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'''''The Adventures of Pinocchio''''' ({{IPAc-en|p|ɪ|ˈ|n|oʊ|k|i|.|oʊ}}, {{USdict|pĭ·nō′·kē·ō}}; {{lang-it|Le avventure di Pinocchio}}) is a [[children's literature|novel for children]] by Italian author [[Carlo Collodi]], written in [[Florence]]. The first half was originally a [[Serial (literature)|serial]] in 1881 and 1882, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of [[Pinocchio]] (pronounced {{IPA-it|piˈnɔkkjo|}} in Italian), an animated [[marionette]]; and his poor father, a [[woodworking|woodcarver]] named [[Mister Geppetto|Geppetto]]. It is considered a [[List of children's classic books|classic of children's literature]] and has spawned many derivative works of art, such as Disney's [[Pinocchio (1940 film)|1940 animated movie]] of the same name, and commonplace ideas such as a liar's long nose.
'''''The Adventures of Pinocchio''''' ({{IPAc-en|p|ɪ|ˈ|n|oʊ|k|i|.|oʊ}}, {{USdict|pĭ·nō′·kē·ō}}; {{lang-it|Le avventure di Pinocchio}}) is a [[children's literature|novel for children]] by Italian author [[Carlo Collodi]], written in [[Florence]]. The first half was originally a [[Serial (literature)|serial]] in 1881 and 1882, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of [[Pinocchio]] (pronounced {{IPA-it|piˈnɔkkjo|}} in Italian), an animated [[marionette]]; and his poor father, a [[woodworking|woodcarver]] named [[Mister Geppetto|Geppetto]]. It is considered a [[List of children's classic books|classic of children's literature]] and has spawned many derivative works of art, such as Disney's [[Pinocchio (1940 film)|1940 animated movie]] of the same name, and commonplace ideas such as a liar's long nose.
==History==
==History==
''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' is a story about an animated marionette, boys who turn into donkeys and other [[fairy tale]] devices. The setting of the story is the [[Tuscany|Tuscan]] area of Italy. It was a unique literary melding of genres for its time. The story's [[Italian language]] is peppered with [[Tuscan dialect|Florentine dialect]] features, such as the [[protagonist]]'s Florentine name.
''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' is a story about an animated [[marionette]], boys who turn into donkeys and other [[fairy tale]] devices. The setting of the story is the [[Tuscany|Tuscan]] area of Italy. It was a unique literary melding of genres for its time. The story's [[Italian language]] is peppered with [[Tuscan dialect|Florentine dialect]] features, such as the [[protagonist]]'s Florentine name.


In the 1850s, Collodi began to have a variety of both fiction and non-fiction books published. Once, he translated some French fairy-tales so well that he was asked whether he would like to write some of his own. In 1881, he sent a short episode in the life of a wooden puppet to a friend who edited a newspaper in Rome, wondering whether the editor would be interested in publishing this "bit of foolishness" in his children's section. The editor did, and the children loved it. The adventures of Pinocchio were serialized in the paper in 1881–2, and then published in 1883 with huge success.<ref>[http://www.yourwaytoflorence.com/db/pinocchio/pinocchio.htm Carlo Collodi – The Story of Pinocchio]</ref>
In the 1850s, Collodi began to have a variety of both fiction and non-fiction books published. Once, he translated some French fairy-tales so well that he was asked whether he would like to write some of his own. In 1881, he sent a short episode in the life of a wooden puppet to a friend who edited a newspaper in Rome, wondering whether the editor would be interested in publishing this "bit of foolishness" in his children's section. The editor did, and the children loved it. The Adventures of Pinocchio were serialized in the paper in 1881–2, and then published in 1883 with huge success.<ref>[http://www.yourwaytoflorence.com/db/pinocchio/pinocchio.htm Carlo Collodi – The Story of Pinocchio]</ref>


In the original, serialized version, Pinocchio dies a gruesome death: hanged for his innumerable faults, at the end of Chapter 15. At the request of his editor, Collodi added chapters 16–36, in which [[the Fairy with Turquoise Hair]] (or "Blue Fairy", as the Disney version names her) rescues Pinocchio and eventually transforms him into a real boy, when he acquires a deeper understanding of himself, making the story more suitable for children. In the second half of the book, the maternal figure of the Blue-haired Fairy is the dominant character, versus the paternal figure of Geppetto in the first part.
In the original, serialized version, Pinocchio dies a gruesome death: hanged for his innumerable faults, at the end of Chapter 15. At the request of his editor, Collodi added chapters 16–36, in which [[the Fairy with Turquoise Hair]] (or "Blue Fairy", as the Disney version names her) rescues Pinocchio and eventually transforms him into a real boy, when he acquires a deeper understanding of himself, making the story more suitable for children. In the second half of the book, the maternal figure of the Blue-haired Fairy is the dominant character, versus the paternal figure of Geppetto in the first part.

