The Impact Of Dorothy Parker On The Progression Of The 1920's

The “Jazz Age”, also known as the Roaring Twenties, is a period in the history of America that began after World War I. It is considered the “Jazz Age” because of the new style of music/ dance styles that had become popular at the time. When the words “Jazz Age” are said, people most likely think of Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington: two of the most influential musical artists who changed the way we knew music. There are tons of important people that contributed to the progression of the early 1920’s that aren’t as well known. Among the people that had influence towards the world that we have now was Dorothy Parker. Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer and critic. Her work was featured on platforms such as The

1926 was the year when she published her book containing all her poems, it had many popular reviews, but some dismissed it as “flapper poetry” (Prahl, 11), to prepare of the launch of her new book: she had been contributing her short stories into The New Yorker and that allowed people to have a taste of her work. It was during these years that she became part of an elite group of writers, authors, and screenwriting called the Round Table. The Round Table was held at the Algonquin Hotel; they had special lunches where they would have lunches and discuss their writing. It is said that she was one of the first people to join the Round Table and she might have even helped started the group. Her biggest and most known work was when she, Campbell, and Robert Carson wrote the script for the original 1937 A Star Is Born and they were all nominated for best original screenplay. Dorothy mostly wrote about her own life in a witty and “dark humored” (Prahl, 9) way, often depicting her failed attempts at falling in love and even her own thoughts towards her depression and even suicide. Parker would even joke that she wasn’t a “writer with a drinking problem, but rather a drinker with a writing problem.” (Anderson, 10) Many people at the time tended to shy away from topics that were too heavy and only wrote about the things such as drama, but Dorothy liked to embrace the fact that women were not perfect “flappers” like the media portrayed them out to be. “Some of her heroines are lovelorn, suicidal alcoholics but other are undeniably strong characters.” (Anderson,