Conversation: a history of a declining art Stephen Miller Yale University Press, 336pp, £15 ISBN 0300110308
The art of conversation is in danger of being killed off by e-mail and text-messaging. In this funny and trenchant study, Stephen Miller looks at the background to its inevitable decline.
Miller's academic speciality is the 18th century, and much of his book is weighted towards the "golden age" of the coffee house and its barbed, witty discourse. Enlightenment conversationalists such as Dr Johnson and David Hume dominate the work, much as they dominated their own circles. Some may be surprised by Miller's omissions. Arguably the greatest English talker of them all, Oscar Wilde, does not get a mention.
Nevertheless, the inclusions range from the Book of Job to blogs and chat rooms, with amusing digressions on everything from Spartan pederasty to Bill Clinton. Miller realises that, in this electronic age, the only way in which the great conversazione of bygone eras can exist is through self-conscious effort. He regards his own country, America, without enthusiasm, concluding that "where people are admired for being natural, sincere, authentic and non-judgemental, the prospects for conversation are not good". Thankfully, this entertaining study will enliven many a dinner-party discussion.
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