A multifaceted analysis of a classic tale by a leading European philosopher, accompanied by iconic illustrations.

Carlo Collodi’s celebrated work has been subject to a wide array of interpretations—ranging from the Masonic and esoteric to the theological and philosophical. Beneath its lively prose and playful plot lies a wealth of complexity and a multiplicity of meanings. Giorgio Agamben turns his keen philosophical gaze toward the story of the famous puppet, offering his own nuanced interpretation.

"Much like in the Eleusinian Mysteries, the point of the story of Pinocchio is not to impart some secret knowledge to the reader—the kind forbidden to be shared with outsiders. The little wooden man undergoes this rite by living through a series of events <…>; like Lucius in Apuleius’s tale, he experiences an initiation—an initiation, first and foremost, into his own life."