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A Telephone Call
A Telephone Call is a short story from Complete Stories, a collection of Dorothy Parker's stories published in 1995.
You can read the story here:
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/...
You can read the story here:
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/...
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First published January 1, 1930
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About the author
Dorothy Parker
330 books2,053 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
Dorothy Parker was an American writer, poet and critic best known for her caustic wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhappy childhood, Parker rose to acclaim, both for her literary output in such venues as The New Yorker and as a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table. Following the breakup of the circle, Parker traveled to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting. Her successes there, including two Academy Award nominations, were curtailed as her involvement in left-wing politics led to a place on the Hollywood blacklist.
Dismissive of her own talents, she deplored her reputation as a "wisecracker." Nevertheless, her literary output and reputation for her sharp wit have endured.
Dorothy Parker was an American writer, poet and critic best known for her caustic wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th century urban foibles. From a conflicted and unhappy childhood, Parker rose to acclaim, both for her literary output in such venues as The New Yorker and as a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table. Following the breakup of the circle, Parker traveled to Hollywood to pursue screenwriting. Her successes there, including two Academy Award nominations, were curtailed as her involvement in left-wing politics led to a place on the Hollywood blacklist.
Dismissive of her own talents, she deplored her reputation as a "wisecracker." Nevertheless, her literary output and reputation for her sharp wit have endured.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
December 5, 2017
Don't let me go on hoping. Don't let me say comforting things to myself. Please don't let me hope, dear God. Please don't.
(John William Waterhouse)
Bearing the myth of Pandora’s box in mind, my reading of it might lean towards the bleak interpretation of its moral. Hope, instead of a blessing to humankind, is a pernicious gift and can be the ultimate instrument of self-torture. I tend to be on the side of Nietzsche when he (in his Human, All Too Human) wrote
”Pandora brought the box of ills and opened it. It was the gift of the gods to men, outwardly a beautiful and seductive gift, and called the Casket of Happiness. Out of it flew all the evils, living winged creatures, thence they now circulate and do men injury day and night. One single evil had not yet escaped from the box, and by the will of Zeus Pandora closed the lid and it remained within. Now for ever man has the casket of happiness in his house and thinks he holds a great treasure; it is at his disposal, he stretches out his hand for it whenever he desires; for he does not know the box which Pandora brought was the casket of evil, and he believes the ill which remains within to be the greatest blessing, it is hope. Zeus did not wish man, however much he might be tormented by the other evils, to fling away his life, but to go on letting himself be tormented again and again. Therefore he gives Man hope,- in reality it is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs the torments of Man.”
Not that a whiff of cynicism cannot merrily flock together with gleeful laughter, like in this grim-witty cautionary tale. A woman sits next to the telephone waiting for a call from a man she has met and who half-heartedly promised to call her back, trying to make the call happen by absurd magical thinking, barely refraining from calling him herself and inventing pointless reasons why he doesn’t call. Laughing at her tragi-comical silliness, one could feel relieved being (finally?) free from such proclivities oneself and nonetheless maybe relate to her infatuation also, as bittersweet reminiscences of the ludicrous things one has done (or does?) for love, even if dating from maybe 30 years ago, not unlikely to rear their heads again while reading about her suffering.
Detachment is admirable. But hope, it might be a tenacious thing, more adhesive than you might have imagined.
The story can be read on line here.
(John William Waterhouse)
Bearing the myth of Pandora’s box in mind, my reading of it might lean towards the bleak interpretation of its moral. Hope, instead of a blessing to humankind, is a pernicious gift and can be the ultimate instrument of self-torture. I tend to be on the side of Nietzsche when he (in his Human, All Too Human) wrote
”Pandora brought the box of ills and opened it. It was the gift of the gods to men, outwardly a beautiful and seductive gift, and called the Casket of Happiness. Out of it flew all the evils, living winged creatures, thence they now circulate and do men injury day and night. One single evil had not yet escaped from the box, and by the will of Zeus Pandora closed the lid and it remained within. Now for ever man has the casket of happiness in his house and thinks he holds a great treasure; it is at his disposal, he stretches out his hand for it whenever he desires; for he does not know the box which Pandora brought was the casket of evil, and he believes the ill which remains within to be the greatest blessing, it is hope. Zeus did not wish man, however much he might be tormented by the other evils, to fling away his life, but to go on letting himself be tormented again and again. Therefore he gives Man hope,- in reality it is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs the torments of Man.”