Revision as of 21:54, 5 October 2013

This article is about the Carlo Collodi novel. For other works with this title, see The Adventures of Pinocchio (disambiguation). For the Disney animated film, see Pinocchio (1940 film). For other uses, see Pinocchio (disambiguation).
The Adventures of Pinocchio
illustration from 1911 edition by Attilio Mussino
AuthorCarlo Collodi
IllustratorEnrico Mazzanti
LanguageItalian
GenreFiction, Literature, Fantasy, Children's book, Adventure
Publication date
1883
Publication placeItaly

The Adventures of Pinocchio (/pɪˈnoʊki.oʊ/, Template:USdict; Template:Lang-it) is a novel for children by Italian author Carlo Collodi, written in Florence. The first half was originally a serial in 1881 and 1882, and then later completed as a book for children in February 1883. It is about the mischievous adventures of Pinocchio (pronounced Template:IPA-it in Italian), an animated marionette; and his poor father, a woodcarver named Geppetto. It is considered a classic of children's literature and has spawned many derivative works of art, such as Disney's 1940 animated movie of the same name, and commonplace ideas such as a liar's long nose.

History

The Adventures of Pinocchio is a story about an animated marionette, boys who turn into donkeys and other fairy tale devices. The setting of the story is the Tuscan area of Italy. It was a unique literary melding of genres for its time. The story's Italian language is peppered with Florentine dialect features, such as the protagonist's Florentine name.

In the 1850s, Collodi began to have a variety of both fiction and non-fiction books published. Once, he translated some French fairy-tales so well that he was asked whether he would like to write some of his own. In 1881, he sent a short episode in the life of a wooden puppet to a friend who edited a newspaper in Rome, wondering whether the editor would be interested in publishing this "bit of foolishness" in his children's section. The editor did, and the children loved it. The Adventures of Pinocchio were serialized in the paper in 1881–2, and then published in 1883 with huge success.[1]

In the original, serialized version, Pinocchio dies a gruesome death: hanged for his innumerable faults, at the end of Chapter 15. At the request of his editor, Collodi added chapters 16–36, in which the Fairy with Turquoise Hair (or "Blue Fairy", as the Disney version names her) rescues Pinocchio and eventually transforms him into a real boy, when he acquires a deeper understanding of himself, making the story more suitable for children. In the second half of the book, the maternal figure of the Blue-haired Fairy is the dominant character, versus the paternal figure of Geppetto in the first part.

Children's literature was a new idea in Collodi's time, an innovation in the 19th century. Thus in content and style it was new and modern, opening the way to many writers of the following century.

International popularity

Collodi, who died in 1890, was respected during his lifetime as a talented writer and social commentator, and his fame continued to grow when Pinocchio was first translated into English by Mary Alice Murray in 1892, whose translation was added to the widely-read Everyman's Library in 1911. Other well regarded English translations include the 1926 translation by Carol Della Chiesa, and the 1986 bilingual edition by Nicolas J. Perella.

The popularity of the story was bolstered by the powerful philosopher-critic Benedetto Croce, who greatly admired the tale.

Plot

Pinocchio puppets in their stages of construction in a puppet shop window in Florence.
As Geppetto carves the puppet, the nose begins to grow.

