Conversation

A History of a Declining Art

By: Stephen Miller

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Paperback | 25 July 2007 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
368 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.14 x 1.41 x 0.21

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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 âThe Age of Conversationâ 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.

Industry Reviews

"'A charming (and alarming) history of conversation, as elegantly affable as the conversationalists Miller admires... And the measure of his book is that it makes one want to rush out and converse about it.' Michael Bywater, The Independent 'In its disarming fashion, Miller's book has some harsh things to say about the home of free speech.' Will Cohu, The Daily Telegraph 'A funny and trenchant study... The inclusions range from the Book of Job to blogs and chat rooms, with amusing digressions on everything from Spartan pederasty to Bill Clinton... Thankfully, this entertaining study will enliven many a dinner-party discussion.' Alexander Larman, New Statesman 'Miller takes us on a lightning ride through 2,500 years of attitudes towards the subject... This book is important in alerting us to the value of a kind of exchange too often dismissed as "having a chat".' Alain de Botton, The Times"

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