Few authors are as quotable, or as consistently underestimated, as Dorothy Parker. Her caustic wit and succinct wisdom have secured her status as a literary powerhouse who moved seamlessly between essays and poetry, fiction and observation, sharp social commentary and deep personal feeling. Yet Parker herself worried that audiences were too dazzled by her “calisthenics with words” to grasp the deeper truths behind her cultural observations. This class gives Parker’s life and literature the thoughtful, close reading they deserve. We’ll sketch her character and intentions through her own words, then discuss a selection of her most notable work. All readings provided.