A carpenter finds a talking piece of wood and gives it to his poor neighbor, Geppetto, who wants to build a marionette. Geppetto carves the block into a marionette puppet and names him his son, Pinocchio. However, Pinocchio runs away as soon as he learns to walk. The marionette is caught by a Carabiniere, but he assumes that Pinocchio has been mistreated and imprisons Geppetto. Pinocchio goes back to Geppetto's house where he kills a talking cricket who had warned Pinocchio of the perils of disobedience and hedonism. That evening, Pinocchio falls asleep with his feet on the stove, and wakes to find that they have burned off. Geppetto is released from prison and makes Pinocchio a new pair of feet. In gratitude, Pinocchio promises to attend school, and Geppetto sells his only coat to buy him a school book. On his way to school the next morning, Pinocchio encounters the Great Marionette Theatre, and he sells his school book in order to buy a ticket for the show. The marionettes on stage recognize him in the audience and call out to him, angering the puppet master, Mangiafuoco. The puppet master initially decides to use Pinocchio as firewood, but 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. They convince him that if he plants his coins in the Field of Miracles, outside the city of Catchfools, they will grow into a tree with a thousand or two gold coins. On the way to the field, they stop at an inn, where the Fox and Cat gorge themselves on food at Pinocchio's expense. They take off ahead of Pinocchio and disguise themselves as bandits while Pinocchio continues on toward Catchfools, despite warnings from the ghost of the talking cricket he had killed earlier. The disguised Fox and Cat ambush Pinocchio, but the puppet escapes to a white house. Upon knocking on the door, the Pinocchio is greeted by a young fairy with turquoise hair, who says she is dead and waiting for a hearse. Unfortunately, while Pinocchio is speaking with the fairy, the bandits catch him and hang him in a tree. After a while the Fox and Cat get tired of waiting for the puppet to suffocate and leave.

The Fox and the Cat, as drawn by Enrico Mazzanti

The fairy calls in three famous doctors to tell her whether Pinocchio is dead. One of them 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, as he will be dead soon if he doesn't take the medicine. 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 normal size. The fairy sends for Geppetto to come and live with them in the forest cottage.

When Pinocchio heads out to meet his father, he once again encounters the fox and cat, who no longer are wearing their disguises. They remind the puppet of the Field of Miracles, and finally he agrees to go with them and plant his gold. After half a day's journey, they reach the city of Catchfools, where everyone in town has done something exceedingly foolish and now suffers as a result. Pinocchio buries his coins, and then leaves for the twenty minutes it will take for his gold to grow into gold coin trees. Once he returns, he finds no trees and no gold coins. He reports the theft to a judge in Catchfools, and is sentenced to prison for four months for the crime of foolishness. Fortunately, all prisoners are released early when the emperor of Catchfools declares a celebration.

Pinocchio then heads back to the fairy's house in the forest. On the way, he encounters an enormous serpent who laughs at Pinocchio so hard that he bursts an artery and dies. While sneaking into a farmer's yard to take some grapes, Pinocchio is caught in a weasel trap. The farmer finds Pinocchio and ties him up in a doghouse to guard his chicken coop, but when Pinocchio foils the chicken-stealing plot of a group of weasels, the farmer frees the puppet as a reward. Pinocchio finally comes to where the cottage was and finds nothing but a gravestone, and believes that the fairy has died of sorrow.

A friendly pigeon sees Pinocchio mourning the fairy's death, and offers to give him a ride to the seashore, where Geppetto is building a boat in which to search for Pinocchio. They fly to the seashore and Pinocchio sees Geppetto out in a boat, but Pinocchio is washed ashore when he tries to swim to his father, and Geppetto is swallowed by The Terrible Shark. Pinocchio then accepts a ride from a dolphin to the nearest island, the Island of Busy Bees, where the marionette can only get food in return for labor. Pinocchio finally 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 as Pinocchio's 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 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 whale at the beach, the same one that swallowed Geppetto. However, the boys were lying, and a fight breaks out. One boy, Eugene, is hit by Pinocchio's school book, though Pinocchio did not throw it. Pinocchio is accused of injuring Eugene by two policemen, but the puppet escapes. During his escape, Pinocchio saves a drowning police dog who was chasing him, and in exchange the police dog later saves Pinocchio from an ogre who was going to eat the marionette. Pinocchio returns home to the fairy, who says she will give him another chance.

