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Introduction to "Vince's Dragon"

No matter how serious the problem under consideration, it is always amenable to humor. Sometimes laughter can accomplish more than moralizing. In 1729, for example, Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" applied the scalpel of satire to the heartbreaking despair racking Ireland at that time.

Modern (and future) crime is a serious matter. But we don't have to take it completely seriously all the time. "Vince's Dragon " is unserious in two ways. First, it is a fantasy, which by nature is a form of literature that disdains to deal with the real world, and therefore need not be considered to be very serious.

Second, the characters in this story are deliberately drawn to show the absurd side of the underworld. Let s face it: Most of the guys I knew in South Philadelphia who ended up in the Mafia were not the best and brightest lights of the community. They were driven by ruthless greed and an utter disregard for the rights of others. They could be fearsome, and they often were. But they were unconsciously funny a lot of the time, too.

"The Godfather" and "The Sopranos" don't show you the whole story.

 

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Framed