Dorothy Parker



""That bird only sings when she's unhappy.""

- Alexander Woollcott

"“You can drag a horticulture, but you can't make her think.”"

- Dorothy Parker, after being asked to use "horticulture" in a sentence.

Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) was an American poet, critic, and satirist, known for her biting wit. Her written works specialized in cynicism related to love and romance, how they don't seem to work in practice as they do in idealistic works, and how even people who know this still want love and romance. Some of her shorter works are flat-out memorized in certain circles, and her influence remains in the Popcultural Osmosis for tropes about non-ideal love.

She also collaborated with various people on occasional plays and screenplays, sharing an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay of the original A Star Is Born.

TV Tropes pages with page quotes from Dorothy Parker:

 * Flat Character
 * The Glasses Gotta Go
 * Informed Attribute

Works by Dorothy Parker provide examples of:

 * Authors of Quote
 * Baby Talk
 * Bait and Switch Comment: "This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force."
 * Caustic Critic
 * Dull Surprise
 * It's Been Done
 * Keep the Home Fires Burning: "Penelope"
 * Love Hurts
 * Rich Suitor Poor Suitor
 * Sarcasm Mode
 * Say My Name
 * Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism
 * The Snark Knight
 * Sophisticated As Hell