Pinocchio does excellently in school and passes with high honors. The Fairy promises that Pinocchio will be a real boy 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 Lampwick who is about to go to a place called Toyland, where everyone plays all day and never works. Pinocchio goes along with him and they have a wonderful time until one morning Pinocchio and Lampwick awake with donkey ears. A squirrel tells Pinocchio that boys who do nothing but play and never work always grow into donkeys. As a donkey, Pinocchio is sold to a circus and trained to do tricks, until he falls and sprains his leg. He is then sold to a man who wants to skin him a make a drum. The man throws the donkey into the sea to drown him, but when he 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 dives back into the water and swims out to sea—when he is swallowed by The Terrible Shark. Inside the Shark, Pinocchio sees a light from far off and he follows it. At the other end is Geppetto, who has been living on a ship inside the Shark. Pinocchio and Geppetto manage to escape the shark, and try to find a place to stay. They pass two beggars, who are the fox and the cat, now disabled and poor. The beggars plead for food or money, but Pinocchio will give them nothing, telling them it serves them right for their wickedness. They arrive at a small house, and living there is the talking cricket, who says they can stay. Pinocchio gets a job doing work for a farmer, and recognizes the farmer's dying donkey as his friend, Lampwick.

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 all the money he has, promising that he will help his mother as much as he is helping his father. That night, he dreams 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 and boots, and a bag which he thinks is the forty pennies he originally loaned to her. The boy is shocked to find instead forty freshly-minted gold coins. He is also reunited with Geppetto, now healthy and resuming woodcarving.

Characters

  • Pinocchio Pinocchio is a naughty, pine-wood marionette who gains wisdom through a series of misadventures which lead him to becoming a real human as reward for his good deeds.
  • Mister Geppetto Geppetto is an elderly, impoverished woodcarver and the creator (and thus father) of Pinocchio. He wears a yellow wig that looks like cornmeal mush (or polendina), and subsequently the children of the neighborhood (as well as some of the adults) call him "Polendina", which greatly annoys him. "Geppetto" is a nickname for Giuseppe.
  • Mister Antonio ([anˈtɔːnjo] in Italian, /ɑːnˈtoʊnjoʊ/ ân·tō′·nyō in English; Maestro Antonio): Antonio is an elderly carpenter. He finds the log that eventually becomes Pinocchio, planning to make it into a table leg until it cries out "Please be careful!" The children call Antonio "Mastro Cherry" because of his red nose.
  • The Talking Cricket (il Grillo parlante): the Talking Cricket is a cricket whom Pinocchio kills after it tries to give him some advice. The Cricket comes back as a ghost to continue advising the puppet.
  • Mangiafuoco ([mandʒaˈfwɔːko] in Italian, /ˌmɑːndʒəˈfwoʊkoʊ/ mân′·jə·fwō′·kō in English; literally "Fire-Eater"): Mangiafuoco is the wealthy director of the Great Marionette Theater. He has red eyes and a black beard which reaches to the floor, and his mouth is "as wide as an oven [with] teeth like yellow fangs". Despite his appearances, however, Mangiafuoco (which the story says is his given name) is not evil.
  • Harlequin (Arlecchino), Punch (Pulcinella), and Signora Rosaura: Harlequin, Punch, and Signora Rosaura are marionettes at the theater who embrace Pinocchio as their brother.
  • The Fox and the Cat (la Volpe ed il Gatto): Greedy animals pretending to be lame and blind respectively, the pair lead Pinocchio astray, rob him and eventually try to hang him.
  • The Innkeeper (l'Oste): an innkeeper who is in league with Fox and Cat, and tricks Pinocchio into an ambush.
  • The Fairy with Turquoise Hair (la Fata dai capelli turchini): the Blue-haired Fairy is the spirit of the forest who rescues Pinocchio and adopts him first as her brother, then as her son.
  • the Owl (la Civetta) and the Crow (la Cornacchia): two famous doctors who diagnose Pinocchio.
  • the Judge (il Giudice): the gorilla judge of Catchfool.
  • the Serpent (il Serpente): an enormous snake with a smoking tail.
  • the Farmer (il Contadino): a farmer whose chickens are plagued by weasel attacks.
  • Melampo: a watchdog.
  • The Terrible Dogfish (Il terribile Pescecane): a mile-long, five-story-high fish; pescecane, while literally meaning "dog fish", generally means "shark" in Italian.
  • Alidoro (del can mastino) ([aliˈdɔːro] in Italian, /ˌɑːliˈdɒroʊ/ â′·lē·dŏr′·ō in English): the old mastiff of a carabineer.
  • The Green Fisherman (Il Pescatore verde): a green-skinned ogre who catches Pinocchio in his fishing net and attempts to eat him.
  • Romeo ([roˈmɛːo] in Italian, /ˈroʊmi.oʊ/ rō′·mē·ō in English)/"Lampwick" or "Candlewick" (Lucignolo): a tall, thin boy (like a wick) who is Pinocchio's best friend and a trouble-maker.
  • the Little Man (l'Omino): the owner of Toy Country.
  • the Manager (il Direttore): the ringmaster of a circus.
  • the Master (il Padrone): a man who wants to make Pinocchio's hide into a drum.
  • the Tuna Fish (il Tonno): a tuna fish as "large as a two-year-old horse" who has been swallowed by the Terrible Shark.
  • Giangio ([ˈdʒandʒo] in Italian; /ˈdʒɑːndʒoʊ/ jân′·jō in English): the farmer who buys Romeo as a donkey.

