Synopses & Reviews
When we think of the Italian Mafia, we think of Marlon Brando, Tony Soprano, and the Corleones& mdash;iconic actors and characters who give shady dealings a mythical pop presence. Yet these sensational depictions take us only so far. The true story of the Mafia reveals both an organization and mindset dedicated to the preservation of tradition. It is no accident that the rise of the Mafia coincided with the unification of Italy and the influx of immigrants into America. The Mafia means more than a horse head under the sheets& mdash;it functions as an alternative to the state, providing its own social and political justice.
Combining a nuanced history with a unique counternarrative concerning stereotypes of the immigrant, Salvatore Lupo, a leading historian of modern Italy and a major authority on its criminal history, has written the definitive account of the Sicilian Mafia from 1860 to the present. Consulting rare archival sources, he traces the web of associations, both illicit and legitimate, that have defined Cosa Nostra during its various incarnations. He focuses on several crucial periods of transition: the Italian unification of 1860 to 1861, the murder of noted politician Notarbartolo, fascist repression of the Mafia, the Allied invasion of 1943, social conflicts after each world war, and the major murders and trials of the 1980s.
Lupo identifies the internal cultural codes that define the Mafia and places these codes within the context of social groups and communities. He also challenges the belief that the Mafia has grown more ruthless in recent decades. Rather than representing a shift from honorable crime to immoral drug trafficking and violence, Lupo argues the terroristic activities of the modern Mafia signify a new desire for visibility and a distinct break from the state. Where these pursuits will take the family adds a fascinating coda to Lupo's work.
Review
andldquo;This book helps to challenge the many clichandeacute;s written and said about the Mafia. Written with clarity, intelligence, and expertise, it makes us understand the true essence of the Mafia, a crime organization organically linked to power and wealth and which contributed to the survival of social antagonism. Dainotto does a superb job of weaving together the complex history of the Mafia. It is faithfully factual, gripping, prescribed reading.andrdquo;and#160;
Synopsis
What makes Tony Soprano so humanly amiable? Why we would rather leave the cannoli and take the gun? Do we really want Scarface to succeed? Is Michael Corleone a hero or a villain?
Roberto Dainotto traces both the development of the mafia, from its rural beginnings in Western Sicily and its growth into what has been aptly described as a global multinational of crime, alongside its parallel evolution in music, print, and on the big screen. Rather than dismissing our collective imagining of the mafia as merely untrue, Dainetto sets out to understand what needs and desires, what kind of universal material and psychic longings are satisfied by our fantasies about the mafia.
Dainotto offers a new way of understanding our enduring fascination with what lurks behind the sinister Omertand#224; of the family business.
Synopsis
What is it about Tony Soprano that makes him so amiable? For that matter, how is it that many of us secretly want Scarface to succeed or see Michael Corleone as, ultimately, a hero? What draws us into the otherwise horrifically violent world of the mafia? In
The Mafia, Roberto Dainotto explores the irresistible appeal of this particular brand of organized crime, its history, and the mythology we have developed around it.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Dainotto traces the development of the mafia from its rural beginnings in Western Sicily to its growth into a global crime organization alongside a parallel examination of its evolution in music, print, and on the big screen. He probes the tension between the real mafiaand#151;its violent, often brutal realityand#151;and how we imagine it to be: a mythical potpourri of codes of honor, family values, and chivalry. But rather than dismiss our collective imagining of the mafia as a complete fiction, Dainetto instead sets out to understand what needs and desires or material and psychic longing our fantasies about the mafiaand#151;the best kind of the bad lifeand#151;are meant to satisfy.
Exploring the rich array of films, books, television programs, music, and even video games portraying and inspired by the mafia, this book offers not only a social, economic, and political history of one of the most iconic underground cultures, but a new way of understanding our enduring fascination with the complex society that lurks behind the sinister Omertand#224; of the family business.
About the Author
Born in Sicily, Roberto Dainotto is professor of romance studies and literature at Duke University, where he teaches courses on modern and contemporary Italian culture. He is the author of Europe (in Theory) and Place in Literature.
Table of Contents
Preface
One: Of Rustic Knights and Godfathers: The Origins of the Mafia
Two: From Corleone to Hollywood
Three: The Far West is Here
Four: The Godfather
Five: Prime Time
Six: Avatars
References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index