The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

I haven’t seen the Disney version of _Pinocchio_ (1940) as an adult. In my memory, it is a sad, dark film. There must have been happy moments, and a happy ending, but I have retained only those moments when Pinocchio is punished and humiliated. This shouldn’t be surprising; after all, the main purpose of the story is to teach children that they should be obedient and that they should not give in to low impulses or peer pressure. In any case, it took me years to pick up a copy of the book. I have finally read it, and I now realize there is much more to this story than meets the eye. Even the overall moral is more complex than I had realized.

_The Adventures of Pinocchio_ (1883) is the kind of book that needs no description. Everyone knows the story: a kind woodcarver makes a puppet that comes alive only to misbehave and suffer the consequences. Contrary to my impression of the protagonist before I read the story, Pinocchio is not necessarily bad; it seems to me that he is all too human, more human than he realizes. He is tempted many times along the way, but his weakness is understandable. The Marionette Theater promises entertainment; the Fox and the Cat promise him a fortune; Lamp-Wick promises a life of leisure in the Land of Toys. The real world, on the other hand, offers toil and trouble.

Pinocchio is a puppet both in the literal and the figurative sense: he is easy to manipulate because he lacks willpower. The Talking Cricket is the voice of conscience, but it is external. Collodi’s novel traces the journey from puppet to human being, which is complete when the voice of conscience has been developed and united to the person. This is done with the help of the Fairy, who is a mother figure. Hence both the Fairy and the Cricket have exited the scene before the story ends; they are no longer necessary.

I would describe _Pinocchio_ as a bildungsroman for children. “Bildung” means education, formation, and it sounds very similar to “building.” Collodi’s novel suggests that as long as one has not developed a conscience and a strong sense of individuality, one is not truly free. This is a timeless issue. Peer pressure is a big problem in our society, and one need only look around to see how it affects not only children and adolescents, but also adults. How many adults in our society can truthfully claim to think and act freely? According to Collodi, one is truly free only when one has developed the ability to make decisions after carefully considering their possible consequences. Pinocchio becomes human once he learns to think for himself and act according to a clear vision of the potential results of his actions. Work and self-sacrifice are also important, Pinocchio learns, as ways to give meaning to our lives. What we have here is, in many ways, an existentialist text.

_Pinocchio_ depicts the human condition in all its harshness and fragility. Poverty is a reality, and danger is always around the corner. Verismo was en vogue when the novel was published, and it is no coincidence that neorealism originated in Italy. The novel also features social commentary and satire; consider, for instance, the portrayal of physicians (the Crow and the Owl, with their conflicting diagnoses) and of the justice system (the judge, a gorilla, imprisons Pinocchio because he is innocent, and sets him free when the puppet pronounces himself a thief). Pinocchio nevertheless desires to be human: the novel is, in spite of all, life-affirming. I was reminded of Steven Spielberg’s 2001 film _A.I. Artificial Intelligence_, an obvious metatext, even a re-imagining, of Collodi’s novel. There are also the androids of _Blade Runner 2049_ (Denis Villeneuve, 2017), who wish they could be human (or even “more human than human”), and the holographic Joi, who would like to die for K, “like a real girl.”

Right after I finished the novel, I watched Matteo Garrone’s 2019 film adaptation, starring the hilarious Roberto Benigni as Geppetto. The movie’s imdb rating does not do justice to it. It is a visually stunning adaptation that follows the text quite closely. Some images are quite bizarre, and the atmosphere is rather dark, but this reflects the source material. I highly recommend this film, and Garrone’s interpretation of some of Giambattista Basile’s dark stories, _Tale of Tales_ (2015). I intent to re-watch the Disney movie tomorrow. And of course, we shall see what next year brings: two adaptations, by Guillermo del Toro and Robert Zemeckis (the latter for Disney), are set for release in 2022.

_The Adventures of Pinocchio_ is highly relevant, unforgettable, and thoroughly enjoyable. I wish I had read it earlier, but then, I do believe some books come to our lives at the moment when we are ready for them.

Next on my list, another book about growing up: _Peter Pan_ (1911), by J. M. Barrie.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the book!

What have I been missing all these years?! Seriously, if you have never read the original Pinocchio get your copy today. We have just finished reading it to our 11 and 8 year olds and they LOVED it as did we.

Pinocchio starts talking before he is even made into a puppet and the altercations between him, Mr. Cherry the carpenter and Gepetto at the beginning of the book are hilarious. In this original Pinocchio is WAY worse than in the Disney version and gets into many scrapes, all of his own making as he is very lazy and selfish. Will he ever learn to keep his promise, tell the truth or stop being misled? The reader really begins to wonder.

There are some great morals/lessons to be learned in this book and ALL kids should have the joy of knowing this real story. To paraphrase - Children who do not like to study or work but just want to play all day eventually become like donkeys! BEWARE!

