"The young man with the scenic cravat glanced nervously down the sofa at the girl in the fringed dress. She was examining her handkerchief; it might have been the first one of its kind she had seen, so deep was her interest in its material, form, and possibilities.
The young man cleared his throat, without necessity or success, producing a small, syncopated noise.
'Want a cigarette?' he said.
'No thank you,' she said. 'Thank you ever so much just the same.'" (24)
Parker, Dorothy. "The Sexes" in The Portable Dorothy Parker. New York: Penguin Books, 1973.
So opens "The Sexes," one of Parker's best-known short stories. It feels like an exercise: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Does she tell you everything you need to know about the characters in this first sentence, through their clothing?
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'Want a cigarette?' he said.
'No thank you,' she said. 'Thank you ever so much just the same.'" (24)
Parker, Dorothy. "The Sexes" in The Portable Dorothy Parker. New York: Penguin Books, 1973.
So opens "The Sexes," one of Parker's best-known short stories. It feels like an exercise: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Does she tell you everything you need to know about the characters in this first sentence, through their clothing?