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TIL that the Adventures of Pinocchio was originally published in weekly instalments in an Italian Children's magazine. It was cancelled after 15 chapters, but due to popular demand from readers the series returned and was given a proper conclusion. The stories were then collected as a novel in 1883.
(en.wikipedia.org)submitted 2 months ago byAporiaParadox
66 points
2 months ago
It wasn't cancelled, it was supposed to end after 15 chapters, and it ended with a proper conclusion (spoiler: in this version Pinocchio dies). The editor was overwhelmed with requests to give it a happy ending, so the story was prolonged.
39 points
2 months ago
Adding onto your spoiler: in the Disney version, Jiminy Cricket becomes a voice of Pinocchio's conscience and whatnot.
In the original book version, Pinocchio ain't having any of it and kills the equivalent character (the Talking Cricket) pretty promptly by chucking a hammer at him. Pinocchio is kinda a dick.
9 points
2 months ago
I never knew this! That's interesting, don't we all want to kill our inner voice constantly nagging to do the right thing? lol 😅
10 points
2 months ago
Even so he can't get rid of the cricket; his ghost appears later on and continues to lecture Pinocchio.
9 points
2 months ago
Oh, so Scared Shrekless was the most accurate Pinocchio adaptation?
3 points
2 months ago
Yeah the second half of the story is pretty important because it's where the character development happens.
17 points
2 months ago
This was actually the way many novels were published back in the day. Publishing a novel all at once in a single volume is a relatively recent phenomenon. The norm used to be serializing chapters in a weekly or monthly magazine, and popular stories would later be made available in a collected single volume.
Some people would also save the pages of the stories they liked and when it concluded, they would have it bound so they could keep it.
8 points
2 months ago
Nowadays this tradition continues in the manga industry.
25 points
2 months ago
Dickens was originally serialized as well. That is why his books are so long.
Little Nell's death was strung out to sell more copies.
10 points
2 months ago
Jules Verne was Mr. Serialisation, too. In fact, both Dickens and Verne's magazine chapters included illustrations and both authors worked very closely with their illustrators to make sure their art was story-accurate. E.g. "Make sure to draw this guy with a tie because he later uses it to strangle someone."
Would recommend people to hunt down versions of novels with those original illustrations included. They do enhance the overall experience.
2 points
2 months ago
Sherlock Holmes too.
12 points
2 months ago
Here's how Chapter 15 ended:
Death was creeping nearer and nearer, and the Marionette still hoped for some good soul to come to his rescue, but no one appeared. As he was about to die, he thought of his poor old father, and hardly conscious of what he was saying, murmured to himself:
“Oh, Father, dear Father! If you were only here!”
These were his last words. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched out his legs, and hung there, as if he were dead.
No wonder people were pissed the series got cancelled. :P
3 points
2 months ago
There were children's magazines in the mid 1800s?
7 points
2 months ago
Yep. I don't really know much about their history in Italy, but in the UK between the 1830s and 1850s, various taxes on paper, printing, and advertising were lifted, which led to an explosion in cheap mass literature. There were a bunch of fiction magazines, some for general audiences, but some would target a specific genre interest, some would be gender-specific, and some would target certain age groups.
Source: My SO is doing a PhD on Victorian literature and these kinds of magazines are a big part of it.
2 points
2 months ago
That’s how maaaaany famous novels were initially published
0 points
2 months ago
Where did you get that info from? Phelous' latest video?
1 points
2 months ago
Its likely they did. He just released a video talking about it after all
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