Conversation: A History of a Declining ArtEssayist Stephen Miller pursues a lifelong interest in conversation by taking an historical and philosophical view of the subject. He chronicles the art of conversation in Western civilization from its beginnings in ancient Greece to its apex in eighteenth-century Britain to its current endangered state in America. As Harry G. Frankfurt brought wide attention to the art of bullshit in his recent bestselling On Bullshit, so Miller now brings the art of conversation into the light, revealing why good conversation matters and why it is in decline. Miller explores the conversation about conversation among such great writers as Cicero, Montaigne, Swift, Defoe, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and Virginia Woolf. He focuses on the world of British coffeehouses and clubs in “The Age of Conversation” and examines how this era ended. Turning his attention to the United States, the author traces a prolonged decline in the theory and practice of conversation from Benjamin Franklin through Hemingway to Dick Cheney. He cites our technology (iPods, cell phones, and video games) and our insistence on unguarded forthrightness as well as our fear of being judgmental as powerful forces that are likely to diminish the art of conversation. |
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... society, now named after him, where he stayed half the night “enchanting undergraduates with hisconversation.” By conversationOakeshott means facetoface conversation— not phone conversation. Oakeshott diedin1990, beforevirtual ...
... society, now named after him, where he stayed half the night “enchanting undergraduates with hisconversation.” By conversationOakeshott means facetoface conversation— not phone conversation. Oakeshott diedin1990, beforevirtual ...
Page xiv
... society . " I am more interested in the informal con- versations that take place in private settings . In short , this book is about everyday conversation— including what we call light conversation or small talk . In Chapter One I ...
... society . " I am more interested in the informal con- versations that take place in private settings . In short , this book is about everyday conversation— including what we call light conversation or small talk . In Chapter One I ...
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... Society and conversation ...are themost powerful remediesfor restoringthe mindtoits tranquility, if, atany time, ithasunfortunately lostit.” Swiftsaysthat ifwe lack the “usefulPleasure” of conversation, “we areforced totakeupeither poor ...
... Society and conversation ...are themost powerful remediesfor restoringthe mindtoits tranquility, if, atany time, ithasunfortunately lostit.” Swiftsaysthat ifwe lack the “usefulPleasure” of conversation, “we areforced totakeupeither poor ...
Page 18
... Society . " Between a benefactor and a dependant , Johnson says , there can be no " general conversation " because the dependant is not disinterested . One of Johnson's essays takes the form of a letter from a writer who has wasted his ...
... Society . " Between a benefactor and a dependant , Johnson says , there can be no " general conversation " because the dependant is not disinterested . One of Johnson's essays takes the form of a letter from a writer who has wasted his ...
Page 19
... than those learned pedants , whose lives have been entirely consumed in colleges , and among books . " The Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society associ- ated intellectual progress Conversation and Its Discontents 19.
... than those learned pedants , whose lives have been entirely consumed in colleges , and among books . " The Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society associ- ated intellectual progress Conversation and Its Discontents 19.
Contents
29 | |
EighteenthCentury Britain | 79 |
A Conversational Triumph Lady | 119 |
Raillery to Reverie | 150 |
From Benjamin | 194 |
From | 242 |
NINE The Ways We Dont Converse Now | 264 |
TEN The End of Conversation? | 291 |
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Common terms and phrases
According Addison admired agree American anger appeared argues asked attacked attended avoid became become Boswell Britain called century cities civil clubs Coffee coffeehouses common continually conversationalist conversible world critic culture describes dinner discussion easy effect eighteenth-century England English enjoyed essay feel Franklin friends give guests human Hume ideas implies important Instant Messaging interest Italy Johnson Lady Mary leading learned less letter listen live London look mainly manners means meet mind natural never one's opinion party passions person play pleasures poem polite popular praised questions raillery reason refers remark salon sation says seems sense social society Socrates solitude sounds speaks Spectator sublime suffering Swift talk thing thought tion told turn versation wants women Woolf writers wrote young