Children’s literature and authoritarism: facist reinterpretations of Pinocchio

Abstract

This article deals with the reinterpretations of Pinocchio (1883), commonly called 'pinocchiate', brief stories that were published in Italy after the death of its author, the journalist and writer Carlo Lorenzini, better known as Carlo Collodi (Florence, 1846-1890). What motivated this study were the questions about the symbolic value of children's literature, its aspects permeable to different ideologies, and its subjection to different types of erasures, especially throughout the 20th century, when authoritarian states led actions capable of questioning the very notion of civilization or humanity. Authoritarian governments tend to take school education as a channel for co-opting the youth to their regimes and, consequently, school books became vectors for such regimens. The derivations of Pinocchio intended for school use, whose plots would be based on ideals defended by the Italian fascist regime headed by Benito Mussolini (Forlì 1883 - Mezzegra 1945) are concrete examples of these vehicles of indoctrination.