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International Classic Characters And National Ideologies: Pinocchio And Alice In Greece, Petros Panaou Dr, Tasoula Tsilimeni

Petros Panaou

The transference of classic characters across the multilingual literary universe is a widespread phenomenon in international children’s literature. Characters from classic works transgress national and cultural boundaries, currying with them their national identities or forming new identities, adjusting to their new surroundings. As they engage in fresh metafi ctional adventures, their intertextual journeys (as described by Umberto Eco), and their multiple transformations, often serve national ideologies within the cultures that receive them; authors tend to invest national and cultural capital on these characters’ classic status.