- 368 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
The story of the rise and fall of the art of conversation in Western civilization
Essayist 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 āThe Age of Conversationā 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.
Stephen MillerĀ is a freelance writer and a contributing editor toĀ The Wilson Quarterly.Ā His essays on leading eighteenth-century writers have appeared in many magazines, including theĀ Times Literary Supplement,Ā Partisan Review,Ā andĀ Sewanee Review.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- I. Conversation and Its Discontents
- II. Ancient Conversation: From the Book of Job to Platoās Symposium
- III. Three Factors Affecting Conversation: Religion, Commerce,Women
- IV. The Age of Conversation: Eighteenth-Century Britain
- V. Samuel Johnson: A Conversational Triumph; Lady Mary Wortley Montagu: Conversation Lost
- VI. Conversation in Decline: From Raillery to Reverie
- VII. Conversation in America: From Benjamin Franklin to Dale Carnegie
- VIII. Modern Enemies of Conversation: From Countercultural Theorists to āWhite Negroesā
- IX. The Ways We Donāt Converse Now
- X. The End of Conversation?
- Bibliographical Essay
- Index