Dorothy Parker, the original Queen of Mean, with acerbic one liners that went down in history, eventually ended up in Hollywood. A new biography which relates her later years shows her as a brilliant wit and wasted talent, as she never overcame her addiction to carousing and alcohol.
Behind the piercing wit she was sad, at times suicidal. But despite her best self-destructive efforts she lived to be 73. She was born 22 August 1893 at 9.50pm West End, New Jersey. Her mother died when she was four and she inherited a hated stepmother giving her a rebellious streak. Her convent school expelled her for announcing that “the Virgin Mary’s immaculate conception was likely a case of spontaneous combustion”. Her early career as a Vogue writer – “Brevity is the soul of lingerie, as the Petticoat said to the Chemise” saw her move smartly on to Vanity Fair as a savage theatre critic. Once in California she became politically engaged, helped establish the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League, and travelled to Spain to report on the civil war. Later the FBI put her under surveillance for suspected communist tendencies.
As her alcoholism took grip she ended up living in filth and eating raw bacon because she couldn’t be bothered to cook. Her second husband did his best to rescue her.
She had an extraordinary chart with a Sun Mars in Virgo in her performing 5th house, no doubt giving her the acerbic edge which brought her fame. Especially since that squared a Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune stellium in Gemini, which in turn was trine Venus and Saturn in Libra.
Her Uranus in Scorpio was in an outspoken square to her Mercury in Leo; and she had a yod of Uranus sextile a Capricorn Moon inconjunct Pluto Neptune.
That Neptune Pluto in Gemini did produce some singular talents but had a tendency to obsessiveness and was not entirely mentally stable.
Odd about living in filth, eating raw bacon with a Virgo Sun.
Add On: Her second marriage to actor/writer Alan Campbell, 21 February 1904, was tempestuous. She drank and he had a long-term affair with a married woman and was bi-sexual. They divorced in 1947, remarried in 1950, then separated in 1952, only reconcile in 1961 and collaborated on several unproduced projects until he died from a drug overdose in 1963.
She had her Sun/Moon midpoint conjunct her Uranus natally so was not really designed for stable, committed monogamy. But even so their relationship chart was a train wreck of sado-masochistic fury and resentment with a composite Mars Pluto opposition Saturn and a needs-space composite Sun opposition Uranus.
He was a Sun Pisces opposition her Virgo Sun Mars with his creative Venus conjunct her Midheaven so her successful career would be an attraction for him.
Dorothy Parker quotes.
“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.”
“Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician.”
“If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me.”
“Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.”
“If you want to know what God thinks about money, just look at the people He gives it to.”
“Never throw mud: you can miss the target, but your hands will remain dirty.”
“The only dependable law of life – everything is always worse than you thought it was going to be.”
“This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.”
If you wear a short enough skirt, the party will come to you.”
“I like to have a martini/Two at the very most/After three I’m under the table/After four I’m under my host.”
“A hangover is the wrath of grapes.”
“I’m not a writer with a drinking problem, I’m a drinker with a writing problem.”
Add On: Just an en passant. Kim Keon-hee, the wife of the now impeached South Korea leader, is described as a Lady Macbeth figure, described as a “rich, outspoken, childless woman.” It is thought his disastrous move to impose martial law was a means of protecting his wife from investigation and potential prosecution.
She was born 2 September 1972 and like Dorothy Parker has a Sun Mars conjunction in Virgo.
She has quite a first house – Neptune-Pluto-Jupiter could account for addictions and alcohol. Algol so close to the ASC would not have made her an easy person to deal with.
I couldn’t help thinking about other Virgos I know – an alcoholic sister-in-law whose chart I don’t know but appears to have Piscean and Cancerian tendencies, someone whose only form of work is cooking, but not much else, loves to play, gamble, and basically lives via the 8th house – and drinks to forget whatever ails her (not living up to her Virgo Sun?); I also noticed that she could become atypically nasty after a few drinks. Neither she nor her husband my brother, also Virgo, can be called neat, organized or thrifty. Live for today, and count on the 8th house (which, amazingly, has actually worked out for both). I think they both have Saturn in Cancer, compared to my ultra responsible Saturn in Capricorn, not any easier to live with, but at least a compatible Earth sign, and opposing our Saturns. Though never filthy and most certainly health-oriented (besides the alcohol).
A close friend, not Virgo but with moon/Venus in Virgo, and I, Sun/Moon in Virgo, both hate cleaning, even though we like things to be clean. We both find it to be a waste of time and effort and most of all, boring! (The same with cooking). We both live more in the mind, which is where we prefer to spend our energy, than on material necessities, yet the earthy needs can’t be ignored either.
If I didn’t loathe the idea of having someone else clean my mess, even for pay, I’d hire a housekeeper.
