Was Pinocchio and the whale inspired in the book of Jonah?
The question cannot be answered definitively, since the original author is long dead, but the best answer is “probably”. Wikipedia describes the relationship best: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Pinocchio == It [Pinocchio] contains many covert literary allusions. For example, the basic plot in which Pinocchio, through idle curiosity, is transformed into a donkey and is then restored through the intervention of a benevolent female spirit is taken from Apuleius’ The Golden Ass, while his being swallowed by a giant fish may owe something to the story of Jonah.
The question cannot be answered definitively, since the original author is long dead, but the best answer is “probably”. Wikipedia describes the relationship best: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Pinocchio == It [Pinocchio] contains many covert literary allusions. For example, the basic plot in which Pinocchio, through idle curiosity, is transformed into a donkey and is then restored through the intervention of a benevolent female spirit is taken from Apuleius’ The Golden Ass, while his being swallowed by a giant fish may owe something to the story of Jonah. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.
