Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi, was first published in 1881. Collodi (whose real name was Carlo Lorenzini) never married or had children. He lived in Florence, Italy. He decided to write for children "because adults are too hard to please!" Pinocchio was his first children's book. And it counts as my 19th Century Classic for Karen's Back to the Classics Challenge. (Sorry, Anthony Trollope! I'll have to tackle Can You Forgive Her? next year.)
After reading this one, I have to say, I like Disney's version better. It's cuter, and Pinocchio is more likable, and there are fun songs to sing!
In the book, Pinocchio is impetuous, selfish, prone to temper tantrums, thoughtless, gullible and easily swayed. He never listens to the good advice he's given; but he always follows the bad influences he meets. In chapter 4, he even throws a wooden mallet at the book's version of Jiminy Cricket, killing him. Boy was that a surprise! Pinocchio makes mistake after mistake. Sometimes he feels bad and promises to do better, but his promises never seem to last. And he has one misadventure after another. It's not until after he rescues Gepetto from the gigantic shark that swallowed him, and then works selflessly to nurse him back to health, that Pinocchio changes for the better and finally becomes a real boy.
So, I didn't love this one. But it was interesting to see how it compares to the Disney version. And, as my twelfth classic of 2021, it completes my Back to the Classics Reading Challenge for this year. So, yay! I'm proud I actually managed to finish all twelve categories this time around.
Happy Reading!
