Project Gutenberg 2021-06-18 Public domain in the USA. 182 Mahaffy, J. P. (John Pentland) 1839 1919 Mahaffy, John Pentland The Principles of the Art of Conversation Turgut Dincer, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) "The Principles of the Art of Conversation" by J. P. Mahaffy is a theoretical guide on the elements and skills essential for effective conversational practices, written in the late 19th century. The work explores the dynamics of conversation, suggesting that not only is it a universal and necessary social skill, but it can also be viewed as an art that can be honed and improved. Mahaffy discusses the various subjective (physical, mental, and moral) and objective (listener dynamics) conditions that contribute to successful conversation. The opening of the text introduces the overarching premise that conversation is a vital component of society, where being agreeable in talk grants individuals social standing and personal fulfillment. Mahaffy emphasizes that while good conversation may seem spontaneous, it can be cultivated through awareness and practice. He lays out fundamental traits that characterize effective speakers, such as knowledge, modesty, and sympathy, while also highlighting the significance of tact and understanding the varied company dynamics—whether conversing with one person, a few, or a larger group. This discussion forms the foundation for the subsequent exploration of conversation's nuanced principles throughout the rest of the work. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 48.2 (College-level). Difficult to read. en Conversation BJ Text Category: Language & Communication 218281 2025-06-26T05:53:51.579716 text/html 194113 2024-10-18T14:27:06 text/html 363217 2025-06-26T05:53:56.095663 application/epub+zip 360910 2025-06-26T05:53:52.495687 application/epub+zip 182397 2025-06-26T05:53:52.043680 application/epub+zip 414219 2025-06-26T05:53:59.035654 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 381401 2025-06-26T05:53:55.642694 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 202844 2022-09-29T14:28:08.819001 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 187959 2025-06-26T05:53:51.063771 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 167987 2024-10-18T14:27:06 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16580 2025-06-26T05:53:59.162630 application/rdf+xml 14599 2025-06-26T05:53:52.122660 image/jpeg 1926 2025-06-26T05:53:52.083676 image/jpeg 326464 2025-06-26T05:53:51.600660 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia