1. Bourdieu's analysis of French society is structured around the opposition between the aesthetic disposition--the pure gaze--and the popular disposition. The pure gaze elevates form over function, which implies a distancing from the world. The popular disposition elevates function over form and wants its art to be human and concerned with emotions and morality. These dispositions spread out from the narrowly aesthetic to manifest themselves in all areas of life. Even what kind of rice you buy and where you buy it is linked to your underlying taste disposition.

2. There is a strong pessimistic aspect to Bourdieu's portrait. The pure gaze is tightly linked to the upper classes, those who possess the greatest amount of educational and social capital. (There is a complicated relationship between educational and social capital. Sometimes it is conflictual but often it is collusional.) This is a hierarchical, immobile society. Bourdieu's Aristotelianism adds to this pessimism. Tastes are competences which must be acquired by slow habituation. They "cannot be transmitted solely by precept or prescription." (66) In other words, you have to grow up in a house furnished with antiques to really be able to pull off the pure gaze.

3. However, there are several factors which mitigate this pessimism for me. First of all, Bourdieu's analysis is very place- and time-bound. French society is more of a closed hierarchy than American society, especially pre-1968 French society. Bourdieu admits that he has uncovered generational differences which may lead to a more open French society in the future. (83) In addition, his dispositions are defined with too great a focus on modernist painting.

4. This brings me to my second reason for not being so pessimistic. I do not like the pure gaze. I think it is clear that modernist art has degenerated into a silly cul-de-sac, which shows that
something was amiss with this stance all along. For me, great art is moral art.

5. Bourdieu actually also does not have too high an opinion of the pure gaze. For him, the
pure gaze is a kind of superficial, confident bluffing. For Lynes, the lowbrow were the
anti-intellectual children. This is, ironically, Bourdieu's view of the elites who practice the pure gaze. (52, 54)

6. Another reason for my lack of pessimism is that I have found that bitterness towards elites only leads to dissatisfaction.

7. Also, Bourdieu's opposition is too binary. For example, "Brokeback Mountain" is not an example of popular culture, but it has a devastating emotional impact.

8. Bourdieu is clearly ambivalent about his methodology. He recognizes that the terms he uses in his statistical analysis are contested--in fact this contest is what his study is about--but argues that his use of a "field" view will enable him to create the objective categories his statistical analysis requires. (12) That he has not even convinced himself of this is shown by
how often he reverts to this topic. He is worried that statistical analysis is "essentialist" (19) or "substantialist" (22) and must be supplemented by close analysis of the factors under consideration. By the end he has actually made a convincing case for "thick description" (Geertz). For my part, I have found that a little methodology goes a long way. Otherwise methodology can become a black hole from which you cannot escape. It is best just to get on with it.

9. Bourdieu's presentation of Kantian aesthetics is misleading. Kant did argue that disinterestedness--"pleasure purified of pleasure" (66)--is the central aesthetic quality, but art has a moral function for him. Since Kantian ethics is a matter of duty not inclination, the
disinterested aesthetic stance is supposed to be training for his similar ethical stance. Kant's ethics has been attacked for being unrealistic, and I think similar criticisms can be raised about his aesthetics and thus against the pure gaze.

10. I disagree with Woolf's claim that "Pride and Prejudice" is a perfect object for the pure gaze. (35) While no doubt it is a finely wrought novel, it is a blistering social critique and has many scenes of deep emotion. It is my favorite novel.

11. I like Petula Clark. She did record a lot of songs in French, but I do not know why.