Reading Magazines Research Articles

Contraceptive nonuse among women in Uganda: a comparative assessment of predictors across regions

BackgroundContraceptive nonuse has diverse effects on women, such as unintended pregnancies and births that result in high fertility and poor maternal health outcomes. In Uganda, knowledge on contraceptive use is high, amidst undesirably high contraceptive nonuse and scarce literature on predictors of contraceptive nonuse across regions. This study assessed factors associated with contraceptive nonuse among women of reproductive age across regions in Uganda.MethodThis study used data from a cross-sectional 2016 Uganda demographic and health survey that had 18,506 women of reproductive age. The relationship between contraceptive nonuse and socio-economic and demographic factors across regions were assessed using a binary multivariable logistic regression model.ResultsIn Uganda, contraceptive nonuse is estimated at 40%. Northern region (55%) had the highest prevalence of contraceptive nonuse compared to Central region (35%) with the lowest. Across regions, wealth index, number of living children, educational level, and children born in the last 5 years prior to the demographic survey differently predicted contraceptive nonuse. Conversely, age, religion, age at first marriage, sexual autonomy, age at first birth, desire for children, listening to radio, and employment status were only predictors of contraceptive nonuse in particular regions amidst variations. Residence, perception of distance to health facility, watching television, and reading newspapers or magazines did not predict contraceptive nonuse.ConclusionsThe study findings propose the need to appreciate regional-variations in effect of contraceptive nonuse predictors and therefore, efforts should be directed towards addressing regional-variations so as to attain high contraceptive usage across regions, and thus reduce on unwanted pregnancies and births.

Drawn to travel

Drawing is integral to the profession of architecture, urbanism, and building. Being a design professional requires a commitment to lifelong learning and the constant pursuit of knowledge. Drawing and writing help catalog knowledge gained. The collection of experiences and memories serve as a design resource to draw upon. Taking photographs or reading magazine articles is a poor substitute for the well of ideas one collects while making an in situ drawing. It is not only a visual exercise, but a sensory immersion in sound, smell, feeling, and light. Drawing is experience. Drawing is research. Sketchbooks are stored experiences. Drawn ideas are remembered ideas, and travel is a design generator — especially if we draw.

Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors Among Children Aged 6–23 Months in Indonesia

BackgroundOptimum feeding practice is the key to determine development and growth among infants and young children. Dietary diversity is considered an indicator to assess nutritional adequacy. ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine the factors that associated with minimum dietary diversity types among children aged 6–23 months in Indonesia. MethodsSecondary data analysis was carried out for this study using the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS) 2017. The study was conducted with inclusion criteria in women of childbearing age with ages ranging from 15 to 49 years, having children aged 6–23 months, and living with respondents (n = 4861). Data obtained using a questionnaire with cross-sectional design approach. Chi-square test, and logistic regression test were used to measure the determinants of minimum dietary diversity. ResultsThe prevalence of children aged 6–23 months who received various foods was 3070 (63.15%) respondents. Age of child of 18–23 months [AOR = 5.88; 95% CI = 4.48–7.14], mother graduated from university level [AOR = 5.16; 95% CI = 2.07–12.89], access to maternal information on mass media (reading newspapers or magazines [AOR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.10–1.55] and watching television [AOR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.06–2.30]), and richest wealth quintile [AOR = 1.91; 95% CI = 1.32–2.75] significantly related to minimum dietary diversity in children aged 6–23 months in Indonesia. ConclusionsThe current study revealed that minimum dietary diversity among Indonesian children remain related to education, mass media and socio-economic level. Practice implicationsPediatric nurses can play a critical role here by delivering the messages through educational outreach visits that focus on poor uneducated mother.

