Description
Discover the intricate world of organized crime with 'The Mafia: A Cultural History' by Roberto M. Dainotto, now available in paperback. This engaging book delves into why characters like Tony Soprano resonate with us and examines the duality of the mafia's brutal reality versus its romanticized portrayal in popular culture. From its origins in rural Sicily to its notorious status as a global enterprise, Dainotto takes readers on a journey through the evolution of the mafia's image in films, music, and literature. This unique cultural analysis explores the Mafia's impact on society, revealing the material and psychological needs it fulfills in our collective imagination. With a blend of historical context and personal insights, this book challenges readers to reconsider their perceptions of crime, honor, and family values. Perfect for enthusiasts of mafia-themed content, this volume will leave you questioning the boundaries between reality and myth within organized crime narratives. Get your copy of 'The Mafia: A Cultural History' today and unravel the complexities of these compelling characters. Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. ISBN: 9781780239934. Year: 2018. Publisher: Reaktion Books.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled..
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781780239934
Year: 2018
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Description:
What makes Tony Soprano so likeable? Why would we rather leave the cannoli and take the gun? Do we truly want Scarface's Tony Montana to succeed? Is Michael Corleone a misunderstood hero or a despicable villain?
In The Mafia: A Cultural History, now available in paperback, Roberto M. Dainotto traces the complex and fascinating development of the mafia: its rural beginnings in Western Sicily; its growth into what has been aptly described as a global multinational of crime; and its parallel evolution in music, print and on the big screen. The book probes the tension between the real mafia - its brutal and often violent reality - and how we imagine it to be: a mythical assembly of codes of honour, family values and chivalric masochism. Rather than dismissing such mafia stereotypes as untrue, Dainotto sets out to understand what needs and desires, material and psychic longings, are satisfied by our mafia fantasies.
Exploring the rich array of films, books, television, music and even video games portraying and inspired by the mafia, this book offers not only a social, economic and political history of the mafia but a new way of understanding our enduring fascination with what lurks behind the sinister omerta of the family business.
`Dainottos The Mafia: A Cultural History offers something unique in the somewhat overcrowded category of books about the Mafia and its pop culture representations: a Sicilian intellectuals historically informed yet personal perspective on the enduring appeal of organized crime stories.' - PopMatters
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled..
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781780239934
Year: 2018
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Description:
What makes Tony Soprano so likeable? Why would we rather leave the cannoli and take the gun? Do we truly want Scarface's Tony Montana to succeed? Is Michael Corleone a misunderstood hero or a despicable villain?
In The Mafia: A Cultural History, now available in paperback, Roberto M. Dainotto traces the complex and fascinating development of the mafia: its rural beginnings in Western Sicily; its growth into what has been aptly described as a global multinational of crime; and its parallel evolution in music, print and on the big screen. The book probes the tension between the real mafia - its brutal and often violent reality - and how we imagine it to be: a mythical assembly of codes of honour, family values and chivalric masochism. Rather than dismissing such mafia stereotypes as untrue, Dainotto sets out to understand what needs and desires, material and psychic longings, are satisfied by our mafia fantasies.
Exploring the rich array of films, books, television, music and even video games portraying and inspired by the mafia, this book offers not only a social, economic and political history of the mafia but a new way of understanding our enduring fascination with what lurks behind the sinister omerta of the family business.
`Dainottos The Mafia: A Cultural History offers something unique in the somewhat overcrowded category of books about the Mafia and its pop culture representations: a Sicilian intellectuals historically informed yet personal perspective on the enduring appeal of organized crime stories.' - PopMatters