Talking Cure - by Paula Marantz Cohen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An invigorating exploration of the pleasures and social importance of conversation

Talking Cure is a timely and enticing excursion into the art of good conversation. Paula Marantz Cohen reveals how conversation connects us in ways that social media never can and explains why simply talking to each other freely and without guile may be the first step to curing what ails our troubled society.

Drawing on her lifelong immersion in literature and culture and her decades of experience as a teacher and critic, Cohen argues that we learn to converse in our families and then carry that knowledge into a broader world where we encounter diverse opinions and sensibilities. She discusses the role of food in encouraging conversation, the challenges of writing dialogue in fiction, the pros and cons of Zoom, the relationship of conversation to vaudeville acts, and the educational value of a good college seminar where students learn to talk about ideas. Cohen looks at some of the famous groups of writers and artists in history whose conversation fed their creativity, and details some of the habits that can result in bad conversation.

Blending the immediacy of a beautifully crafted memoir with the conviviality of an intimate gathering with friends, Talking Cure makes a persuasive case for the civilizing value of conversation and is essential reading for anyone interested in the chatter that fuels culture.

Review Quotes

"A civilising and leisurely read."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer

"This charming and well-written book aptly describes itself as an invigorating exploration of the pleasures and social benefits of conversation, arguably more important than ever at a time of decline in conviviality and collegiality. . . A civilising and leisurely read."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer

"Talking Cure is a thought-provoking read. Cohen skillfully leads the reader through a lively and adventurous exploration of conversation in a wide variety of settings and situations."-- "Choice Reviews"

"[Cohen] makes the case that talking to others--sharing our stories--is how we learn things and sharpen our belief systems, how we piece together what it means to be funny or empathetic. Conversation can change our minds while sustaining our souls."---Hua Hsu, The New Yorker

"[Cohen] explores what makes for a vivacious meeting of minds. . . . She prizes conversation as an end in itself, its value residing not in the achievement of any particular outcome but in the pleasure of fluent verbal interchange."---Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic

"A Seminary Co-Op Notable Book of the Year"

"Like an agile museum guide, Cohen ushers us through a series of literary and historical exhibitions, not as a lecturer but as a conversation partner in prose. That is, Cohen artfully gives us a book that is itself a conversation about conversation in which the learned and the conversible are reunited. . . . Talking Cure is a beautifully expressed reminder of the joys, perils, and aspirations of conversation and its civilizing power."---Todd Breyfogle, Law & Liberty

"The chief value of this book is its abiding reminder of the pleasure of good talk. . . . It's a lesson in how conversation can reveal our truest, fullest selves."---Danny Heitman, Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Paula Marantz Cohen is Distinguished Professor of English and Dean of the Pennoni Honors College at Drexel University. Her books include Of Human Kindness: What Shakespeare Teaches Us about Empathy; Alfred Hitchcock: The Legacy of Victorianism; Silent Film and the Triumph of the American Myth; and the bestselling novel Jane Austen in Boca.