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A Look Back: Pauline Kael, and David Denby's Snark

Filed under: The Squib Report Tagged: David Denby, Pauline Kael

Martin Schneider writes:

My Facebook friend Michal Oleszczyk, who once reminded us about Pauline Kael's former apartment on the Upper West Side, yesterday pointed us in the direction of an unflinching reminiscence written by a fledgling film critic to whom Kael once showed unusual kindness. This is exactly the way I like to think of Kael, imperious but benevolent, possibly eccentric but supremely confident of her abilities and importance (check that closing line).

I really admire Ed Champion's willingness to grapple with the fundamental questions surrounding writing, and his defense of David Denby's Snark from several months ago certainly doesn't detract from that admiration. Back in the day, I was a FameTracker devotee of long standing (username: DerKommissar), so I respect the uses of snark while also harboring concern over its excesses. Either way, Denby's argument was almost certainly dismissed too quickly, and Champion's article is a useful corrective. Note that Choire Sicha and Adam Sternbergh took the time to respond to Champion in the comments.

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About us

Hello! We're a small band of culture writers, editors, and artists based in New York and Los Angeles. Emdashes, which spent its formative years as a New Yorker fan blog, is our collection of conversations—mostly civilized—about magazines, movies, design, punctuation, and other things that stir us.

Want to know more about the people who contribute to Emdashes, and the secret meanings behind our column titles? All about us.

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Dashes, some say, “are particularly useful in a sentence that is long and complex.” Emdashes—like an em dash itself—provides a thoughtful pause amid the hubbub.

Emdashes, founded in 2004, is written and drawn by Emily Gordon, Martin Schneider, Pollux, Jonathan Taylor, and Benjamin Chambers, as well as occasional guest contributors. All posts before October 2008 are by Emily Gordon.

The site was designed by House of Pretty with illustrations by Jesse R. Ewing.

Additional drawings are by Carolita Johnson and Pollux (author of our web comic, "The Wavy Rule"). The Emdashes pencil logo is by Jennifer Hadley, based on a 1943 Dorothy Gray ad.

Other writing by Emily Gordon

Reviews: theater writing (for Time Out Chicago)
Profile: Valerie Casey, Designers Accord founder, is spearheading the design of sustainability (for SXSW World)
Feature: Rea Irvin: visionary art director, bon vivant, New Yorker founding father (for Print)
Slide show: the Coney Island Mermaid Parade (for NYCgo.com)
Feature: Muslim immigration iconography in the Netherlands, and an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali (for Print)
Review: King's Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game by Paul Hoffman (for Newsday)
Homage: Celebrating lindy-hop legend Frankie Manning (for NYCgo.com)
Inquiry: Does a New Republic redesign mean a change of tune? (for Print)
Interview: James Surowiecki on what's next for the wisdom of crowds (for Assignment Zero)
Interviews: four up-and-coming designers under 30 (for Print)
Profile: novelist and dance critic Laura Jacobs (for Newsday)