the Victorian values they inherited, many writers and artists of the twenties began to question the very foundations of all values. Often labeled as nihilists and hedonists, they appeared devoted only to pleasure's fleeting joys, reveling in laughter, love affairs, and lively gatherings.

In the years that followed, many who participated in the cultural and literary life of the twenties reflected on the decade as an era of superficial pleasures. The stock market crash of 1929, followed by the Great Depression, abruptly ended the decade's extravagant spirit. Suddenly, responsibility, prudence, and social conscience took precedence.

Yet, despite its excesses, the decade gave rise to a remarkable outpouring of art and literature. As Parker and her contemporaries looked back, some embraced the excess of their youth with nostalgia, while others, like Parker herself, moved further from the halcyon days of early fame, continuing to forge their legacies.

Rhyme

This poem unfolds in a classic structure, composed of two four-line stanzas known as quatrains. A stanza serves as the poetic counterpart of a paragraph, and the quatrain stands as one of the most prevalent forms. The rhyme scheme dances in alternation, with the first and third lines of each stanza sharing a rhyme, mirrored by the second and fourth lines. In the inaugural stanza, rhyme lands on stressed single-syllable words, a style recognized as masculine rhyme. Progressing to the second stanza, words like “forsaken” and “awaken” create a harmonious echo across two syllables, termed double rhyme. Feminine rhyme, where the emphasis lies on an unstressed syllable, appears solely with the double rhyme in this piece. The rhyme throughout this poem is neither extraordinary nor entirely predictable, striking a balance between the two.

Meter

Delving deeper into the poem’s stylistic nuances, we encounter its intriguing meter. Meter involves the rhythmic repetition within a line. It is identified by two components: an adjective describing the rhythm pattern known as a foot, and a noun indicating the frequency of that pattern's appearance. This poem predominantly employs trochaic hexameter, punctuated by notable variations. Each stanza's opening line embraces trochaic pentameter. The trochee presents a pattern of stressed followed by unstressed syllables—DA-da—with emphasis on the first, contrasting with the more familiar iambic pattern—da-DA. For instance, "Robert" follows a trochaic pattern, while "Denise" exemplifies iambic. However, it is crucial to understand that these patterns extend beyond individual words to encompass the overall sound arrangement.

The poem thrives on rhythm, yet it departs from metrical perfection. The first line, "New love, new love, where are you to lead me?", exemplifies trochaic pentameter, with a rhythmic flow: DA da DA da DA da DA da DA da. Elsewhere in the poem, the author diverges from this precise meter, introducing an extra foot or syllable, such as the word "and" in the line, “How are you to slake me, and how are you to feed me?” Such deviations are not merely permissible but sometimes essential. Although Parker’s metrical mastery may not rival that of her contemporary, Edna St. Vincent Millay, who achieved metrical exactitude, the poem's concise form, repetition, and robust albeit uneven rhythm lend it a memorable quality.

• 1920s: Emerging marvels like the radio, the automobile, and motion pictures revolutionize communication, knitting a cohesive national tapestry.
  

  Today: Cutting-edge advancements such as the Internet, wireless connectivity, and broadband technology forge pathways to a global village, transforming communication on a worldwide scale.

• 1920s: Women exercise their voting rights for the first time, yet their voices remain largely unheard in the corridors of power.
  

  Today: Women stand tall in the halls of influence, holding positions across state, local, and federal governments, with significant roles in Congress, the Cabinet, and the Supreme Court, except the presidency.

• 1920s: African-American creatives converge on New York City, igniting the Harlem Renaissance—a flourishing of culture and art in a society steeped in segregation.
  

  Today: African-American talents in writing, music, acting, and entertainment reign supreme, earning acclaim and prosperity across diverse audiences.

• 1920s: The exhilarating rhythms of jazz captivate the youth, spreading through radios, phonographs, and electrifying live shows.
  

  Today: Hip-hop, rap, techno, and various musical genres pulse through the veins of the digital age, propagated by Internet sharing, CDs, and vibrant live performances.

• 1920s: Renowned works by modernist authors like James Joyce face the axe of censorship, banned in numerous American cities and forbidden in the U.S. mail.
  

  Today: With the exception of specific types of pornography, the era of government-enforced censorship has largely faded into history.

• 1920s: The stock market's ascent brings prosperity, fostering a daring spirit of optimism that shatters with the 1929 crash.
  

  Today: The buoyant economy of the late twentieth century gives way to apprehension as the stock market plummets, heralding the uncertainties of the twenty-first century.

Dorothy Parker: Selected Stories (1995), delightfully narrated by Elaine Stritch and brought to life by Penguin Audiobooks, serves as a captivating journey through some of Parker’s most celebrated tales.

Lauren Bacall Reads “Big Blond” (1995), released by Durkin Hayes Publishing, highlights the renowned actress as she breathes life into Parker’s iconic short story.

Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994), featuring captivating performances by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Campbell Scott, is directed by Alan Rudolph for Fine Line Features. Available on videotape and DVD, this film immerses viewers in the vibrant world of Dorothy Parker, portraying the dynamic interactions of her and her legendary Round Table companions.

Sources

Beilke, Debra, “Parker, Dorothy,” in Feminist Writers, edited by Pamela Kester-Shelton, St. James Press, 1996.

Gill, Brendan, “Introduction,” in The Portable Dorothy Parker, Penguin Books, 1973, pp. xvi, xviii.

Housman, A. E., “Is My Team Plowing,” in The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, edited by Richard Ellmann and Robert O’Clair, W. W. Norton, 1973, p. 98.

Kinney, Arthur F., Dorothy Parker, Revised, Twanye’s United States Author Series, No. 701, Twayne Publishers, 1998, pp. 92, 103.

Maugham, W. Somerset, Dorothy Parker, Viking Press, 1944, pp. 11–18.

Miller, J. Hillis, “Narrative,” in Critical Terms for Literary Study, edited by Frank Letricchia and Thomas McLaughlin, University of Chicago Press, 1990, pp. 66–79.

Parker, Dorothy, The Collected Poetry of Dorothy Parker, Modern Library, 1959, p. 141.

Pettit, Rhonda S., A Gendered Collision: Sentimentalism and Modernism in Dorothy Parker’s Poetry and Fiction, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2000, pp. 95, 112.

Review of Enough Rope, in the New York Times Book Review, March 27, 1927, p. 6.

Wilson, Edmund, “Dorothy Parker’s Poems,” in New Republic, Vol. XLIX, No. 633, January 19, 1927, p. 256.

Further Reading

Abels, Jules, In the Time of Silent Cal: A Retrospective History of the 1920s, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1969. Although not primarily concerned with literary events, this book provides a basic understanding of the social, political, and technological changes of the period of Parker’s early fame.

Frewin, Leslie, The Late Mrs. Dorothy Parker, Macmillan, 1986. This is one of several good biographies of Parker’s life and works, well-suited for an interested beginner.

Parker, Dorothy, The Collected Poetry of Dorothy Parker, Modern Library, 1959. This single volume contains selections from all of Parker’s collections and shows her development as a poet over a number of years.

—, Sunset Gun, Sun Dial Press, 1941. This is Parker’s second collection of verse. It contains “The Last Question,” which can be seen in its original context.