advice, Pinocchio soon falls in with a variety of bad characters, particularly the Fox and the Cat, who scheme to steal the five gold pieces Pinocchio was given for Geppetto. Eventually, the Fox and the Cat, disguised as Assassins, hang Pinocchio to get the gold pieces.

However, the Fairy with Azure Hair saves Pinocchio at the last moment. When Pinocchio lies to the Fairy about the gold pieces, his nose grows comically long. Later, Pinocchio again falls in with the Fox and the Cat, who trick him out of his gold pieces. Eventually, Pinocchio finds Fairy again and comes to live with her as her son. Twice he begins attending school, and twice he allows himself to be led astray, the second time resulting in his becoming a donkey. After further adventures, Pinocchio is swallowed by the Terrible Shark and finds Geppetto living in the shark’s belly. Pinocchio rescues his father and thereafter takes care of him. The Fairy then turns Pinocchio into a real boy.

Analysis And Adaptations

Collodi’s original serial, which was titled Le avventure di Pinocchio: Storia di un burattino (“The Adventures of Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet”), was meant to serve as a warning against bad behavior, and it ended with Pinocchio’s fatal hanging. The disappointment of the story’s fans, however, led Collodi’s publishers to insist that he resurrect Pinocchio and continue the puppet’s adventures.

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Like many Tuscan folk tales, Pinocchio has important moral lessons for children: e.g., disobedience does not pay, telling lies is seldom prudent, and boys who love and take care of their parents will be rewarded. Its pedagogical mission notwithstanding, the story remains a timeless classic. It was translated into numerous languages, with an English-language version first appearing in 1892, and it was released under several titles. Also, the book was adapted for film, television, and theatre. The Disney film is the best-known adaptation, though it is significantly different than the book, which is darker and portrays Pinocchio as more selfish and aggressive. However, the book has some humorous slapstick that is absent from the Disney version.

The Adventures of Pinocchio (/pɪˈnoʊki.oʊ/ pi-NOH-kee-oh; Italian: Le avventure di Pinocchio [le avːenˈtuːre d̪i piˈnɔkːjo]), also simply known as Pinocchio, is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Pescia. It is about the mischievous adventures of an animated marionette named Pinocchio and his father, a poor woodcarver named Geppetto.

It was originally published in a serial form as The Story of a Puppet (Italian: La Storia di un burattino) in the Giornale per I Bambini, one of the earliest Italian weekly magazines for children, starting from 7 July 1881. The story stopped after nearly 4 months and 8 episodes at Chapter 15, but by popular demand from readers, the episodes were resumed on 16 February 1882.^[1] In February 1883, the story was published in a single book. Since then, the spread of Pinocchio on the main markets for children's books of the time has been continuous and uninterrupted, and it was met with enthusiastic reviews worldwide.^[1]

A universal icon and a metaphor for the human condition, the book is considered a canonical piece of children's literature and has had a great impact on world culture. Philosopher Benedetto Croce reputed it as one of the greatest works of Italian literature.^[2] Since its first publication, it has inspired hundreds of new editions, stage plays, merchandising, television series and movies, such as Walt Disney's iconic animated version, and commonplace ideas such as a liar's long nose.

According to extensive research done by the Fondazione Nazionale Carlo Collodi in the late 1990s and based on UNESCO sources, the book has been adapted in over 260 languages worldwide,^[3] while as of 2018 it has been translated into over 300 languages.^[4] That makes it the most translated non-religious book in the world^[3] and one of the best-selling books ever published,^[5] with over 80 million copies sold in recent years^[6] (the total sales since its first publication are unknown because of the many public domain re-releases begun in 1940).^[3] According to Francelia Butler, it remains "the most translated Italian book and, after the Bible, the most widely read".^[7]

The story begins in Tuscany, Italy. A carpenter named Master Antonio, but whom everyone calls Master Cherry, has found a block of wood which he plans to carve into a leg for his table. When he begins, however, the log shouts out. Frightened by the talking log, Master Cherry gives it to his neighbor Geppetto, an extremely poor man who plans to make a living as a puppeteer in hopes of earning "a crust of bread and a glass of wine".

Pinocchio throws a hammer at the talking cricket.

Geppetto carves the block into a boy and names him "Pinocchio". As soon as Pinocchio's nose has been carved, it begins to grow with his congenital impudence. Before he is even built, Pinocchio already has a mischievous attitude; no sooner than Geppetto is finished carving Pinocchio's feet does the puppet proceed to kick him. Once the puppet has been finished and Geppetto teaches him to walk, Pinocchio runs out the door and away into the town. He is caught by a Carabiniere, who assumes Pinocchio has been mistreated and imprisons by Geppetto.