Not that a whiff of cynicism cannot merrily flock together with gleeful laughter, like in this grim-witty cautionary tale. A woman sits next to the telephone waiting for a call from a man she has met and who half-heartedly promised to call her back, trying to make the call happen by absurd magical thinking, barely refraining from calling him herself and inventing pointless reasons why he doesn’t call. Laughing at her tragi-comical silliness, one could feel relieved being (finally?) free from such proclivities oneself and nonetheless maybe relate to her infatuation also, as bittersweet reminiscences of the ludicrous things one has done (or does?) for love, even if dating from maybe 30 years ago, not unlikely to rear their heads again while reading about her suffering.
Detachment is admirable. But hope, it might be a tenacious thing, more adhesive than you might have imagined.
The story can be read on line here.
June 11, 2021
A Short Story originally published in 1930 by the great and witty poet and author Dorothy Parker.
A young lady is pleading with God as she waits for her sweetheart to call her. ☎ She gets angrier and angrier by the minute and makes up a myriad of excuses. She then turns to bargaining with God. Oh, you feel her pain.
Perhaps not much has changed all these years. Maybe today some women just sit and wait for that text that never comes.
An interesting story and you can read it for free at the link below.https://www.classicshorts.com/stories...
A young lady is pleading with God as she waits for her sweetheart to call her. ☎ She gets angrier and angrier by the minute and makes up a myriad of excuses. She then turns to bargaining with God. Oh, you feel her pain.
Perhaps not much has changed all these years. Maybe today some women just sit and wait for that text that never comes.
An interesting story and you can read it for free at the link below.https://www.classicshorts.com/stories...
June 12, 2021
“ God, aren't You really going to let him call me? Are You sure, God? Couldn't You please relent? “
A young woman is desperately waiting for a phone call from a young man whom she clearly loves - he promised to ring her at 5 o’clock and that was hours ago. As the minutes tick by she pleads and bargains with God.
Enjoyable little story, that was first published in 1930, but will still be played out today on a daily basis, all over the world. Thanks to Tina for the link!
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/...
A young woman is desperately waiting for a phone call from a young man whom she clearly loves - he promised to ring her at 5 o’clock and that was hours ago. As the minutes tick by she pleads and bargains with God.
Enjoyable little story, that was first published in 1930, but will still be played out today on a daily basis, all over the world. Thanks to Tina for the link!
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/...
July 7, 2018
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
First published in 1930
I don’t read a lot of short stories but now and then I will come across one that I really enjoy.
In "A Telephone Call" the main character, a young woman is waiting for a call from a young man. He said he would call! From bargaining with God to counting by fives she's desperately wanting that phone to ring.
"If I didn't think about it, maybe the telephone might ring."
I really liked this short story! A reminder of a time where I just wanted that damn phone to ring! For HIM to call.
Why hasn’t he called? He said he would!
My mother would say “Don’t chase him”.
So I waited...and waited. Sitting by the phone. Picking it up to hear the dial tone, to make sure it was working.
FINALLY! It would ring!
But it wasn't HIM!
It was for my mother or was someone else calling me. I remember my friends and I would get irritated with each other if we happened to call when we were waiting for HIM to call. Nothing like hearing "Oh, it's just you" from your best friend. But deep down we understood.
Oh, the anxiety! Staying at home! UGH! I remember calling him and asking “Did you call me? My phone was accidentally unplugged.” I don’t ever want to know how many hours I sat and waited. I’m embarrassed now thinking about it….I wonder if he knew.