Branje mladih leta 2009 in leta 2018 ter razlike v branju glede na spol in izobraževalni program

Reading of the youth in 2009 and 2018: differences according to gender and national study programme The article presents reading characteristics of 15-year olds, as assessed in the OECD PISA study. Since reading was the major domain of assessment in PISA 2009 and 2018 cycles, we investigated differences in the results in the following areas: reading motivation, frequency of reading specific reading materials, reading activities on-line, and the assessment of the usefulness of metacognitive reading strategies. The analysis was carried out on a PISA sample of Slovenian 15-year olds (n = 6073 in 2009; n = 6401 in 2018). Besides the differences in reading motivation and other reading factors between the two PISA cycles, we were also interested in if these factors differ according to gender and national study programme. The results of the present study show that in PISA 2018, compared to PISA 2009, Slovenian 15-year olds reported less enjoyment in reading, less time spent reading for enjoyment, they assessed the metacognitive reading strategies to summarize information as less useful, and they also reported significantly lower levels of reading newspapers, magazines and comic books. On the other hand, they reported more frequent searches for particular information on-line. Compared to boys, girls from all national education programmes reported higher levels of enjoyment in reading, they more often perceived reading as an important hobby and reported more frequent reading of fiction books. On the other hand, boys reported more frequent reading of non-fiction books. The results of the present study also showed no significant differences between boys and girls within a particular study programme in reading activities on-line. Furthermore, the majority of these activities were associated with above-average results in both PISA cycles. We see a challenge for the teaching profession in Slovenia in strengthening the interest for reading in youth, encouraging the social context of reading, empowering them with knowledge of the efficient use of different reading strategies and creating quality on-line learning materials with applicable content. Key words: PISA study, reading characteristics of youth, reading motivation, gender differences, differences in national study programmes

Implementasi Pendidikan Humanisme Religiusitas dalam Pendidikan Pendidikan Agama Islam di Era Revolusi Industri 4.0


 This study aims to explore the basic concept of humanismeme education as education so that children consciously have a religious character with an Islamic perspective and have an implementation in the learning process. So an approach is needed, a discussion method that includes deductive methods, inductive methods, comparative methods, and descriptive methods. Second, using library research, by collecting information from relevant reading materials, magazines, books, seminars and others, after which it is carefully studied and researched then the data is generalized and sorted according to the suitability of the research theme, then the data obtained from the sorting results are then analyzed. in depth with the method of analysis. Based on the results of the researcher's analysis, the concept of humanism education is an educational concept originating from the assumption that humans basically have almost the same potential which must be developed intensively and continuously, so that humanist religiosity education has relevance to the era of the industrial revolution 4.0. Humanism education directly invites students to find solutions to problems faced with guidance and direction from educators. The implementation of this concept emphasizes on educators so that they can create a learning environment that is far from the elements of coercion, oppression, hegemony of thought, and attitudes that are far from universal values ​​of monotheism and humanity.

Australian university and medical school life during the 1919 influenza pandemic

PurposeThis article examines the impact of the 1919 influenza pandemic on the life and culture of Australian universities, and the curious absence of sustained discussion about the crisis in university magazines. It considers two contexts, from the perspective of the general university population, and from the particular focus of medical students.Design/methodology/approachThe primary source for this analysis is based on detailed reading of university magazines across three universities, as well as other primary and secondary literature. The article was written during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which has limited access to some other magazines held in library collections, but the corpus of material is more than sufficient.FindingsThis article shows that the pandemic further deferred the resumption of university life after a hiatus during the First World War. The failure to identify the causal agent limited technical discussion in medical school magazines.Originality/valueThis is one of the first dedicated studies of the effect of the 1919 influenza pandemic on Australian universities. It joins a growing body of work considering the effect of the influenza on different community groups.

News Media Use and Political Attitudes of the University Students of Pakistan

This study examines the relationship between university students' news media use and the perception of politics and their attitude towards political involvement. Data was gathered from an online survey from 300 students enrolled in various universities in Lahore. The survey of the university students revealed that students tend to receive their political news and information passively from Facebook and Television. They are not likely to actively engage in seeking out political information by reading newspapers, magazines or websites. Facebook seems to be the most favored source of information among students. All the students irrespective of their background and academic disciplines tend to consume media more or less in the same way. It is concluded that the involvement of young students in politics is tied to their perception which is cultivated by the media.