Left alone, Pinocchio heads back to Geppetto's house to get something to eat. Once he arrives at home, a talking cricket who has lived in the house for over a century warns him of the perils of disobedience and hedonism. In retaliation, Pinocchio throws a hammer at the cricket, more accurately than he intended to, and accidentally kills it.

Geppetto is released from prison and makes Pinocchio a new pair of feet.

Pinocchio gets hungry and tries to fry an egg, but what comes out of it is a little bird that flies out the window forcing Pinocchio to leave the house to ask for food. Then he knocks on an old man's door to ask for food. The man thinking that Pinocchio was one of the hooligans who ring the bells for fun, and instead of giving a good piece of bread all he gets is a bucket of cold water on his head. Wet Pinocchio comes home and lies down on a stove, but the next day when he wakes up he falls to the ground with burned feet. Luckily, Geppetto is released from prison and makes Pinocchio a new pair of feet. In gratitude, he promises to attend school, and Geppetto sells his only coat to buy him a school book.

The puppet master Mangiafuoco

On his way to school the next morning, Pinocchio encounters the Great Marionette Theatre, and he sells his school book to buy a ticket for the show. During the performance, the puppets Harlequin, Pulcinella, and Signora Rosaura on stage recognize him in the audience and call out to him, angering the puppet master Mangiafuoco. Upset, he breaks up the excitement and decides to use Pinocchio as firewood to cook his lamb dinner. After Pinocchio pleads to be saved, Mangiafuoco gives in and decides to burn Harlequin. After Pinocchio pleads for Harlequin's salvation, Mangiafuoco gives up. When he learns about Pinocchio's poor father, he ultimately releases him and gives him five gold pieces to give to Geppetto.

As Pinocchio travels home to give the coins to his father, he meets a fox and a cat. The Cat pretends to be blind, and the Fox pretends to be lame. A white blackbird tries to warn Pinocchio of their lies, but the blackbird is eaten by the Cat. The two animals convince Pinocchio that if he plants his coins in the Field of Miracles outside the city of Catchfools, they will grow into a tree with gold coins.

They stop at the red lobster inn, where the Fox and the Cat gorge themselves on food at Pinocchio's expense and ask to be awoken by midnight. Two hours before the set time, the pair abandon Pinocchio, leaving him to pay for the meal with one of his coins. They instruct the innkeeper to tell Pinocchio that they left after receiving a message stating that the Cat's eldest kitten had fallen ill and that they would meet Pinocchio at the Field of Miracles in the morning.

The Fox and the Cat, dressed as bandits, hang Pinocchio.

As Pinocchio sets off for Catchfools, the ghost of the Talking Cricket appears, telling him to go home and give the coins to his father. Pinocchio ignores his warnings again. As he passes through a forest, the Fox and Cat, disguised as bandits, jump out and ambush Pinocchio for robbing him. The puppet hides the coins in his mouth and escapes to a white house after biting off the Cat's paw. Upon knocking on the door, Pinocchio is greeted by a young fairy with turquoise hair who says she is dead and waiting for a hearse. Unfortunately, the bandits catch Pinocchio and hang him in a tree. After a while, the Fox and Cat get tired of waiting for the puppet to suffocate, and they leave.

The Fairy saves Pinocchio

The Fairy has Pinocchio rescued by summoning a falcon to get him down and having her poodle servant Medoro pick him up in her stagecoach. The Fairy calls in three famous doctors to tell her whether Pinocchio is dead or not. Two of them, an owl and a crow, are unsure of Pinocchio's status with the owl claiming that Pinocchio is alive and the crow claiming that Pinocchio is dead. The third doctor is the Ghost of the Talking Cricket who says that the puppet is fine, but has been disobedient and hurt his father. The Fairy administers medicine to Pinocchio who consents to take it after four undertaker rabbits arrive to carry away his body. Recovered, Pinocchio lies to the Fairy when she asks what has happened to the gold coins, and his nose grows until it is so long that he cannot turn around in the room. The Fairy explains that Pinocchio's lies are making his nose grow and calls in a flock of woodpeckers to chisel it down to size. The Fairy sends for Geppetto to come and live with them in the forest cottage

Pinocchio and the gorilla judge

Once Pinocchio returns, he learns of the Fox and the Cat's treachery from a parrot who mocks Pinocchio for falling for their tricks. Pinocchio rushes to the Catchfools courthouse where he reports the theft of the coins to a gorilla judge. Although he is moved by Pinocchio's plea, the gorilla judge sentences Pinocchio to four months in prison for the crime of foolishness as he is taken away by two mastiffs dressed as Gendarmerie. Fortunately, all criminals are released early by the jailers when the unseen young Emperor of Catchfools declares a celebration following his army's victory over the town's enemies. Upon being released by stating to the jailer that he committed a crime, Pinocchio leaves Catchfools.