Then we got CALL DISPLAY. I finally got tired of waiting for him to call and went out. I would get home and see that he actually DID call. In fact, he called quite a few times. I asked him if he called and he said NO. He really wasn't worth all of that time.
Now we have cell phones! We can go out while waiting for a call!
I thought this short story was really entertaining and oh so relatable.
If you would like to read it click ---- here.
First published in 1930
I don’t read a lot of short stories but now and then I will come across one that I really enjoy.
In "A Telephone Call" the main character, a young woman is waiting for a call from a young man. He said he would call! From bargaining with God to counting by fives she's desperately wanting that phone to ring.
"If I didn't think about it, maybe the telephone might ring."
I really liked this short story! A reminder of a time where I just wanted that damn phone to ring! For HIM to call.
Why hasn’t he called? He said he would!
My mother would say “Don’t chase him”.
So I waited...and waited. Sitting by the phone. Picking it up to hear the dial tone, to make sure it was working.
FINALLY! It would ring!
But it wasn't HIM!
It was for my mother or was someone else calling me. I remember my friends and I would get irritated with each other if we happened to call when we were waiting for HIM to call. Nothing like hearing "Oh, it's just you" from your best friend. But deep down we understood.
Oh, the anxiety! Staying at home! UGH! I remember calling him and asking “Did you call me? My phone was accidentally unplugged.” I don’t ever want to know how many hours I sat and waited. I’m embarrassed now thinking about it….I wonder if he knew.
Then we got CALL DISPLAY. I finally got tired of waiting for him to call and went out. I would get home and see that he actually DID call. In fact, he called quite a few times. I asked him if he called and he said NO. He really wasn't worth all of that time.
Now we have cell phones! We can go out while waiting for a call!
I thought this short story was really entertaining and oh so relatable.
If you would like to read it click ---- here.
May 9, 2020
I know you shouldn't keep telephoning them—I know they don't like that. When you do that they know you are thinking about them and wanting them, and that makes them hate you.
What sort of creature have you been dating? Such a man is not worth a prayer to any god for a telephone call. What happened to asking god for world peace, anyway? Even out of political correctness as they did in beauty pageants before the world realized they were another display of sexism and started asking for their demise.
Parker included many elements (sometimes rather similar elements) that elicit different responses.
Awkwardness.
Please let me see him again, God. Please, I want him so much. I want him so much. I'll be good, God. I will try to be better, I will, if You will let me see him again. If You will let him telephone me.
Amusement.
Oh, it's so easy to be sweet to people before you love them.
Enlightenment.
I know, God, just as well as You do, that if he were worried about me, he'd telephone no matter where he was or how many people there were around him... If he wanted me, he could get me. He knows where I am.
It wasn't so difficult, now, was it? Sadly, this isn't the end of the story. So another reaction was irritation. That's why I gave it three stars despite its somewhat relatable mix of ambivalent feelings. I kept reading it using the narrator's (most likely) desperate little voice. The memory of her plea still vexes me.
Feb 23, 19
* Also on my blog.
Amiga, date cuenta.
Time and attention should never be begged.
October 12, 2021
It's much easier to ignore such angst in person as you aren't necessarily privy to the innermost pleas of the insecure female. (Do males ever act this way?) But reading the histrionic pleas and barters, the wishes and death wishes, the justifications and unjustifications, quickly becomes gratingly irksome and you find yourself wishing to pull the darn phone out of the wall and throw it into the deepest depths of the Grand Canyon! Oh, but for some peace!
Irritating content, but striking in the fact that the author manages to stir up an intense reaction in this reader! (Surely I was never so desperately dramatic?!)
https://www.classicshorts.com/stories...
Irritating content, but striking in the fact that the author manages to stir up an intense reaction in this reader! (Surely I was never so desperately dramatic?!)
https://www.classicshorts.com/stories...
December 14, 2017
I have a handful of GR friends whom, on the strength of their encouraging reviews, without more, I am guaranteed a sterling reading experience. Ilse is one of those. A link to her brilliant review (including a link at the end to the story, free, online) follows.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I can't compete with Ilse with respect to substantive commentary, but a little context is in order. This is 5-star short story. It requires your full focus in one sitting for a maximum of ten minutes. Well-worth the investment.