Adaptations

The story has been adapted into many forms on stage and screen, some keeping close to the original Collodi narrative while others treat the story more freely. There are at least fourteen English-language films based on the story (see also:The Adventures of Pinocchio), not to mention the Italian, French, Russian, German, Japanese and many other versions for the big screen and for television, and several musical adaptations.

Derivative works

  • Cherubini, E (1911), Pinocchio in Africa, Italy{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  • Tolstoy, Aleksey Nikolayevich (1936), The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino, Russia{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link), a loose adaptation.
  • Fontana a Pinocchio, Milan, 1956, bronze statues of Pinocchio, the Cat, and the Fox{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  • Pinocchio in Outer Space, 1965, feature: Pinocchio has adventures in outer space, with an alien turtle as a friend.
  • The Erotic Adventures of Pinocchio, 1971 was advertised with the memorable line, "It's not his nose that grows!"
  • Weldon, John (1977), Spinnolio (parody), National Film Board of Canada.[2]
  • Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, 1987, animation, a follow up.
  • Edward Scissorhands, 1990, movie, contains elements both of Frankenstein and Pinocchio.
  • Coover, Robert (1991), Pinocchio in Venice, novel, continues the story of Pinocchio, the Blue Fairy, and other characters.
  • Pinocchio's Revenge, 1996.
  • Spielberg, Steven (2001), A.I. Artificial Intelligence, film, based on a Stanley Kubrick project that was cut short by Kubrick's death, recasts the Pinocchio theme; in it an android with emotions longs to become a real boy.
  • Shrek, 2001, movie: Pinocchio was a character in the first three movies.
  • Shrek the Musical, Broadway, December 14, 2008{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
  • Pinocchio 3000, Canada, 2003 CGI film.
  • Teacher's Pet, 2004 contains elements and references of the 1940 adaptation and A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
  • Dine, James ‘Jim’ (2006), Pinocchio, Steidl, illustrations.
  • ———— (2007), Pinocchio, PaceWildenstein.
  • Navok, Lior (2009), opera, sculptural exhibition. Two acts: actors, woodwind quintet and piano.
  • Costantini, Vito (2011), The other Pinocchio, musical, the first musical sequel to 'Adventures of Pinocchio'. The musical is based on The other Pinocchio, Brescia: La Scuola Editrice, 1999, book. The composer is Antonio Furioso. Vito Costantini wrote "The other Pinocchio" after the discovery of a few sheets of an old manuscript attributed to Collodi and dated 21/10/1890. The news of the discovery appeared in the major Italian newspapers.[3] It is assumed the Tuscan artist wrote a sequel to 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' he never published. Starting from handwritten sheets, Costantini has reconstructed the second part of the story. In 2000 'The other Pinocchio' won first prize in national children's literature Città of Bitritto.
  • Carter, Scott William (2012), Wooden Bones, novel, described as the untold story of Pinocchio, with a dark twist. Pino, as he's come to be known after he became a real boy, has discovered that he has the power to bring puppets to life himself.
  • Marvel Fairy Tales, a comic book series by C. B. Cebulski, features a retelling of The Adventures of Pinocchio with the robotic superhero called The Vision in the role of Pinocchio.
  • Once Upon a Time, (2011) ABC television series. Pinocchio and many other characters from the story have major roles in the episodes "That Still Small Voice" and "The Stranger".

See also

References

  1. ^ Carlo Collodi – The Story of Pinocchio
  2. ^ Weldon, John. "Spinnolio" (Adobe Flash). Animated short. Montreal: National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  3. ^ La Stampa, IT, 1998-02-20{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).

Literature

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