Effects Of Mental Fatigue On Maximal Exercise Test Performance In Physically Active And Sedentary Adults

PURPOSE: This study examined the effects of mental fatigue on maximal treadmill walking exercise performance. METHODS: 50 young male (n = 25) and female (n = 25) adults were recruited to perform a maximal treadmill walking exercise test to volitional exhaustion on two occasions. Prior to the exercise test, participants performed a cognitive task in a randomized, counterbalanced manner for 30 minutes, with the incongruent Stroop task in the mental fatigue condition, and leisure magazine reading in the control condition. Subjective ratings of perceived mood, fatigue, and motivation to exercise were assessed before and after the cognitive task. Perceptual and physiological responses were collected throughout the exercise test. RESULTS: Significant decrease in perceived mood (p < 0.001) and motivation (p = 0.001), and significant increase in fatigue (p = 0.028) were found in the mental fatigue condition. Participants were found to rate their perceived physical exertion higher during the exercise test in the mental fatigue condition (p = 0.042). However, there were no significant differences in physiological responses and test exhaustion time. CONCLUSIONS: Mental fatigue increased perceived physical exertion during maximal treadmill walking exercise but did not impair exercise performance in both active and sedentary adults.

Dressed for leisure: the fashion descriptions in the mondaine chronicles of João do Rio

In recent historiography, there is a consensus that the modernizing reforms promoted in Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of the 20th century have changed the capital’s architecture and the relationship between its population and the urban experience, introd ucing new practices into daily lives of cariocas. Among them was the introduction of sports, with the press being the main vehicle for its dissemination. This article explores the presence of fashion dedicated to sports in chronicles and examines its contr ibution to the validation of a collective imagination about leisure. The literary representation of sportswear gains complexity in the “ civilisation du journal ” , in which social relations are regulated by the production and reading of magazines. Therefore, the aim is to map out the access to fashion paradigms by readers of periodicals. As a case study, two chronicles of João do Rio on the sports theme are analyzed. Published in the column “ A Semana Elegante ” in 1916, they focus on the female presence and th eir clothing in the practice of tennis and sea bathing. We conclude that the importation and representation of sports practices and their fashion acted in the construction of an imaginary of elegance in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Does Type of Financial Learning Matter for Young Adults’ Objective Financial Knowledge and Financial Behaviors? A Longitudinal and Mediation Analysis

We examined whether various types of financial learning activities affect young adults’ objective financial knowledge and financial behavior and if so, whether different types of such activities lead to different outcomes. Using three waves of longitudinal data collected from the same participants over 5 years, we assessed financial behaviors as well as associations with objective financial knowledge and various sources of financial learning among 640 young adults. We empirically evaluated direct and mediation effects between financial learning activities and financial behaviors. The results from our multilevel mediation regression model revealed significant differences in financial behaviors depending on the type of financial learning activity a participant experienced. Meeting with a financial advisor; reading personal finance books, magazines, and websites; having parents as financial role models; and gaining objective financial knowledge were all associated with positive financial behaviors. In contrast, attending workshops and seminars was associated with negative financial behaviors. Formal classroom learning in college had no effect on financial behaviors. Our analysis further indicated that financial knowledge played an important role in improving financial behaviors, significantly mediating the association between voluntary learning or nonvoluntary learning activities and financial behaviors.

REVIEWING THE CURRENT STATE OF EXTENSION IN GAUTENG PROVINCE: CASE OF FOOD SECURITY SUB-DIRECTORATES.

