Pinocchio is weirder than you remembered

3 days ago

The original 1881 version of Pinocchio ended with the puppet hanging dead from an oak tree after being robbed by the Fox and the Cat.
Collodi, a satirist before a children's author, wrote with deadpan irony, critiquing sentimental children's literature through dark elements like the cricket's death, the feet being burned off, and the donkey-skin drum.
Pinocchio played a key role in teaching standard Italian, using clean, simple Florentine Tuscan, which helped unify Italy's language from 2.5% speakers in 1861 to about 87% by 1951.
Collodi died without knowing the book's global impact, having written it reluctantly for financial reasons, and it remains widely read in its unsanitized form despite adaptations softening its darker aspects.

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