High Society

Parker, Dorothy, 1893-1967Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 116K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.High Society by George S. Chappell, Frank Crowninshield, and Dorothy ParkerAuthor: Parker, Dorothy, 1893-1967,Language: English, Class: NC: Fine Arts: Drawing, Design, Illustration, Release Date: Mar 14, 2018

Editor's review

High Society is a collaborative work by George S. Chappell, Frank Crowninshield, and Dorothy Parker, classified by Project Gutenberg under Fine Arts: Drawing, Design, Illustration. Its multi-author origins give it a distinctly magazine-like wit and literary tone, and Parker's participation is especially notable—her writing is known for its cleverness, irony, and precise social observation, qualities that in a collaborative work tend to surface as light mockery of upper-class manners. The book's value lies not in systematic knowledge but in offering a light yet sharp mode of expression from early twentieth-century American urban culture, making it a good sample of the literary humor of that era. Readers might note the interplay between its teasing tone and its illustration-style presentation, treating it as a period cultural piece rather than serious sociological analysis. For readers who enjoy short humorous writing and old-periodical style, the book is more entertaining than instructive.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Dorothy Parker's clever, ironic style
Readers interested in early twentieth-century American urban culture
Editors seeking short humorous material and old-periodical style references
Casual readers who prefer light essays and do not seek systematic knowledge

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting serious sociological analysis or class studies
Fans of fiction who need complete plots and long-form narrative
Beginner readers unfamiliar with early English humor

Reading tips

Read by short pieces or sections, one or two at a time, keeping a relaxed pace rather than trying to read straight through.
Note whom the teasing targets and how far the tone goes, understanding the jokes in the context of early twentieth-century American urban life.
Read alongside other Dorothy Parker works to sense traces of her personal style within the collaboration.
Mark period slang or allusions as you go and look them up afterward, so as not to break the reading rhythm.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a collection of essays?

Judging from its Project Gutenberg classification under Fine Arts: Drawing, Design, Illustration, and given the literary backgrounds of its three authors, it is closer to a light cultural work with illustrations and a humorous tone than to a full-length novel with a complete plot. It is best read in short pieces or sections, without expecting continuous narrative.

Which parts did Dorothy Parker write in this collaboration?

The available information only states that the book was co-authored by George S. Chappell, Frank Crowninshield, and Dorothy Parker; it does not specify which pieces or sections each person wrote. It is therefore impossible to identify exactly which text came from Parker, and readers can only sense traces of her clever, ironic style from the overall tone.

Can someone with average English read this book?

You can try, but there will be some obstacles. The book carries early twentieth-century English usage and period humor, and some slang and allusions are not immediately clear to contemporary readers. Intermediate or higher English reading ability, with notes or reference works, is recommended to appreciate the humor properly.

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About the author

Parker, Dorothy, 1893-1967 Author

Dorothy Parker (1893–1967) was an American writer, poet, and critic known for her witty, sharp-edged short stories, poems, and drama reviews. She often wrote for publications such as The New Yorker, and her concise, cool prose exposed the embarrassments and self-deceptions of urban men and women in love, marriage, and social life through humor and irony. Her poems often wrap disappointment and loneliness in light rhythms, creating a distinctive personal style. The library holds three of her works, including High Society and a combined volume of Men I’m Not Married To and Women I’m Not Married To. These works continue her keen observation of gender relations and social hypocrisy, with concise language and sharp satire. Although public information is limited and biographical details are difficult to elaborate, the available works show her talent for revealing human weaknesses in short forms, and she has had a lasting influence on American modern humor writing and women’s writing.