By thinking long-term, historical past-modern love being an extension of medieval ideas of courtly love, for instance-he surmised that conversation, and nurturing the art of conversation, is the best way to transform our lives in a meaningful way. With nothing to lose and everything to gain, the stranger can bare their soul and leave whenever they like, feeling the thrill and lightness brought on by their openness. Over the evening, she described her parents, their religiosity, their diet of Fox News, the 35mm snapshots she kept of them-her most treasured item; her recently jettisoned engagement; her desire for control that bordered on obsessive; her growing interest in socialism after learning about Austria's national health service (not something she relished talking about at home during Fox commercial breaks). Zeldin wrote several books on the art of conversation, speaking to people for whom it is a central need in life.