Given the introduction and evolution of technology aimed at improving agricultural production, agricultural extension and advisory services are crucial in ensuring understanding and adoption of these technologies. Research also emphasizes that extension acts as a bridge that facilitates connection between research and farmers as well as improve the efficiency and effectiveness of technology transfer. With the vast array of approaches and tools available, it is important that extension service methodologies are aligned and customised to beneficiaries to ensure assimilation of the intended interventions. According to the Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS), extension practitioners need to be cognisant of constant modifications to extension approaches and tools, and assess and select the appropriate approaches and tools to suit their respective working conditions and objectives. This study aimed at examining the state of extension in Gauteng province to ascertain its alignment to recommendations on how extension and advisory services should be for maximised impact. Primary data was collected from agricultural advisors (AAs) and senior AAs (SAAs) of Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) sub directorate of Food Security, which focusses on servicing food gardens. The study utilized descriptive statistics and thematic analysis to identify and assess agricultural extension tools and their perceived effectiveness. According to the SAAs, the departmental elected extension method is the technology transfer approach. The adopted approach does not allow consultation and participatory of beneficiaries being serviced. However, data collected from the AAs indicated that methods the AAs found effective included training and visit system, demonstration, and individual and group activities. To ensure that the AAs are aligned with modern technologies, AAs indicated utilising sources such web-based search engines, attendance of workshops and training, reading technical report and magazines, as well as attending information days. The selection of these resources was informed by resources available to the AAs, their knowledge and consultation with colleagues. The departmental adopted approach and AAs implementation tools need to be aligned in order to receive maximum impact. With inconsistencies observed in the performance of food gardens within the province and between the regions, it is recommended that GDARD investigates methods that have previously shown to be effective for extension and those that are technology-driven to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of technology transfer, also considering minimising the use of resources.

Determinants of Adolescent First Births in Indonesia

Adolescent childbirth remains a central issue for lower-middle-income countries such as Indonesia. The available literature suggests that this is associated with several adverse outcomes, including health and socioeconomic factors. This study aimed to evaluate determinants that correlate with mothers in Indonesia who first gave birth when they were adolescents. This study is a cross-sectional and examined data collected by Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS) in 2017. We investigated the variables of educational level, wealth index, residence, and access to media (frequency of reading newspaper or magazine, listening to the radio, watching television, using the internet) and their correlation with a weighted sample of women who had their first live birth when they were younger than 19 years old. We used multivariate logistic regression to adjust for confounding factors and to analyze the determinants of adolescent first birth. Education (AOR=15.39; 95 CI=11.13-21.26), wealth index (AOR=1.22; 95 CI=1.08-1.39), place of residence (AOR=1.23; 95 CI=1.13-1.34), frequency of reading newspaper or magazine (AOR=1.31; 95 CI=1.11-1.55), and frequency of using internet (AOR=1.30; 95 CI=1.02-1.65) were significant determinants of.adolescent first births in Indonesia. This study recommends better access to education for poor and lower educated young women to be prioritized. Policies and programs that support the wellbeing of adolescents to achieve the best outcome of health reproduction are needed. © Advanced Scientific Research. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of Women in the Reproductive Age Delivering by Cesarean Section in Ghana

Maternal mortality is a major contributor to the number of deaths that occur among women of childbearing ages (15–49). It is usually higher for women in developing countries than those in developed countries, principally due to ante-partum, intra-partum, and post-partum complications. The major cause of maternal mortality is unsafe delivery. Pregnant women at the delivery point can either deliver per vaginum or by cesarean section, depending on the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy. While many women deliver vaginally, cesarean delivery is appropriate for obstetric emergencies. This study, therefore, seeks to examine the characteristics of women in their reproductive age delivering via elective cesarean section in Ghana. The study used data from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS). A sample of 11,309 women was used for the study. Binary logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between delivery by cesarean section and the independent variables. A little over 12% of the respondents (12.4%) delivered through cesarean section. The results showed significant associations with age, place of residence, religion, level of education, frequency of reading newspaper or magazine, wealth index (richest), and delivery by cesarean section. The study concludes that the overall cesarean section rate was 12.4%. The results show that there is a significant association between delivery by cesarean section and maternal age, wealth index, level of education, place of residence, religion, and frequency of reading newspaper or magazine. However, given the complex role of cesarean section in labor and delivery care in low- and middle-income countries, these factors should be taken into cognizance in considering cesarean delivery among women in Ghana. It is also imperative to understand why high proportions of women seek CS without any maternal and fetal indication.