I suspect that our moons in Virgo can also cause us to be lost in the details, whatever the task (it certainly is for my friend, who has always had a hard time focusing) – so in the case of household chores, it can be hard to ever finish anything once you start, because good isn’t enough, it has to be perfectly clean, and so you never get to the next item on the to-do list (yes I have those). In her case, things are strewn all over (but not dirty) until there is urgency to deal with them (eg a visitor). In my case, things pile up until I can’t stand the sight of the mess. The only solution I can think of is to return to my minimalist periods – less stuff, fewer things to organize or clean up, so my home was always neat!
Résumé by Dorothy Parker
Razors pain you,
Rivers are damp,
Acids stain you,
And drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren’t lawful,
Nooses give,
Gas smells awful.
You might as well live.
I think you can see that Pluto/Neptune Capricorn Scorpio yod, there! There’s a film, ‘Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle’ 1994 about her relationship with the Algonquin Round Table, her love life and struggles.
It’s a great film!
Yes. So convincing.
She was played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, one of the underrated actresses in Hollywood. Interesting chart too – 5. Feb. 1962, 12:33 PM at Los Angeles (CA), US.
Speaking of witty, I think Marjorie here is a prime example of some stellar one-liners, curt insights.
Yes, well said!
A good one that’s missing above,
Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.
The story of some with really prominent Neptune is “Just try to make me go to rehab, I won’t go go go…”
Her natal Capricorn Moon-Libra Saturn square is so exact, and so influential (ruling her Capricorn MC and Cancer IC). Looks like it may reflect emotional dissatisfaction, withdrawal, or isolation early on (the loss of her mother?), as well as her troubling bouts with depression and loneliness later in life. Of course ambition, determination, and self-control are the positives with this one.
Brilliant repartee, yes. Yet harsh, dry, ‘unfeeling’ ridicule doesn’t always work. I felt sorry for her when she aimed it at Milne’s ‘The House of Pooh Corner’.
@pdw, this is likely a direct indication of being deprived of maternal affection through a death of a parent. I personally have a Leo Saturn inconjunct Capricorn Moon, and also lost my mother at 4. One of the first professional astrologers looking at my chart immediately singled this as a very common signature of people who’ve lost mother, but also said that with harsh aspects allowing a larger orb, it comes down to how tight it is (my husband has a very loose Moon square Saturn, and has an extremely sane relationship with his mother).
Hi Solaia, not just mother. I have Saturn 135° to Moon in Cancer (family), lost father at 4.
Solaia, agree her Moon-Saturn definitely suggests Dorothy Parker’s actual experience, especially with its emphasis on her parental axis. Thanks for sharing your own experience. Gosh, what a harsh adjustment for a 4 yr. old for sure.
Personally I’d anticipate a range of manifestation with this aspect, with some kind of early environmental conditioning or deprivation, as you say, that forces or promotes emotional control and self-reliance. A 30-something relative with this aspect, like your husband, has an ‘extremely sane’ relationship with his mother. He’s always dutiful and responsive when needed or asked, but somewhat private and guarded about his own feelings and needs (Aries Moon-Capricorn Saturn square).
My father was a big fan and used to say my acerbic tongue reminded him of her witticisms. I have mercury in Virgo and possibly the moon too if my daughter’s relocation of my chart is correct. I am a neat freak and was a professional editor and translator – rewriting other people’s words to help them get their message across. Never managed to finish any own creative writing – too self critical – another Virgo trait! I have great admiration for all the Virgos who can get past themselves and put their own thoughts and creative expression out there in the world.
“Odd about living in filth, eating raw bacon with a Virgo Sun.”
In my experience, Sun Virgos tend to be extreme in this sense, they are either the worst neat freaks or total slops. And this especially goes with alcoholic female Virgo Suns. Unfortunately, I have two friends who had alcoholic Virgo Sun mothers, and their experiences were complete opposites.
Also, there’s a famous Virgo Sun example in Finland, Miss Finland (when this was a very big deal) and later singer/entertainer Armi Aavikko, born September 1st 1958 (two weeks after Madonna), dead of pneumonia at 43 day after New Year in 2001. She turned to alcohol since it was everywhere and because of the stress caused by her relationship to her married singing partner, as well as never being recognized as a true singer and entertainer. But she was known for being amazingly tidy and taking great pride in keeping her apartment in prime conditions. She even cleaned the staff quarters when she was performing at liner ships between Finland and Sweden. I think this might have been her Taurus Mars trine IC (we are lucky to have her chart, because she was into astrology, and was even used as a celebrity example books I read).
* 2002, obviously. This was such a big deal here at the time, too. She was found in her apartment, covered in fur, with a balcony door open.
It’s kind of my experience too. I know of two Virgos right now who would be those “slops”.