A Western reader under 45 may benefit from a little stage-setting prior to reading Parker's one-sided conversation with God.
There was a time not so long ago when there were no cell phones, which meant no portability and no texting.
But ... before that, there was a time when there were no home answering machines (pre 1960, but really later than that, for the average household), no call waiting and no records of missed calls.
Even once the Internet was available, one had to use dial-up through one's telephone line in order to access it; you could either leave your phone line available for incoming calls OR you could use the Internet, but not both simultaneously.
"I'll call you." The cruelest three words a man who didn't mean them could utter to a woman who cared that they be true. If he called, you wanted to take the call. Words that kept a woman housebound for days. You couldn't stop on the way home from work, because you must minimize the gap in time between availability at your work phone and availability at home --just in case. You didn't do laundry lest he call while you were in the laundry room of your apartment building. No stops at the gym. No plans with friends. You showered very quickly, lest you not hear the ring. (Most homes had phones attached to the wall in the kitchen, and maybe a second phone on a short cord in the living room or bedroom.)
The most evil speakers of, "I'll call you," were men who uttered those words after a few dates. A friend or acquaintance would ask, "Are you seeing anyone?" and you'd respond, "yes," because, well, we've been getting along well, and he said he'd call me, but.... did he mean it or was he too much of a coward to say, bye, without more? The recipient of the false promise didn't know it was false until she'd spent sometimes five or six nights within twenty feet of a phone that didn't ring. It was enough to make a woman wish for all of the seemingly conflicting wishes at the heart of Parker's story.
I've heard. From friends.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I can't compete with Ilse with respect to substantive commentary, but a little context is in order. This is 5-star short story. It requires your full focus in one sitting for a maximum of ten minutes. Well-worth the investment.
A Western reader under 45 may benefit from a little stage-setting prior to reading Parker's one-sided conversation with God.
There was a time not so long ago when there were no cell phones, which meant no portability and no texting.
But ... before that, there was a time when there were no home answering machines (pre 1960, but really later than that, for the average household), no call waiting and no records of missed calls.
Even once the Internet was available, one had to use dial-up through one's telephone line in order to access it; you could either leave your phone line available for incoming calls OR you could use the Internet, but not both simultaneously.
"I'll call you." The cruelest three words a man who didn't mean them could utter to a woman who cared that they be true. If he called, you wanted to take the call. Words that kept a woman housebound for days. You couldn't stop on the way home from work, because you must minimize the gap in time between availability at your work phone and availability at home --just in case. You didn't do laundry lest he call while you were in the laundry room of your apartment building. No stops at the gym. No plans with friends. You showered very quickly, lest you not hear the ring. (Most homes had phones attached to the wall in the kitchen, and maybe a second phone on a short cord in the living room or bedroom.)
The most evil speakers of, "I'll call you," were men who uttered those words after a few dates. A friend or acquaintance would ask, "Are you seeing anyone?" and you'd respond, "yes," because, well, we've been getting along well, and he said he'd call me, but.... did he mean it or was he too much of a coward to say, bye, without more? The recipient of the false promise didn't know it was false until she'd spent sometimes five or six nights within twenty feet of a phone that didn't ring. It was enough to make a woman wish for all of the seemingly conflicting wishes at the heart of Parker's story.
I've heard. From friends.
November 10, 2018
Wow, this short story was like being in my head. I was a particularly angsty teenager, perpetually fancying myself in love, perpetually hanging around the telephone & shedding many tears. For me, not a comfortable read, but Ms Parker gets the tone exactly right.
I definitely want to read some more works by this author.
I definitely want to read some more works by this author.
May 12, 2019
Don't let me go on hoping. Don't let me say comforting things to myself. Please don't let me hope, dear God. Please don't.