The print exposure of teacher candidates in relation to their achievement and self-ratings of early reading experiences

This study examined the print exposure of teacher candidates (N = 195) in relation to their GPAs, achievement in reading and writing on the SAT, and their self-ratings of their own early (K to Grade 5) reading experiences. Participants came from undergraduate and Masters programs in varied certification areas and from two different universities. Print exposure measures included author recognition tests for both fiction and nonfiction; a questionnaire about participants’ current voluntary reading habits for books, magazines, newspapers, and digital print media; and favorite authors/books questions. Exploratory factor analysis suggested four factors underlying the different print exposure measures: (1) fiction book reading volume; (2) current magazine and newspaper reading; (3) nonfiction book reading volume and (4) current book reading habits for enjoyment. Only fiction and nonfiction book reading volume related positively to participants’ achievement, in writing as well as reading, and to their early reading experience ratings. A subgroup of participants who had taken a specific reading methods course involving structured language content, and who had positive early reading experience self-ratings, had higher performance in the course than did participants with mixed or negative self-ratings, although the two groups did not differ in overall GPA. Findings support the view that different measures of print exposure tap somewhat different aspects of print exposure, with differing relationships to varied indicators of achievement. Results also support concerns about the reading volume and print exposure of some teacher candidates.

ФОРМУВАННЯ ПІЗНАВАЛЬНОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ ЧИТАЧІВ ЗАСОБАМИ ГЕЙМІФІКАЦІЇ В ДИТЯЧИХ ЖУРНАЛАХ

&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;There are summarized the scientific approaches to an interpretation of the definitions «gamification» and «playfication»; the lack of researches in modern theoretical discourse is emphasized; set of views on notions formulation is outlined; domestic and foreign scientific experience in the analyzed problem is studied in the article. On the basis of theoretical analysis, the differences between the concepts have been established, in particular, that gamification aims at serious and explicit goals, as opposed to playfication which may not have them and may not follow strict rules. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;The author also argues that the main difference between these concepts is that gamification has a stable feedback, unlike the playfication does not provide it.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; It is noticed that gamification in the general sense is the use of game practices and mechanisms in a non-game context in order to engage final users in solving the problem. At the same time, the game is a process detached from the current human activity, that has its own rules and a playing field beyond which it does not exist, but can certainly simulate these actions. The game is ultimate in its form, as it has a specific beginning and end, along with time limit. It does not involve solving certain tasks during the gameplay. While gamification uses only game elements and mechanics to introduce them into the ongoing process of human activity.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The author concludes that the formation of readers’ cognitive activity of children magazines by means of gamification is effective today because it creates a sense of competition that enhances children’s interest in reading magazines, and generally in the literature. Readers have a sense of excitement, and a curiosity for knowledge awakens. The gained results from the right answers give the children a sense of satisfaction, allow the game participants to raise their status and get some incentive to show persistence and creativity, and the competitive spirit gives its positive results. It is argued that game elements, like gamification itself, cannot be an alternative to the traditional presentation of information, but only an auxiliary element that must be used in limited quantity not to turn the desired process of cognitive activity into a game process.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Key words:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt; gamification, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;playfication&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;, game, game elements, cognitive activity, magazine, issue.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;

Does it matter what children read? New evidence using longitudinal census data from Spain

ABSTRACT It has long been thought that encouraging children to read is likely to be beneficial for the development of their literacy skills. However, a lot less attention has been paid to the issue of whether what students read matters for their academic progress. This paper therefore considers the association between the frequency young people read five different types of text (comics, short stories, books, newspapers and magazines) and their scores on standardised reading and mathematics tests. Drawing upon large longitudinal census data from the largest administrative region in Spain, we find that frequency of reading comics, newspapers and magazines is not associated with the development of children’s cognitive skills. In contrast, there is clear and consistent evidence of a positive and increasing association between the frequency children read books and their academic achievement. We consequently conclude that recommended reading time for children should be focused upon the time they spend reading books and not other material.

