CONTENTS
Chapter I
INTRODUCTORY
WHAT CONVERSATION IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT
| PAGE |
| What is the aim of conversation?—The talk of Coleridge and Macaulay—Browning's delightful conversation—Why we go into society—The elements of good conversation—What it is not—Genius and scholarship not essential to good conversation | [21] |
Chapter II
DISCUSSION VERSUS CONTROVERSY
| Dr. Johnson's and Robert Louis Stevenson's opinion of discussion—Politeness and discussion—The hostess in discussion—Flat contradiction in discussion—Polemical squabbles—Brilliant discussion in France—The secret of delightful conversation in France—Leading the talk—Topics for discussion—Gladstone's conversation | [35] |