Love and Hope. Two wonderful, positive feelings that can make a person's life bliss if reciprocated. However, love and hope can also become instruments of personal angst and torture, if they are a one-sided affair. A Telephone Call describes the latter. Through her monologue with God, the woman in question describes all the various conflicting emotions that are going through her... love, hope, despair and hatred...while she waits for a telephone call from the man she loves, who promised to call her but till the end of the story still hasn't. We know that the 'promised call' will never come, and to a certain extent towards the end the lady in question guesses it too but aahh for those feelings of love and hope.....
Thanks Joviee for the recommendation. I actually read this within 10-15 minutes which should be a new record for me loll 😁.
Love and Hope. Two wonderful, positive feelings that can make a person's life bliss if reciprocated. However, love and hope can also become instruments of personal angst and torture, if they are a one-sided affair. A Telephone Call describes the latter. Through her monologue with God, the woman in question describes all the various conflicting emotions that are going through her... love, hope, despair and hatred...while she waits for a telephone call from the man she loves, who promised to call her but till the end of the story still hasn't. We know that the 'promised call' will never come, and to a certain extent towards the end the lady in question guesses it too but aahh for those feelings of love and hope.....
Thanks Joviee for the recommendation. I actually read this within 10-15 minutes which should be a new record for me loll 😁.
January 20, 2018
Dorothy Parker is waiting for a telephone call, a call that is likely not coming. After reading this it’s easy to understand why.
June 19, 2021
A woman waits for a telephone call from a man.
Please, God, make it stop!! 😌
I know I could easily click the X at the corner of my browser, but yet I couldn't. I need to know what happens! Okay, so I'm not a fan of this short story, but if you're interested check out the link below.
👉 http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/...
Please, God, make it stop!! 😌
I know I could easily click the X at the corner of my browser, but yet I couldn't. I need to know what happens! Okay, so I'm not a fan of this short story, but if you're interested check out the link below.
👉 http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/...
December 19, 2017
"Oh, it's so easy to be sweet to people before you love them."
In this short story, a woman is waiting for a telephone call from her boyfriend, who promised to call her at five o'clock.
Not surprisingly, he doesn't call.
And she's desperate.
In this short story, a woman is waiting for a telephone call from her boyfriend, who promised to call her at five o'clock.
Not surprisingly, he doesn't call.
And she's desperate.
June 12, 2021
For the life of me, I can't think of why the voice in my head went all Doris Day when reading it (think Pillow Talk and the drive home and first phone call).
All thanks to the most wonderful Tina for the link to read it free and for her fantastic review on this. If you want, you can follow that link to read this extremely short yet vastly tumultuous monologue that sheds light on a chaotic mind of a neurotic woman waiting for a phone call. Please tell me people don't behave like this nowadays, do they?
All thanks to the most wonderful Tina for the link to read it free and for her fantastic review on this. If you want, you can follow that link to read this extremely short yet vastly tumultuous monologue that sheds light on a chaotic mind of a neurotic woman waiting for a phone call. Please tell me people don't behave like this nowadays, do they?
October 25, 2023
#A story a day to chase the blues away #23
“A Telephone Call”, Dorothy Parker, EUA, 1930
Este conto poderia ter como título “Quem nunca?” Quem nunca ficou sentado a olhar para o telefone à espera de uma muito ansiada chamada? Quem nunca fez todo o tipo de apelos e pôs em prática truques para fingir indiferença para que assim ele toque logo?
“A Telephone Call” é um monólogo frenético de uma mulher consigo mesma e com Deus, a quem roga e faz promessas e acusações, tudo para que o homem que lhe interessa e lhe ficou de telefonar finalmente o faça. Dorothy Parker é a rainha da mordacidade, mas é igualmente capaz de transmitir a ansiedade das situações.
God, aren’t You really let him call me? Are You sure, God? Couldn’t You please relent? Couldn’t You? I don’t even ask You to let him telephone me this minute. God, only let him do it in a little while. I’ll count five hundred by fives. I’ll do it so slowly and so fairly. If he hasn’t telephoned then, I’ll call him, I will. Oh, please, dear God, dear kind God.