Virgo can often be hypocondriacs, but not all of them. And some don’t even realize. Or if not hypocondriacs, some can be be obsessed with their health, endless check-ups, all sorts of routines, diets, fitness regimens, alternative therapies.
@El Aznar, I will also say that Virgo and Capricorn influenced people are the signs most prone to so called functioning alcoholism and substance abuse. The motivation is to silence “the inner inspector”. And it will leave exactly to the situations where the people are super sharp or at least there for the work, but wrecks outside that sphere.
“slops” equates to “hoarder”.
Piles of garbage, old newspapers, stacks of empty cereal boxes, and food saved in cupbards with expiry dates from 12 yrs ago. Uncleaned liter boxes for over a week.
Explosive reactions if newspapers removed from chairs so one has a place to sit.
My mother was a Virgo. She was an absolute genius at spelling. She knew the correct spelling of the most obscure words and was very meticulous about grammar.
I am wondering if there is a relationship between Virgos and words. I am a Virgo (Sept 14th) and truly enjoy words, although have never had the courage to write.
Mercury.
Many writers are Virgos which is one of the signs renowned for such, along with Gemini and communicative Sagittarius.
Virgo authors: George RR Martin
William Golding
Mary Shelley
Leo Tolstoy
H.G.Wells
Agatha Christie
Stephen King
Roald Dahl
Edgar Lee Masters
Jean Rhys
Jorge Luis Borges
A.S. Byatt
Martin Amis
Guillaume Apollinaire
Christopher Isherwood
@Maggie C, yes, definitely! Both my maternal grandparents were Virgo Suns with additional planets in the sign. Grandfather, a 09/16/1921 Virgo Sun likely survived the WWII because while having 5 years of formal schooling, he had perfect handwriting and good grammer and was assigned as a scribe instead of artillery observer going to one of the worst artillery battles in the history. Grandmother, a 08/27/1927 super-Virgo also had those 5 years of schooling. She was, however, from a family of avid readers, folk poets and later journalists. She loved reading, also aloud to me. I particularly remember her reading “Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter” and “The Old Man and the Sea”.
She was absolutely dazzling as a wit. Sheer brilliance!!! I have used her quote on martinis a few times, as also the quote about the book needing to be thrown with great force.
And yet such an incredibly sad life, far sadder than a Greek tradegy. Her second husband was openly bisexual and they divorced when he had an affair with a married woman during WWII, then remarried, separated and reconciled again.
After her death, she was cremated, but her ashes lay unclaimed in the crematorium for years, until they were sent to her solicitors, who filed them away for a few more years until one of them mentioned it in press and the NAACP, who had inherited her estate, collected her ashes and interred them in their office garden.
What a sad, lonely end.
Her relationship with her husband reminds me of Frank O’Connor, the husband of Ayn Rand, who was a deeply supportive husband (who also worked in Hollywood) in spite of Ayn Rand cheating on him repeatedly and openly with younger men. When she died, she was buried next to him.
Frank O’Connor was born on September 22, 1897, in Lorain, Ohio.
Ayn Rand was born on February 2, 1905 in St Petersburg, Russia.
Alan Campbell (Dorothy Parker’s second husband) was born on February 21, 1904 in Richmond, Virginia.
Is there any astrological signature for supportive husbands in spite of their wives being less than supportive in return?
Also could you do a post in general on Ayn Rand (I could not find one in the Search)? Both my parents are great fans of her and have read all her works, though I am much less enamoured of her, given her very self-centered viewpoints.
My Hero! “Oh life is a glorious cycle of song, a medley of extemporanea. And love is the thing that can never go wrong and I am Marie of Romania”. Her favorite scent was Tuberose, which was what undertakers used to cover up the smell of a corpse. I tried wearing it for a while, but ugh. My olfactory obeisance went only so far.
I love tuberoses. Obviously neat or on its own, it’s a bit overwhelming, but in a decent perfume. Try No 24 Faubourg by Hermes (not a commercial endorsement obviously, just one that I like).
Also, in small quantities, tuberose makes for a lovely room fragrance.
Oh I will try that, @Unmystic Mom. Thank you!
Absolutely my favourite quote of all times! What a gal especially in the era into which she was born!
She has Mean BML opposition her Neptune….”Addiction to substances.
Backlash of spiritual beliefs, with oppression from the outside world.
Loss & dissolution of her reality at various tiimes.”
Thanks, Martha. I am really interested. Where is your BML delineation from? (book, article, etc.) I am trying to lear about BML and the nodes…
Parker has a stellium, Jupiter-Pluto-Neptune. POSITIVE: “Intense
enthusiasm manifests through imaginative visions.”
NEGATIVE: “Excessive behavior & attitude cause confusion & disorientation.”
Here is chart with notes on her other characteristics.
https://ibb.co/SNz05Km
Amazing quotes. I’d probably handle 5 minutes of her at a time.