The Effects of a Predictive HMI and Different Transition Frequencies on Acceptance, Workload, Usability, and Gaze Behavior during Urban Automated Driving

Automated driving research as a key topic in the automotive industry is currently undergoing change. Research is shifting from unexpected and time-critical take-over situations to human machine interface (HMI) design for predictable transitions. Furthermore, new applications like automated city driving are getting more attention and the ability to engage in non-driving related activities (NDRA) starting from SAE Level 3 automation poses new questions to HMI design. Moreover, future introduction scenarios and automated capabilities are still unclear. Thus, we designed, executed, and assessed a driving simulator study focusing on the effect of different transition frequencies and a predictive HMI while freely engaging in naturalistic NDRA. In the study with 33 participants, we found transition frequency to have effects on workload and acceptance, as well as a small impact on the usability evaluation of the system. Trust, however, was not affected. The predictive HMI was used and accepted, as can be seen by eye-tracking data and the post-study questionnaire, but could not mitigate the above-mentioned negative effects induced by transition frequency. Most attractive activities were window gazing, chatting, phone use, and reading magazines. Descriptively, window gazing and chatting gained attractiveness when interrupted more often, while reading magazines and playing games were negatively affected by transition rate.

The Role of Pubertal Timing and Heterosocial Involvement in Early Adolescents’ Media Internalization: A Moderated Moderation Analysis

The present three-wave panel study ( N = 968, [Formula: see text] = 11.30, SD = 1.06) examines how developmental factors—pubertal timing and heterosocial involvement (i.e., one’s involvement in cross-sex activities)—influence early adolescents’ level of media internalization. We hypothesized that early pubertal timing positively moderates the association between sexualizing magazine reading and media internalization. Next, we argued that increased heterosocial involvement will weaken the amplifying influence of early pubertal timing on the aforementioned relationship. Both hypotheses were confirmed. For early adolescents who mature earlier than same-age/sex peers, reading sexualizing magazines resulted in more media internalization. Furthermore, our results showed that moderate to high cross-sex peer interactions can serve as a protective force against the negative influence of early pubertal timing. These results highlight the influential role of appearance-related developmental factors in the processing of sexualizing magazine content and point to the potential protective role of cross-sex peer interactions in media internalization.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ЖУРНАЛІСТСЬКИХ ПУБЛІКАЦІЙВ’ЯЧЕСЛАВА МЕДВЕДЯ —КОЛУМНІСТА

The subject of the inquiry is the peculiarity of Ukrainian literary columnistics. The main problem of the paper was to find out the reasons for the flourishing of Ukrainian columnistics at the intersection of fiction and journalism, to outline the main range of its themes, motives, images as exemplified by V. Medvid’s publications. Only ever some theoretical aspects of author’s columns in national magazines were the object of research of Ukrainian scholars, without a thorough analysis of particular journalistic works, so a detailed description of the writer’s columnist output has determined the scientific novelty of the paper. The objective of the paper is a comprehensive study of the individual uniqueness of the content in author’s columns by V. Medvid against the backdrop of the development of national columnistics and journalism in the 1990s and 2000s. For this purpose, a cultural-historical method was used to determine the reasons for writing and the context of specific publications of the columnist, their place and role in the work of the writer and in the intellectual life of Ukrainian society; a philological method was used for the analysis of texts of these publications and a comparative method was used to determine the commonalities and differences in the materials of the author’s columns by V. Medvid and other Ukrainian writers of this period. The results of the study are: 1) Among various definitions of the author’s column for Ukrainian columnistics, the most acceptable is its understanding as a rubric, which contains works of different genres, but in a specific column — works of one genre and one style, as evidenced by the output by V. Medvid. In the rubrics “Literary Pages” and “Librarian-review” V. Medvid finds himself as a literary critic, publishing reviews of anthologies of modern literature in the former and short literary portraits of contemporaries in the latter. Publications in the columns “From the Heights and Lowlands” and “Light and Shadow” are descriptive, essayistic. 2) V. Medvid’s columnistics emerges as a synthesis of public attention to key social, moral and ethical problems, an unbiased author’s worldview and a unique parable style of a writer-publicist. 3) It is stated that publications with clear, mostly simplified, conclusions, as well as clear accents in the division into positive and negative, are popular with readers of magazines, so V. Medvid’s columnistics was not very successful in general. His writing requires of the readers a high intellectual level, intended for a narrow elite audience. The application of the paper lies in the possibility of using its results in works on journalistic genre, the history of Ukrainian journalism and literature of the XX–XXI centuries, in the study of V. Medvid’s work.