“A Telephone Call”, Dorothy Parker, EUA, 1930
Este conto poderia ter como título “Quem nunca?” Quem nunca ficou sentado a olhar para o telefone à espera de uma muito ansiada chamada? Quem nunca fez todo o tipo de apelos e pôs em prática truques para fingir indiferença para que assim ele toque logo?
“A Telephone Call” é um monólogo frenético de uma mulher consigo mesma e com Deus, a quem roga e faz promessas e acusações, tudo para que o homem que lhe interessa e lhe ficou de telefonar finalmente o faça. Dorothy Parker é a rainha da mordacidade, mas é igualmente capaz de transmitir a ansiedade das situações.
God, aren’t You really let him call me? Are You sure, God? Couldn’t You please relent? Couldn’t You? I don’t even ask You to let him telephone me this minute. God, only let him do it in a little while. I’ll count five hundred by fives. I’ll do it so slowly and so fairly. If he hasn’t telephoned then, I’ll call him, I will. Oh, please, dear God, dear kind God.
December 12, 2017
This is a story of time and how we fill it, especially if we are passively waiting for a wish to come true. Fixations on getting what we want are common, occupy our thought life, are sometimes ineffective and can negatively effect our mood.
Because most of us are guilty of insisting on getting what we want, how do we evaluate the time spent wishing? What role do we expect religion to play in satisfying the wish? What effect on our moods do compulsions have?
How do you spend the time given you? Are your expectations for wish-fulfillment realistic? What is the price we pay for compulsive thinking?
This is a brief tale of time spent. While cows ruminate on cud, how productive is rumination in getting the ending we want?
Because most of us are guilty of insisting on getting what we want, how do we evaluate the time spent wishing? What role do we expect religion to play in satisfying the wish? What effect on our moods do compulsions have?
How do you spend the time given you? Are your expectations for wish-fulfillment realistic? What is the price we pay for compulsive thinking?
This is a brief tale of time spent. While cows ruminate on cud, how productive is rumination in getting the ending we want?
Read
May 26, 2020The astute psychological over-the-topness reminds me of a farcical scene from a Dostoevsky novel. A laugh in the face of suffering at the same time nailing deeply human insecurity and obsession. The specific scenario is from another era, but in romantic love, on the part of men or women, can this kind of situation ever truly go away?
December 17, 2018
10 minutes of Dorothy Parker
Super short story by the great Dorothy Parker. It’s a 10-minute read, so that’s the good news. The bad news is, this story is just a meh.
I have been wanting to read her stories because I know she is one cool chick. What sticks in my mind is that she was a very witty drunk and she uttered a quote that slayed me. A fellow writer challenged her to come up with something witty that had the word horticulture in it.
She came up with this brilliant response, although it’s not PC:
“You can lead a horticulture but you can’t make her think.”
Spoken as:
“You can lead a whore to culture but you can’t make her think.”
Which is a witty variation of a supposedly familiar phrase (which I have indeed heard of):
“You can bring a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”
This is all beside the point, of course. I think I’m stalling because I’m not exactly excited to say this story is totally blah. (It’s way more fun when I can bring out my pogo stick in 5-star glee.) I’m just hoping this story isn’t like her others. Of course I’ll give her another chance; I’m too wowed by her image!
Here’s the plot: A woman is waiting for a call from a man. She goes on and on, talking to God, begging him to make the guy call. Incredibly repetitive on purpose (but it was just too annoying) to give us a taste of how desperate and obsessed she is. No wit to be seen. And I’m not crazy about conversations with God.
I’m wondering if Parker got drunk one evening after a one-night stand and wrote of her obsession about wanting him to call. Maybe she was very famous by then so this short-short slipped in as is. I would be surprised to learn that she was a believer, so maybe she threw in the God part to make it fictional.
It does show how obsessed a person can get waiting for a phone call from someone they barely know. So it was realistic and sort of pathetic. Yeah, waiting for a call that may never come is a bitch. In this story, I was waiting for a call from Excellence but it never came.