What I like is that in the last couple chapters we get a brief summary of the entire book as Pinocchio is telling his story. This is really good as it refreshes your memory if, like us, you read this book over several days.

Sadly this Kindle version does NOT have any illustrations despite the fact that (illustration) is written in various places but that is the only downfall.

21th century culture tends to bury and purge anything that, for adults, is terrible, erotic or cruel, as it is death. In consequence we have books that are condescending toward them, and inversely adults whose belief is that being mature means to be exposed to that eroticism, to gore or blood. That is not adult: is immature.

Although I loved so much the Disney version (and I still love it) I am sure I had loved far more this book if I had read it when kid as I love it more now that I have finished to read it. I know many parents will think some images are quite adult for a kid (as Pinocchio killing by chance the talking cricket, throwing him a hammer) but it would be a wrong approach that only draws exaggerated attention to violence as something glamorous, those kids afterwards will be teens ravenous for violent video games. Pinocchio is not a bad boy/marionette, he has just a conflict of natural tendencies (as playing) against necessary societal requirements (as studying) to help him when he reach adulthood. Sadly in this world as in Pinocchios world there are those that take advantage of children to take from them what they could not get with honest effort. Is not that Pinocchio or any kid is dumb, is that bad adults that failed in their lives think they can take advantage of beings that are not their peers neither in experience nor in fearlessness to cheat and to scam. Through a long journey Pinocchio learns to be happy but, as in real life, the consequences of everything he did are not erased. One thing I have to say as an adult is that sadly this modern world is a bit different of the one in Pinocchio. Sadly now the promise of superior education is more a scam to get customers for unscrupulous universities that in many cases know that their degrees are worthless, or this trend of only allowing work for people with contacts while exploiting in exchange of nothing high skilled professionals. Id say in these modern times (of I.A.s, automatic algorithms and products made in foreign factories) education and work is good, but much education is worthless and much work for little payment is just an euphemism of slavery for vast corporations.

About the AmazonClassics Edition... I love the minimal design, correct format and contemporary typography. The X-Ray function is minimal but is there. I really love a lot that the work of the creators is not tainted by intellectuals, but is pure, and only a succinct biography at the end of the author and, in this book, of the translator. The translator is quite warm and transmits a tenderness that I really feel is in the original. I think these AmazonClassic editions are the best ones among public domain editions.

This book is definitely different from the Disney movie. Pinocchio was pretty much a completely unlikable character. The fairy was the only saving grace. Would not recommend unless youre just really curious.

This is a good free often humorous translation of the famous tale of Pinocchio, of the making of the marionette, the adventures it had, its relationship with the kind old man who made it and becoming its papa, and Pinocchio becoming a real boy. Most children know the story but not all the details that are in this easy to read short 36 chapters. They will enjoy the book. It is so good that it will likely prompt them to read other famous fables such as Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, which are also free, as well as other books. The free Kindle versions are easy to use.

This is a beautiful story filled with morals for both young and old. So happy to have read this classic as as an adult!

My grandmother was a schoolteacher and owned this book. My granddaughter borrowed it and told me how weird it was so I found it online so we could read it together. Written when childrens books were meant to teach lessons it is indeed strange. Fun to read too.

The original tale of Carlo Collodi, a book for all ages. A fast and enjoyable read, this is a book that should be experienced by everyone at least once in their life.

More of an adult read than a childrens book. I grew up with the movie, so I expected it to follow the book, but apart from the characters and some scene similarities, there is a huge difference between them. The author gives Pinocchio so much more depth than the movie does. His choices are more serious and so are his consequences, yet with every choice he makes and after every consequence, he grows more mature and you can see that maturity struggle with the ignorant child within him as he tries to make the right decision. As someone who believes that we all have an inner child, I love this read because it depicts how fallible we can be in giving into our wants versus our needs. Definitely a great read that I highly recommend.

A booklist blog that I read recommended this original version of the story of Pinocchio, published in 1883. Its very much different (and better) than the Disney cartoon we all grew up with.
The very first scene had me laughing out loud as Geppetto and a shop owner brawled.
This original version is more graphic and violent than the childrens version. For example (spoiler alert!), the talking cricket that Walt Disney lovingly named Jiminy only lasted a page and a half before Pinocchio killed it with a hammer. And in another scene (big spoiler alert!) Pinocchio is hiding four gold pieces in his mouth while the cat and fox try to pry it open with a knife. The puppet bites the cats paw off and spits it on the ground.
There are so many good lessons to be found in this story. Taken as a whole, we see a model of maturity. Pinocchio is a bad boy, but as he goes through life he takes note of the lessons around him. By the end of the book, hes accountable and responsible for caring for his father and the fairy. He does so by working extra hours and earning more money.