The Fabulous Journeys of Alice and Pinocchio: Exploring Their Parallel Worlds by Laura Tosi with Peter Hunt

Reviewed by: The Fabulous Journeys of Alice and Pinocchio: Exploring Their Parallel Worlds by Laura Tosi with Peter Hunt Jan Susina (bio) The Fabulous Journeys of Alice and Pinocchio: Exploring Their Parallel Worlds. By Laura Tosi with Peter Hunt. McFarland, 2018. Books speak to other books, both consciously and unconsciously. I frequently pair the reading of texts whose themes or plots overlap: Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer; Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; and Heinrich Hoffmann's Struwwelpeter and Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But, although I often include both Alice and Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio in a history of children's literature course, it has never occurred to me to pair these two novels. After reading Laura Tosi's study that is intended to be "a critical narrative and a parallel reading of two classics, which records mutual interests and avenues of exploration between and across diverse linguistic, historical, and national borders of England and Italy" (2), such a pairing now appears obvious to me. The most useful aspects of this study lie in Tosi's carefully examination of Pinocchio, drawing upon her own scholarship as well as that of other Italian scholars not previously translated into English. As an Italian children's literature scholar, Tosi spends about sixty percent of the book examining Pinocchio and the other forty percent focusing on Alice. While Peter Hunt's name also appears in the title, he contributes just two short sections to this volume—the first in chapter 2, detailing how Alice and Pinocchio function as gendered children's books, and the second in chapter 4, discussing the use of fairies by Carroll, Collodi, George MacDonald, and Charles Kingsley—and in the Appendix his own quirky contemporary fairy tale, "The Strange Meeting in Wonder-Tuscany," in which he imagines the meeting of these two famous protagonists. Tosi acknowledges that Alice and Pinocchio differ in many ways, including their literary sources, authorial intentions, and the widely differing political and cultural backgrounds of the authors, yet she makes compelling claims for similarities between the two distinctive texts. Both books were written by eccentric bachelors who [End Page 192] published under pen names, and both were intended for a dual audience of children and adults. Building on the work of Ann Lucas Lawson, who has previously written on the similar nature of the authors' biographies, their frequent use of talking animals, and the pivotal use of courtroom scenes, Tosi argues that the books are also similar in their structure and composition: both are episodic wanderings of a protagonist who is confronted by a series of odd and somewhat threatening creatures during their travels. Curiously, both authors constructed the stories in two distinct sections. While Carroll intended Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass to be separate texts, the strong interlocking and mirroring of characters and episodes between the two volumes has led many publishers and makers of film adaptations to blend them into a single text. Similarly, Collodi produced Pinocchio in two distinct stages. Pinocchio I, initially published in the children's magazine Giornale dei bambini in 1881, originally ended with what is now chapter 15, which features the protagonist's gruesome death. At the request of the magazine's readers, Pinocchio II begins with his revival and chronicles his continuing struggle to become a real boy. Both texts are strongly influenced by the fairy tale and fantasy tradition. In addition, each is lauded as a national literary icon; Alice is considered stereotypically British and Pinocchio is viewed as an embodiment of Italian culture. Both texts are highly theatrical in nature, with Alice being influenced by the British pantomime tradition and Pinocchio growing out the world of puppetry. Alice and Pinocchio experience unexpected and grotesque body changes; after eating, Alice grows either too tall or too short for her environment and experiences an elongated neck, while Pinocchio is famous for his nose that grows when he tells lies. Metamorphosis occurs in both books, with the Duchess's baby transformed into a pig in Alice's arms, and...