Here's a link to the story:
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/...
Super short story by the great Dorothy Parker. It’s a 10-minute read, so that’s the good news. The bad news is, this story is just a meh.
I have been wanting to read her stories because I know she is one cool chick. What sticks in my mind is that she was a very witty drunk and she uttered a quote that slayed me. A fellow writer challenged her to come up with something witty that had the word horticulture in it.
She came up with this brilliant response, although it’s not PC:
“You can lead a horticulture but you can’t make her think.”
Spoken as:
“You can lead a whore to culture but you can’t make her think.”
Which is a witty variation of a supposedly familiar phrase (which I have indeed heard of):
“You can bring a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”
This is all beside the point, of course. I think I’m stalling because I’m not exactly excited to say this story is totally blah. (It’s way more fun when I can bring out my pogo stick in 5-star glee.) I’m just hoping this story isn’t like her others. Of course I’ll give her another chance; I’m too wowed by her image!
Here’s the plot: A woman is waiting for a call from a man. She goes on and on, talking to God, begging him to make the guy call. Incredibly repetitive on purpose (but it was just too annoying) to give us a taste of how desperate and obsessed she is. No wit to be seen. And I’m not crazy about conversations with God.
I’m wondering if Parker got drunk one evening after a one-night stand and wrote of her obsession about wanting him to call. Maybe she was very famous by then so this short-short slipped in as is. I would be surprised to learn that she was a believer, so maybe she threw in the God part to make it fictional.
It does show how obsessed a person can get waiting for a phone call from someone they barely know. So it was realistic and sort of pathetic. Yeah, waiting for a call that may never come is a bitch. In this story, I was waiting for a call from Excellence but it never came.
Here's a link to the story:
http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/...
March 12, 2023
“Oh, it’s so easy to be sweet to people before you love them.”
This short story, a depiction of an inner stream of obsessive consciousness, was first published in 1928. Can be viewed as humour, but also contains astute paradoxical observations, as above.
“I thought this was so big I could say whatever I meant. I guess you can’t, ever.” This one is more painful than wry or funny.
How wonderful it must have been, back in the day, to be a friend of Dorothy!
This short story, a depiction of an inner stream of obsessive consciousness, was first published in 1928. Can be viewed as humour, but also contains astute paradoxical observations, as above.
“I thought this was so big I could say whatever I meant. I guess you can’t, ever.” This one is more painful than wry or funny.
How wonderful it must have been, back in the day, to be a friend of Dorothy!
December 20, 2017
Love can be cruel. And so can hope be. Those two combined can reak havoc on the mind and soul.
In this story a woman waits beside the telephone for a man to call. She is in love with him and he promised to call her at 5. And now it's 7. She tries to make the phone ring with magical thinking, praying, begging, cursing. Her emotions swing from love, to hate and to despair.
I liked the story, but I do wonder about the woman. She seems somewhat unstable. It makes me wonder how well she knows the man. If only from one meeting, she seems a bit of a lunatic, extreme in her emotions.
In this story a woman waits beside the telephone for a man to call. She is in love with him and he promised to call her at 5. And now it's 7. She tries to make the phone ring with magical thinking, praying, begging, cursing. Her emotions swing from love, to hate and to despair.
I liked the story, but I do wonder about the woman. She seems somewhat unstable. It makes me wonder how well she knows the man. If only from one meeting, she seems a bit of a lunatic, extreme in her emotions.
November 17, 2015
Witty.. Yes, it's frustrating to go through the process of infatuation and love but to the outsider one makes a funny display like this in early stages. May god bless these souls.
June 22, 2021
'A Telephone Call' (1930) is a short story from wisecracking polymath Dorothy Parker - writer, critic, poet, sometime Hollywood screenwriter and political activist.
Here we have the oft told tale of a not unusual scenario - a young woman desperately and increasingly frantically waiting for a promised telephone call from a young man, her potential lover.
Written in what feels like a stream of consciousness, the story has a certain ring of authenticity to it and perhaps autobiographical experience?
