Pauline Kael and the Western genre as critical displacement of self & nation: metaphorics and affects of 'taste' in American film criticism

Pauline Kael (1919–2001) is one of the most influential American film critics of the second half of the twentieth century. Many people are writing on her presently, with at least half an eye to her future cultural, political and historical importance. Certainly the full impact of Kael’s work, both within and beyond the borders of cinema (however defined), has not yet been established. This article unpacks the mechanisms and operations of ‘taste’ in Kael’s writings by using two notions drawn from Roland Barthes’ observations about another key figure of current cultural critique: Julia Kristeva. The comparison of Kael with Kristeva is not dwelt upon; instead, the article focuses on how Kael used the concepts of ‘taste’ and ‘dis-taste’ to draw her readership into a field of what might be termed ‘permanent dissent’. This article concludes by sketching out why Jewish-American Kael’s taste might endure, through the dual transition she occupies from a Cold War to a post-Cold War period, and from an era when cinema was the supreme, undisputed, screen artform, to the rise of the myriad screen technologies of the networked, Internet age.<style type="text/css"> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-font-charset:78; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-font-charset:78; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --><span id="1403143814663S" _fck_bookmark="true" style="display: none;"> </span>Pauline Kael (1919–2001) is one of the most influential American film critics of the<br />second half of the twentieth century. Many people are writing on her presently, with at<br />least half an eye to her future cultural, political and historical importance. Certainly the<br />full impact of Kael’s work, both within and beyond the borders of cinema (however<br />defined), has not yet been established. This article unpacks the mechanisms and<br />operations of ‘taste’ in Kael’s writings by using two notions drawn from Roland<br />Barthes’ observations about another key figure of current cultural critique: Julia<br />Kristeva. The comparison of Kael with Kristeva is not dwelt upon; instead, the article<br />focuses on how Kael used the concepts of ‘taste’ and ‘dis-taste’ to draw her readership<br />into a field of what might be termed ‘permanent dissent’. This article concludes by<br />sketching out why Jewish-American Kael’s taste might endure, through the dual<br />transition she occupies from a Cold War to a post-Cold War period, and from an era<br />when cinema was the supreme, undisputed, screen artform, to the rise of the myriad<br />screen technologies of the networked, Internet age.<span id="1403143814627E" _fck_bookmark="true" style="display: none;"> </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Pauline Kael (1919–2001) is one of the most influential American film critics of the<br>second half of the twentieth century. Many people are writing on her presently, with at<br>least half an eye to her future cultural, political and historical importance. Certainly the<br>full impact of Kael’s work, both within and beyond the borders of cinema (however<br>defined), has not yet been established. This article unpacks the mechanisms and<br>operations of ‘taste’ in Kael’s writings by using two notions drawn from Roland<br>Barthes’ observations about another key figure of current cultural critique: Julia<br>Kristeva. The comparison of Kael with Kristeva is not dwelt upon; instead, the article<br>focuses on how Kael used the concepts of ‘taste’ and ‘dis-taste’ to draw her readership<br>into a field of what might be termed ‘permanent dissent’. This article concludes by<br>sketching out why Jewish-American Kael’s taste might endure, through the dual<br>transition she occupies from a Cold War to a post-Cold War period, and from an era<br>when cinema was the supreme, undisputed, screen artform, to the rise of the myriad<br>screen technologies of the networked, Internet age. </span></style>