Alidoro saves Pinocchio from the Green Fisherman.

Upon arriving on the Island of Busy Bees, Pinocchio can only get food in return for labor. Pinocchio offers to carry a lady's jug home in return for food and water. When they get to the lady's house, Pinocchio recognizes the lady as the Fairy, now miraculously old enough to be his mother. She says she will act like his mother, and Pinocchio will begin going to school. She hints that if Pinocchio does well in school and tries his hardest to be good for one whole year, then he will become a real boy.

Pinocchio studies hard and rises to the top of his class, but this makes the other schoolboys jealous. The other boys trick Pinocchio into playing hookey by saying they saw a large sea monster at the beach, the same one that swallowed Geppetto. However, the boys were lying and a fight breaks out. One boy named Eugene is hit by Pinocchio's school book, though Pinocchio did not throw it. Pinocchio is accused of injuring Eugene by two Carabiniers, but the puppet escapes. During his escape, Pinocchio saves a drowning Mastiff named Alidoro. In exchange, Alidoro later saves Pinocchio from The Green Fisherman, who was going to eat the marionette as Pinocchio returns home. After meeting the Snail that works for the Fairy, Pinocchio is given another chance by the Fairy.

The wagon of the Coachman that leads the boys in the Land of Toys

Pinocchio does excellently in school and passes with high honors. The Fairy promises that Pinocchio will be a real boy the next day and says he should invite all his friends to a party. He goes to invite everyone, but he is sidetracked when he meets a boy nicknamed Candlewick who is about to go to a place called Toyland where everyone plays all day and never works. Pinocchio goes along with him when they are taken there by The Coachman, and they have a wonderful time for the next five months.

Pinocchio and Candlewick became donkeys.

One morning in the fifth month, Pinocchio and Candlewick awake with donkeys' ears. A Dormouse tells Pinocchio that he has got a donkey fever: boys who do nothing but play and never study always turn into donkeys. Soon, both Pinocchio and Candlewick are fully transformed. Pinocchio is sold to a circus by The Coachman. He is trained by the ringmaster to do tricks until he falls and sprains his leg. The ringmaster then sells Pinocchio to a man who wants to skin him and make a drum. The man throws the donkey into the sea to drown him. But when the man goes to retrieve the corpse, all he finds is a living marionette. Pinocchio explains that the fish ate all the donkey skin off him and he is now a puppet again.

Pinocchio finds Geppetto inside the Dogfish.

Pinocchio dives back into the water and swims out to sea. When the Terrible Dogfish appears, Pinocchio swims from it at the advice of the Fairy in the form of a little blue-furred goat from atop a high rock but is swallowed by it. Inside the Dogfish, Pinocchio unexpectedly finds Geppetto, who has been living on a ship inside there. Pinocchio and Gepetto with the help of a tuna, a companion inside the Dogfish, who, following his example, managed to escape and took them on his back to the mainland. Pinocchio gave a kiss of thanks and left with his father in search of a place to stay.

Pinocchio recognizes the farmer's donkey as his friend Candlewick.

Pinocchio and Geppetto encounter the Fox and the Cat who are now impoverished. The Cat has really become blind, and the Fox has really become lame and is also thin, almost hairless, and has chopped off his tail to sell for food. The Fox and the Cat plead for food or money, but Pinocchio rebuffs them and tells them that their misfortunes have served them right for their wickedness. Geppetto and Pinocchio arrive at a small house, which is home to the Talking Cricket. The Talking Cricket says they can stay and reveals that he got his house from a little goat with turquoise hair. Pinocchio gets a job doing work for Farmer Giangio and recognizes the farmer's dying donkey as his friend Candlewick.

Pinocchio becomes a real human boy.

After long months of working for the farmer and supporting the ailing Geppetto, Pinocchio goes to town with the forty pennies he has saved to buy himself a new suit. He discovers that the Fairy is ill and needs money. Pinocchio instantly gives the Snail he met back on the Island of Busy Bees all the money he has.

That night, he dreams that he is visited by the Fairy, who kisses him. When he wakes up, he is a real boy at last. His former puppet body lies lifeless on a chair. Furthermore, Pinocchio finds that the Fairy has left him a new suit, boots, and a bag in which he thinks are the forty pennies that he originally gave to her. Instead, the boy is shocked to find forty freshly-minted gold coins. Geppetto also returns to health.