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Acknowledgments The Godfather has been with us in America for a long time, and my interest has been germinating for what seems like decades as well. Puzo’s and Coppola’s texts have been important to my teaching about popular narrative at the University of Illinois at Chicago for fifteen years. I’ve taught The Godfather in many contexts in literature courses to everyone from initially dubious freshmen who thought the university was for other pursuits to Ph.D. candidates who became willing accomplices in critical heists of theories and reading agendas. Thanks also goes to several critical reading friends: Marsha Cassidy, Gloria Nardini, Dina Bozicas, Marina Lewis, and Gina Frangello. Special thanks to John Huntington whose standards dictate that his good estimate of my prose is a sign that I might have nailed it. I benefited from the State University of New York Press readings of Frank Lentricchia and Anthony J. Tamburri. I’ve come full circle with Fred Gardaphe through our mutual interests and manuscripts; having been called upon to perform a major service for each other, we’ve formed a critical family of two. My first pass at the Roland Barthes material in chapter 5 was facilitated by a Humanities Institute Fellowship at UIC. At State University of New York Press, I would like to thank my acquisitions editor, James Peltz, production editor Marilyn Semerad, marketing manager Patrick Durocher, and freelance copyeditor Camille Hale. I am grateful to Donadio & Olson, Inc. for permission to quote from the works of Mario Puzo. I’ve been surrounded at home by Godfather aficionados. A part of the Messenger family business has always been good reading, writing, and editing, and I hope I’ve been more benign paterfamilias than Corleone. Thanks, Carrie, Luke, and Ellie. Finally, no book would ever get done without Janet, editor and compass down all the years, who, when I made the offer, did not refuse, and thereby hangs the tale of our life. vii ...

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