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I would say that anyone who wants to be considered a good conversationalist ought to make it a point to know some fifty to a hundred stories and anecdotes to tell when the circumstances are fitting. People thirst for humor. You owe it to them to make some little contribution. That means you tell a story to please them, not yourself. You should therefore make sure you can tell it right, and have not told it to the same group before. You should also keep adding new ones to your stock. Swift warns that: Storytelling is subject to two unavoidable defects, frequent repetition, and being soon exhausted; so that, whoever values this gift in himself, has need of a good memory, and ought frequently to shift his company, that he may not discover the weakness of his fund. |
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