This is the only thing that I've read by Parker, but am intrigued to discover more.
Here we have the oft told tale of a not unusual scenario - a young woman desperately and increasingly frantically waiting for a promised telephone call from a young man, her potential lover.
Written in what feels like a stream of consciousness, the story has a certain ring of authenticity to it and perhaps autobiographical experience?
This is the only thing that I've read by Parker, but am intrigued to discover more.
July 12, 2017
By story's end, I begged for the call's arrival.
A young woman awaited her one-time lover's call, begging and pleading for God's help. Clearly, the "relationship's" based on a one-night stand, three days ago, with a married man, but the unnamed narrator fails to see the truth, even telling God that their moment together didn't hurt anyone.
While the begging and pleading repeated ad nauseum, the tale may annoy some readers. Yet, the story's relatable as many girls and women, including me, experienced at least one moment of "Will he call?" Unfortunately, some of those women waited after moments of passion that would never be rekindled.
If anything, this story's a good and easy introduction to Dorothy Parker.
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 missed telephone calls
A young woman awaited her one-time lover's call, begging and pleading for God's help. Clearly, the "relationship's" based on a one-night stand, three days ago, with a married man, but the unnamed narrator fails to see the truth, even telling God that their moment together didn't hurt anyone.
While the begging and pleading repeated ad nauseum, the tale may annoy some readers. Yet, the story's relatable as many girls and women, including me, experienced at least one moment of "Will he call?" Unfortunately, some of those women waited after moments of passion that would never be rekindled.
If anything, this story's a good and easy introduction to Dorothy Parker.
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 missed telephone calls
December 31, 2022
I wish I couldn't relate to this...
So, I'm going to make sure I never relate to this again. A new year is coming after all. Perfect timing.
So, I'm going to make sure I never relate to this again. A new year is coming after all. Perfect timing.
December 15, 2017
Thanks to a GR friend's (Carol) review, I decided to use the link and read this short story. It truly brought back memories -- not only of waiting for that call but also of situations when, in younger days, I waited for someone to come home and went through the prayer and counting routine. Not such a common thing these days with the ubiquitous cell phone. There's comfort and dismay in what that device allows.
September 8, 2016
Um, this is literally girls (or a girl in this case) overthinking about guys (or a guy).
This is how it goes down in our heads, times ten.
The writing was repetitive (that was the point, obviously), dulled my brain and dried my tongue, and I really just wanted to finish it because I was already half way through and just wanted to finish this story for the heck of it (more like to get another book on my read shelf and on my 2016 Reading Challenge).
How could Dorothy Parker write this-whether it was by hand or typewriter???
This is how it goes down in our heads, times ten.
The writing was repetitive (that was the point, obviously), dulled my brain and dried my tongue, and I really just wanted to finish it because I was already half way through and just wanted to finish this story for the heck of it (more like to get another book on my read shelf and on my 2016 Reading Challenge).
How could Dorothy Parker write this-whether it was by hand or typewriter???
January 1, 2019
It felt straight out of the heart monologue! Written with perfection! This gives you a smile throughout.
March 7, 2020
Reading this was like digging for treasure and coming up with a fistful of gems.
"Oh, it's so easy to be sweet to people before you love them."
and
They hate you whenever you say anything you really think. You always have to keep playing little games. Oh, I thought we didn't have to; I thought this was so big I could say whatever I meant. I guess you can't, ever. I guess there isn't ever anything big enough for that.
and
The real pride, the big pride, is in having no pride.
"Oh, it's so easy to be sweet to people before you love them."
and
They hate you whenever you say anything you really think. You always have to keep playing little games. Oh, I thought we didn't have to; I thought this was so big I could say whatever I meant. I guess you can't, ever. I guess there isn't ever anything big enough for that.
and
The real pride, the big pride, is in having no pride.
September 8, 2021
never really read short stories. i like how this one is a story on overthinking mostly. shows exactly what goes on in ones mind while overthinking. also depicts the sexism and other social issues in the society at that time. a lot to uncover from one short story.
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